The Best Driver Assist Systems on the Market

Manufacturers have added a lot of driver assistance technology to the latest vehicles. Many of these models come loaded with assistance for parking, driving, and braking in all kinds of situations. More models are even incorporating some type of driverless or auto driving systems, so you can take your hands off the wheel. Not all of these systems are equal, which is why you need to know the best driver assist systems on the market today.

Cadillac Comes Out Ahead

You may find it surprising that Tesla was ousted out of first place by Cadillac, but the manufacturer of Super Cruise took first place with Consumer Reports. The reason it took top honors was for its safety. One of the tests used was to determine the clarity surrounding safety to ensure drivers knew when it wasn’t safe to leave the driving to autopilot.

Performance and Capability

This category focuses on how well the system keeps the car in the correct lane and how well it changes speed for traffic flow. Tesla was the winner in this area with Cadillac, Audi, and Lincoln also performing well. Systems that didn’t fare as well had limited assistance capability, such as Mazda and Buick.

Luxury vehicles like Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi did a better job at controlling speed to stay a safe distance from other vehicles on the road.

Ensuring the driver is engaged

Another important feature of these driver assistance systems is that they are aware of whether the driver is paying attention. This is the reason that Cadillac took first place in this category and overall. The manufacturer uses a monitoring system that is camera-based. It continually checks to see if the driver is looking ahead and paying attention. Other systems require the driver to put their hands on the wheel occasionally, but it doesn’t notice if they are actually looking at the road.

In this category, Cadillac took seven out of ten for the score while second place was only four out of ten. This lets you know that a lot of improvement is needed to keep the driver engaged with the driver assistance systems. Mazda scored lowest with just a two out of ten.

How easy are the driver assist systems to use

Since these systems are all fairly new, it’s important that a beginner can understand them. Some of these models only have a single system while others have two or even three to keep the vehicle in the correct lane. Tesla took first place in this category with a seven out of ten, but Porsche and several other models were only slightly behind with six out of ten. Honda and Toyota came in last with two out of ten.

When the system is safe to use

Another criteria for using is how well the system communicates that it isn’t safe to use. Some models even allowed the system to be used in residential areas and on two-lane roads when they are designed for use in low-risk situations.

Cadillac took this category because Super Cruise can only be used on designated highways. It also notifies the driver or upcoming situations that require the driver’s attention, such as a lane merge. In this area, Cadillac scored eight out of ten with second place at four of ten. About half of the models tested scored just a two of ten.

Lack of response

Another test for these driver assist systems is how they respond to an unresponsive driver. Cadillac came out ahead for being able to warn the driver and escalate those warnings to get their attention. Then safely stopping if the driver is unable to regain attention. Cadillac scored a nine of ten while Mazda ended up on the other end with just a one of ten.

If you’re looking at driver assistance systems, remember that none are perfect, and they can’t replace the driver. However, some are safer and a better partner for you on the road.