Amid growing complaints about screen overload in today’s vehicles, owners are most satisfied with the technology they barely notice, according to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study,SM released today. These smart technologies quietly simplify tasks like starting the vehicle and managing cabin comfort, reducing friction instead of adding complexity behind the wheel.

Features like smart ignition, which automatically starts and turns off the vehicle based on driver actions, and smart climate control, which uses artificial intelligence to adjust the cabin environment for maximum comfort and efficiency, deliver high satisfaction with few problems, while more complex features like hands-free driving systems and passenger screens often add friction instead of value.

“The technology customers value most is often the technology they barely notice because it simply works,” said Doron Hikry, director of customer success at JD Power. “Smart ignition and smart climate control make everyday driving easier without demanding the driver’s attention, while more automation and additional screens don’t necessarily translate into a better experience. For automakers, the opportunity is to prioritize technology that makes driving simpler, not more complicated. The features that solve real problems without adding effort or stress for the driver are the ones resonating most with customers.”

Following are some key findings of the 2026 index:

  • Inconspicuous smart tech delivers the strongest payoff: Smart technologies that operate seamlessly in the background are earning high satisfaction among owners while also generating relatively few problems. For example, smart ignition ranks highest in overall satisfaction and has one of the lowest problem counts (2.4 PP100). Similarly, smart climate control and smart driver preferences account for high levels of customer satisfaction and desirability, and low overall problem counts.

  • More automation doesn’t automatically improve the experience: In the United States, SAE Level 2 (L2) driver assistance systems, which require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, outperform more technologically advanced SAE Level 2+ (L2+) hands-free systems on execution and overall experience scores, despite L2+ systems offering more functionality. While L2+ systems have a slightly lower problem count than L2 systems (13.8 vs. 14.3 PP100, respectively), they do not deliver a better overall experience, suggesting that simply adding hands-free capability does not necessarily translate into greater customer satisfaction. “The results indicate that owners may currently be more comfortable with systems that clearly assist the driver rather than those that introduce a greater degree of automation,” said Hikry.

  • Passenger screens offer little appeal to owners: Passenger screens are more common and actively used in premium vehicles, yet they rank among the most problematic technologies in the index (21.3 PP100). More than one-third (35%) of owners industrywide who have a passenger screen say they have never tried to use it, while just 6% say they use it every time they drive. Some vehicles equipped with passenger screens also had higher rates of infotainment system problems in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS).

Highest-Ranking Brands

Cadillac ranks highest overall and highest among premium brands for innovation, with a score of 641 (on a 1,000-point scale). Genesis (559) ranks second and BMW (524) ranks third.

Hyundai ranks highest among mass market brands for innovation for a seventh consecutive year, with a score of 524. GMC (470) and Kia (470) each rank second in a tie.

Advanced Technology Award Recipients

The U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) analyzes 40 automotive technologies, which are divided into five categories: comfort and convenience; connected vehicle; driver assist; electric vehicle; and smart vehicle. The smart vehicle category is not award-eligible this year.

  • Cadillac Escalade is the premium model receiving the comfort and convenience award for its camera rear-view mirror technology. Toyota Tundra is the mass market model receiving the comfort and convenience award, also for camera rear-view mirror technology.

  • BMW X6 is the premium model receiving the connected vehicle award for phone-based digital key. Hyundai Palisade is the mass market model receiving the connected vehicle award, also for phone-based digital key.

  • Genesis GV70 receives the award for driver assist in the premium segment for its blind spot camera. Hyundai Palisade receives the award for driver assist in the mass market segment, also for blind spot camera.

  • BMW iX receives the award for electric vehicle in the premium segment for one pedal driving. Hyundai IONIQ 9 receives the award for electric vehicle in the mass market segment for its EV charging scheduler.

To view the complete visual rank charts for each segment, visit: http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2026083

The U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) complements the annual JD Power U.S. Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) and the JD Power U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) StudySM by measuring how effectively each automotive brand brings new technologies to market. TXI combines the level of adoption of new technologies in each brand with excellence in execution. The execution measurement examines how much owners like the new technologies and how many problems they experience while using them. The TXI dataset allows automakers to immediately identify the specific technologies their customers consider to be must-have, nice to have or not necessary at all.

The 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) is based on responses from 68,084 owners of new 2026 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. It was fielded from June 2025 through May 2026 based on vehicles registered from March 2025 through February 2026.

For more information about the U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI), visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/u-s-tech-experience-index-txi-study/.

About JD Power

JD Power is a proven leader in business-critical data and intelligence to drive auto-related decisions with confidence and clarity. By leveraging unmatched proprietary data, advanced analytics and deep industry expertise, JD Power fuels original equipment manufacturers, retailers, lenders, insurers and partners to enhance their performance.

Since 1968, JD Power has delivered incisive guidance and intelligence about customer interactions with brands and products. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com.

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