Passenger Screens Are Everywhere. A Third Of Owners Never Even Use Them

More and more new cars are coming equipped with passenger screens.

A new study shows that more than a third of owners have never actually used them.

It turns out that while flashy features might help to sell cars, drivers just want under-the-radar tech that actually works.

Automakers have spent the better part of a decade turning the dashboard into something that rivals the television aisle at your local Costco. Tablet-sized infotainment screen! Actually, make it bigger. Not enough? Passenger screen! Might as well digitize the climate control, too. Still need more? Might as well just unify everything across the entire dash.

All of those screens are starting to feel a bit redundant—especially the passenger screen. In fact, according to a recent study by JD Power's 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index study, a third of drivers who have a car equipped with a passenger screen have never even used it.