Whether it’s our smartphone, laptop, or latest gadget, we all use technology on a daily basis. Now, cars are becoming smarter and more exposed to technology. Let’s take a look at the best car technology advancements. From backup cameras to automatic emergency braking systems, we’ve researched the future of car technology.

These car features improve your safety and driving experience. We all expect technology in cars, and couldn’t imagine a bare dashboard without a navigation system. Why not take advantage of devices which help you to park easier? See better at night? Or even detect cars in front of you that you can’t see in poor weather conditions?

These are the best car technology advancements we can’t live without, and can even save lives. If you spend a lot of time on the roads, it’s worth investing in some (if not all!) of these features to improve your road safety.

Backup cameras are one of the best car technology advancements because they increase your safety. Looking in your rear-view mirror when parking is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Technology’s come a long way over the past 20 years to make parking easier and reduce collisions.

Reverse backup cameras were first seen in Buick’s Centurion car in 1956, but didn’t become a popular feature in cars until 2000 with Nissan making the first official move. These cameras show a clear and accurate view of what’s happening outside without you having to turn your head.

They’re even more honest than rear-view mirrors and show the markings on the road to further assist with your parking. Some high-end versions display a wide angle of your surroundings and enable you to switch adjust the camera for an accurate view.

If your car isn’t installed with one of these devices, you can easily install one yourself for a reasonable price. This LeeKooLuu backup camera and monitor kit suits most cars. The HD monitor and 4.3-inch LCD display attaches to a flat surface dashboard with foam to protect your surface. It offers a 135-degree viewing angle and 7 LED lights. The night vision mode enables you to clearly observe your surroundings at night too.

Even the best drivers can sometimes miss a vehicle in their blind spot. Thanks to the best car technology advancements, you can focus on the road ahead and rely on your car to detect if anything is in your blind spot. Blind spot detection is a key technology to aid drivers’ safety.

This technology provides a 360-degree coverage around your car, no matter your speed. It works to spot cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles and will alert you when something is in your blind spot. Even if you turn your head before switching lanes, it’s not always enough coverage to completely check your surroundings.

These systems can prevent crashes and even save lives by warning you something’s in your blind spot before you make a move. There are different levels of blind spot detections in cars, including built-in cameras which show you on your dashboard what’s there. Alternatively, there are systems which siren to warn you.

If your car is without one of these, we’ve found a blind spot sensor kit with audible warning to improve your safety on the road. This Accele product detects vehicles or other objects which are out of your periphery. If it sensors something in your blind spot, it’ll use an LED indictor and audible warning to notify you. The system will also speak that there is a vehicle in your blind spot in order to prevent a collision. This comes with two sensors to attach on the left and right side of your rear bumper. These are subtle, but potentially life-saving.

Driving at night is difficult because your vision is impaired and car lights produce glare that impedes your sight. In-car night vision is one of the best car technology advancements to improve your time on the road in dark conditions, because sometimes you can’t always avoid travelling at night.

This technology works by using an infrared sensor to search for warm objects on the road. Presented as a video camera, it captures the infrared colours which are difficult to see with the human eye. The sensor displays the moving image on a screen to offer more awareness of obstacles on the road. These can typically detect cars, bikes, humans and large animals. High-end technology alerts you with a sound if you’re in close proximity on an obstacle.

They measure the heat generated from these objects without the need for extra or bright lights. It’s very similar to looking at any object in a negative mode. Luxury cars often come with this latest technology, but you can purchase a separate product and install it yourself.

This wireless reversing camera displays what’s in front and behind of you in HD on the screen. It also features an excellent night vision and colour mode to provide a clearer and larger display of your surroundings, inside the car. Although its primary use is to help with maneuvers, you can also use it to detect objects, people and animals in the road at night which you might not ordinarily spot with the naked eye.

Dashboard cameras are becoming more popular in cars to record collisions and present evidence for any on-road action. Although cars don’t come with built-in dashboard cameras, many drivers purchase them to protect their road safety.

They function by recording each time a car is driven without the need for you to interact with it at all. Simply plug it in and leave it to record. We don’t suggest using an ordinary camera to replace a dashboard camera, as you need to manually turn it on. Consequently, it could slip your mind to switch it on one day when you most need it.

In addition to providing video footage when it might be necessary, they can also reduce your insurance costs and knock off a considerable amount of money if there’s a collision which wasn’t all your fault.

This Inavy Dash Cam comes in a 3.5 type full touch LCD screen with a resolution of 1080 full HD. It also has a night vision function to record high-quality imagery and videos in low-lit environments. Not only does this camera record your surroundings from the second you’re in drive mode, but it offers a lane deviation warning to help prevent collisions in the first place. The rear camera can rotate 360 degrees and shoot from any angle simultaneously. The inavi Black master 2k enables you to record the exact location of where an accident happened too, as well as check the speed information and provide accurate driving data.

Automatic Emergency Braking is one of the best car technology advancements regularly being fitted in newer cars. This technology considers traffic conditions on the time and automatically brakes if you fail to respond quick enough to conditions. This is one of the safest car developments since the seat belt and helps to prevent crashes happening in the first place. These systems are unique for different cars and can use Lidar, Radar or Camera technologies to automatically analyse the speed and hazards on the road.

This function can save lives by reducing car collisions. It can also massively reduce the impact on your car too and save you money. Luxury brands can detect collisions such as cars, bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians and even baby strollers. So, if you’re distracted for a second or haven’t reacted quick enough, this technology will do it for you.

These sensors are built into many luxury modern cars behind logos on the front grille. They constantly determine the distance between your car and objects in front of you, whilst considering your speed to identify when it needs to brake. The sensor warns you with an audio and visual message that a collision is likely. If you don’t brake, the system will automatically apply pressure to the braking system.

Cruise control is a system which enables you to maintain the same speed when travelling a long distance without putting your foot on the accelerator pedal. Once you’ve programmed in the speed you’d like to stay at, the car will continue moving at this constant speed to enable you to rest your foot. Although this feature didn’t appear in cars until the ‘50’s, its origins trace back to the 17^th and 18^th century.

To activate cruise control, simply switch a button and adjust the speed you’d like to travel at using a dial. Only use this feature on highways or long stretches of road with little other cars around. Once you’re ready to adjust your speed (such as approaching a junction), flick the setting to off.  You can increase your speed in cruise control by using the accelerator pedal, as well as using the brakes like usual.

This feature enables you to stick at the same speed. As a result, it’s more fuel efficient that travelling at intermittent speeds. It also helps to travel the physical strain out of long drives. The latest high-tech cruise control systems can also control the brakes, steering and throttle. As such, the experience is more of a self-driving car which can even stop-start in traffic.

Most modern cars give you the option of driving in different car modes. Typical options include: normal, eco and sport. You can even personalize them to accommodate multiple options into one. This is one of the best car technology advancements because it considers the environment in eco mode, and allows you to switch it up a gear in sport mode.

Depending on your route and behavior, you may wish to adjust the steering ratios, accelerator response and performance. This makes driving more fun and puts the driver in control of their car. In some cases, you can turn a normal car into a sports car just at the flick of a button.

2016 was the year that car automobiles emerged with built in Wi-Fi hotspots. This enables drivers to stay connected to the Internet no matter where the roads take you. Of course, this doesn’t give you permission to use your tablet and phone behind the wheel. But, it’s great to keep passengers entertained on route. It’s also an excellent feature for passing time and enables you to connect your phone to the navigation system.

Modern cars use a MiFi wireless router for mobile Wi-Fi connection whenever it’s needed. These devices typically require a monthly free or connect to your phone carrier to keep you connected on the road.

On the other hand, you can tether your smartphone’s Internet data to the car to operate from that. This takes Bluetooth connectivity to another level and appeals to more technologically-minded individuals.

You can recreate Wi-Fi in your car by using a hotspot dongle. This KuWFi LTE hotspot provides Wi-Fi access for cars and buses. Connect it to your car’s standard usb port. The wireless access is available on 3G and 4G to keep you connected at all times. This offers 8-10 users ability to connect to the Wi-Fi network at the same time, and there’s no need to install it to access it. This is a suitable product for remote locations and people who are regularly on the go.

We hope you enjoyed reading about the best car technology advancements to date. Many of these are an excellent feature to improve safety and the car performance, whereas others improve your driving experience.

We’d love to hear what your best car technology advancements are. Alternatively, let us know what you think the next technology system will be in the future. Share your thoughts in the comments.

Related Article: How Cars Are Made: The Complex Journey From Design to Driveway