These Are the Features You’d Ditch to Make Modern Cars Cheaper

The average new car price in the U.S. has hit $50,000, while used cars now average $30,000—both figures driven up by tariffs, stricter safety mandates, and burgeoning tech suites that inflate production costs.

Automakers are also building fewer vehicles, creating a perfect storm in an already brutal car market. But what if buyers were willing to sacrifice some of the flashy extras that jack up prices? We asked readers which modern features they’d happily live without to bring sticker prices down.

The answers reveal a surprising consensus: many of today’s standard amenities are seen as unnecessary luxuries rather than must-haves. Safety tech tops the chopping block.

Blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, backup cameras, and 360-degree cameras were repeatedly flagged as redundant if drivers actually pay attention.

One commenter bluntly summed it up: “Any and all ‘safety’ features—lane departure, blind-spot monitoring, collision warnings—if you’re actually paying attention to your driving, you don’t need these things.” Infotainment systems and digital cockpits also drew fire.

Multiple respondents pleaded for a return to analog gauges and basic stereo setups, with one arguing for “an analog gauge, and a phone mount like Slate, and I’ll happily provide my own screen/infotainment/navigation.” Built-in navigation, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and oversized touchscreens were dismissed as frivolous when a simple phone mount would suffice. Comfort-oriented tech wasn’t spared either.

Heated and ventilated seats, massaging seats, power-adjustable pedals, steering wheels, and seats were called out as unnecessary indulgences, especially when fabric seats don’t suffer the same cold-weather drawbacks as leather alternatives.

Auto start/stop systems, cylinder deactivation, and adaptive cruise control were also labeled as gimmicks that complicate rather than enhance the driving experience. Even aesthetic flourishes came under scrutiny.

Sunroofs and moonroofs, oversized wheels with low-profile tires, and “connected” services tied to subscriptions were dismissed as cost drivers with little real-world utility.

One commenter quipped, “Oh, so I want a pre-Tesla era car.” Practicality took a backseat to nostalgia for simpler times, with calls to “bring back the small cars” and stop “inflating every vehicle.” Suggestions included reverting to smaller dimensions, ditching power tailgates and sliding doors, and eliminating under-hood plastic shrouds that add cost without improving function.

Data privacy also emerged as a pain point, with one reader volunteering to sacrifice manufacturer tracking and the sale of driving data in exchange for a lower price. The overarching theme?

Many modern features are perceived as solutions in search of a problem—added primarily to justify higher prices rather than to meaningfully improve the driving experience. Whether automakers would ever heed this feedback is another question entirely.