It’s Official: Volkswagen Is Bringing Back Physical Buttons to ALL Vehicles
We’ve written about physical buttons again, and again, and again, and it seems like they’ve finally listened. Volkswagen is finally bringing back physical buttons.
Speaking to Autocar, Andreas Mindt, design chief at the German auto giant, called the decision to remove these buttons “a mistake.”
“From the ID 2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most important functions – the volume, the heating on each side of the car, the fans and the hazard light – below the screen,” he explained, adding: “It’s not a phone: it’s a car.”
To that we say, “THANK YOU”.
That said, it’s not a complete 100% return to physical buttons as the change only affects important functions.
European regulators are also cheering on the transition back to physical buttons. As of Jan. 1, 2026, new cars sold in the EU will need physical buttons or switches for their horn, windshield wipers, turn signals, hazard warning lights, and SOS features if they want to get the highest safety rating from the European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP).
Time will tell if this self-correction will include more than just the “important” features, but we’d like to think that the auto world are coming to their senses.
As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Volkswagen, you’re having a hard time right now. Let’s not shoot yourselves in the foot, come back to your senses and just make good reliable cars.
