2026 Car Trends Everyone Will Be Talking About

Cars, like everything else, evolve. They always have, and they always will. From carburettors to fuel injection, analogue dials to digital clusters, progress has long been part of the automotive story. But we have reached a point where that evolution is no longer being embraced as easily as it once was. Technology inside modern vehicles has grown so rapidly, and in some cases so aggressively, that it has begun to feel less like progress and more like an irritation for everyday drivers.

That is not to say all change has been unwelcome. Some advancements have genuinely improved safety, efficiency, and comfort, and few would argue against their value. The frustration lies in how certain technologies are implemented, often solving problems that never existed or complicating experiences that were once intuitive.

Let’s look at 10 of the most prominent automotive trends of recent years, looking at how they have reshaped modern cars and, more importantly, how they have been received by the people who actually buy and drive them.

1. The U-Turn on Full Electrification

The EU has become a bit of an enemy in the car world, constantly pushing rules that thrill-seekers see as killjoys. First it was no more loud exhausts, then emissions cuts, and now a hard push for EVs while combustion engines are being sidelined. For a while, carmakers seemed trapped; brands like Alfa Romeo promised to be all-electric by 2027, Mercedes and Jaguar set 2030 targets, and even Aston Martin and Mazda jumped on board, despite neither having an EV on sale yet.

The pushback is real. Consumers aren’t lining up for every EV, and some launches have stumbled spectacularly. Ford’s F-150 Lightning, despite the F-150 being the world’s best-selling truck, failed to meet expectations. Porsche’s newly announced  full-electric Cayenne, with over 1,000 horsepower, slipped by with little fuss, but talk of a fully electric Cayman immediately sparked complaints; people want Porsche for the experience, not just the numbers. EV depreciation is brutal, sometimes hitting 50% in just three years.

The result is a surprising pivot: what looked like the future is taking a step back. Manufacturers are admitting reality: if EVs don’t sell, it’s a lose-lose. Market demand is overtaking idealistic roadmaps, and we’re seeing a cautious, pragmatic U-turn in electrification.

2. Hybrid Power Enters Sports Cars and Supercars

Lamborghini Revuelto

Gone are the days when manufacturers went head-to-head on who could engineer the most powerful V12 or V8. Now they’ll say, “Sure, our engine only produces 10 horsepower, but with the help of this hybrid battery, the full output is 1,000 horsepower”. Okay, that 10 hp is a joke, but you get the point.

Almost every supercar now comes with a hybrid, and honestly, it’s not a bad thing. Some of my favourites, like the Ferrari GTB, the SF90, and the Revuelto, don’t rely on roaring V8s to impress. Even hypercars, from the McLaren W1 to the Ferrari F80, are embracing hybrid tech.

Enthusiasts and collectors, however, aren’t always sold; emotion matters just as much as performance. They don’t want to start their supercar in EV mode and sneak quietly out of the driveway; they want to wake the neighbours.

The difference here is that unlike the EV situation for everyday cars, hybrids are the future of supercars. Loud or quiet, electric or petrol, this is one change enthusiasts will have to accept, and it’s already here to stay.

3. The Disappearance of the Manual Gearbox

Porsche 911 Carrera T

Another thing enthusiasts can’t stop lamenting is the manual gearbox. It’s part of the experience, the way you engage with the car, and while paddle shifters let you feel a bit of that control, it’s just not the same. That’s why cars like the Porsche 911 Carrera T are fan favourites, because they keep the manual shifter alive. 

Even cars like the Aventador SVJ, which aren’t manuals, still earn praise for the emotion their single-clutch gearboxes deliver, proving that how you change gears matters just as much as the engine under the hood. This isn’t something that’s going to vanish entirely. Manufacturers may roll out special edition modern cars with manuals; like the Carrera T and Koenigsegg did it with the CC85.

4. The Slow Death of the V10

Letting go of the V10 hurts, but it’s one of those changes that has to happen. Personally, it stings; my favourite car growing up and one of the best-selling supercars, the Lamborghini Huracán, now has a successor, the Temerario, with a V8 and a hybrid. The Audi R8 is long gone, and even the successor to the Lexus LFA is reportedly going all-electric.

Sure, we’ll probably see a special edition V10 pop up somewhere, but for mass production, it’s disappearing. And it makes sense. That V10 scream might be unforgettable, but it’s not much better than a V8 and certainly doesn’t outperform a V12. Today’s V8s are hitting similar, and sometimes even higher, power levels while being lighter, more efficient, and more reliable. It’s a departure, yes, but one that leaves a mark on anyone who grew up loving that engine note.

5. Split Headlights and the Rise of the Light Bar

Audi Q3

One trend that’s creeping in from the EV world is the lightbar. Think of it like the pop-up headlights of the late ’90s and early 2000s: futuristic, eye-catching, and a little playful. I actually like them, but only when they’re kept simple. Too many manufacturers are getting carried away, putting DRLs in a lightbar with the main headlights tucked underneath, and suddenly the front end looks cluttered.

The rear is getting the same treatment; take the new Audi Q3, with regular lights up top and a lightbar at the bottom that feels unnecessary. On the flip side, some cars get it right. The MG HS, for example, has a clean, polished lightbar design that works. Mercedes have added a spin by integrating the star into the lightbar, and the facelifted Teslas now sport lightbars too. It’s a trend that’s here to stay, for better or worse, and it’s shaping the look of modern cars more than ever.

6. Fake Engine Sounds

This is one trend that deserves every bit of hate it gets. Because of emissions rules and EU regulations, some manufacturers have made exhausts quieter, then tried to compensate by pumping fake engine noise through the speakers. The logic seems to be that if the car cannot sound exciting on the outside, it should at least feel exciting on the inside.

Even brands like Lamborghini have leaned into this, while Mercedes has become notorious for it. The whole thing feels like a child drinking apple juice, pretending it is wine, then staggering around as if drunk. It is all pretend, and only the driver experiences the illusion. Outside, the car passes by sounding muted and underwhelming, while the person inside thinks they are piloting something ferocious.

What makes it worse is the disconnect. An expensive performance car should sound like a rocket to everyone, not just to the person behind the wheel. Instead, onlookers hear a muffled exhaust note that completely undermines the drama and theatre these cars are supposed to deliver. This trend strips away authenticity and replaces it with simulation, and it is something that should disappear as quickly as it arrived.

7. Features Locked Behind Subscriptions

Buying a car outright used to mean exactly that. Lately, that idea has been quietly chipped away at. You can pay in full, take delivery, and still not have access to everything the car is physically capable of doing. Heated seats and heated steering wheels are already installed, the button is right there, but unless a monthly payment clears, nothing happens. BMW famously started this, and while it never fully went mainstream with other manufacturers, the fact that BMW is doing it is outrageous. This turns ownership into a licence agreement and reduces the car to a platform rather than a finished product. It feels cynical, like selling someone a jacket with pockets sewn shut unless they upgrade. Thankfully, backlash has been loud, and most buyers have made it clear this is not the direction they want cars to go.

8. Overly Helpful ADAS Systems

ADAS systems sit in a strange place. They are genuinely nice to have, and at the same time, deeply annoying. Modern cars have to jump through endless safety hoops, and many of those boxes are ticked by advanced driver assistance systems. On paper, they make perfect sense and can genuinely save lives. In the real world, they can be exhausting. A small, human mistake like drifting slightly toward a lane line can trigger loud, aggressive warnings that startle more than they help.

Instead of correcting the issue calmly, the car panics on your behalf, sometimes to the point where it creates more tension than safety. Speed sign recognition is another example. It is helpful in theory, but slow updates can leave the car convinced you should still be doing 60 km/h while you are already on a 120 km/h highway. The issue is not that these systems exist, but how they are implemented. Some brands get the balance right, others turn driving into a lecture you never asked for.

9. Large Infotainment Screens

This trend really kicked off with Tesla, and at the time it felt fresh. One central control centre for everything gave the cabin a clean, minimalist feel and made interiors look futuristic rather than cluttered. The idea itself was not the problem. A big screen can work, and for some people, the bigger the better. They want navigation that looks like a widescreen TV. I fall on the other side. Big enough to be useful, but not so dominant that it takes over the entire experience. Today’s cars have gone all in on screens.

Sit in the driver’s seat and it can feel more like a cinema than a cockpit. Some luxury cars now even offer a screen for the passenger, turning the entire dashboard into one long display. The biggest issue this creates is distraction. Something as simple as wanting to cool your seat now requires digging through menus and tapping multiple settings instead of pressing one button. Screens are not the enemy, but when the screen becomes the answer to everything, it stops being clever and starts being a problem.

10. The Return of Physical Buttons

Once upon a time, Ferrari decided it did not want buttons. Even the start/stop button in cars like the Roma, SF90, GTB and the models that followed became a touch-sensitive, haptic feedback surface. Starting a supercar by turning the key or pressing a physical button is an event, it is emotional, and Ferrari managed to remove that moment entirely. 

Now imagine the entire steering wheel and most interior controls being touch-sensitive. Ferrari did that too, and unsurprisingly, no one liked it. The backlash was loud enough that Ferrari reversed course. With the new Ferrari Amalfi, proper physical buttons are back on the steering wheel, and even better, owners of older cars can take theirs back to Ferrari and have the touch-sensitive wheel swapped out for one with real buttons. That says everything. Volkswagen has also reportedly committed to bringing back buttons and rotary knobs across its interiors. This is one trend that genuinely feels like a win. Not because it is nostalgic, but because it works.

Cars have not stopped evolving, but what has changed is how that evolution is being received. Over the past few years, progress has often felt forced, rushed, and sometimes completely disconnected from how people actually use and enjoy their cars. From electrification being pushed faster than consumers are ready for, to screens replacing simple buttons, to fake engine noise and subscription features, the message has been clear. Technology is welcome, but only when it enhances the experience rather than getting in the way of it.