Modern cars are packed with a lot of options. Starting from a huge number of expensive electronics to such little things as, for example, a retractable cup next to the steering column. Not all innovations and bells and whistles are really necessary for the driver. Too many of them increase the cost of the car and sometimes make it difficult to drive. Of course, it’s simply hard to imagine without many things modern car eg without air conditioning and ABS. But sometimes you have to give money for something that you actually use either rarely, or never at all. Based on a survey of car owners, RB.ru compiled a list of unnecessary automobiles.

1. Ashtray and cigarette lighter. Oddly enough, but in the first place among unnecessary things in a car are an ashtray and a cigarette lighter. It turned out that the majority of drivers surveyed by RB.ru turned out to be non-smokers, and they really don’t need these two things in the car. “Personally, for me, a completely useless piece of furniture is an ashtray. I would be happy if it weren’t there,” says a non-smoking female driver. However, an ashtray in a car turns out to be unnecessary even for some smoking car owners. They themselves do not smoke in their car and do not allow other passengers to do so.

However, some inventive drivers still found practical use for an ashtray that was not used for its intended purpose. In their opinion, it’s good to put small debris in an ashtray; it perfectly accommodates “a couple of fuses (just in case), a couple of screws (for another case) and all sorts of nuts and bolts that fall off from some cars while driving or in parking lots.”

2. Shelf for coins. What, really, is the benefit of a small compartment for coins no larger than a ruble? Manufacturers created it so that the driver does not have to search his pockets for change when paying for travel on a toll road. For Russia, toll roads will not become relevant any time soon. But also in European toll roads this coin device turns out to be useless. “Maybe, of course, I was unlucky, but where we traveled along toll roads, the amounts were higher than what could be put in this coin compartment; a two-euro coin, for example, does not fit here, and many have been paying for travel with a card for a long time,” says one of the drivers. As a result, the coin box is used only as a dust collector, and nothing can be done about it. There is not even a shred of practicality. The shelf for coins can also become a reminder that soon in Russia you will have to pay for travel on some highways; the government, by the way, has already developed similar projects.

3. Headlight washers do not clean well, they often work when you don’t ask them to, and, on top of everything else, they consume a lot of washer water, car owners complain. “I have them without brushes, and when you turn them on, water simply splashes onto the headlights, and then you have to get out of the car and wipe the wet headlights with a rag. With the same success, you can use special wet wipes,” one of the drivers shares the pointlessness of this option. If there is dirt stuck to the headlights, then nothing is washed off anyway, it only waters the neighbors and wastes gallons of washer, another complains.

4. Fog lights are also used extremely rarely by drivers and are most often installed just for the sake of it. True, sometimes they can still be useful. For example, when driving in snowy or rainy weather, when using high beams blinds the driver. By enabling the option, the light will start to go lower and will dazzle the driver less. However, on Russian roads fog lights“They often hit because they are too low,” complains one of the drivers. In general, many drivers did not appreciate this option.

5. Rain and light sensor. The rain sensor is designed to create comfort for the driver on the road when it rains or snows, or a passing car is splashed with wet mud. However, it does not always work, the interviewed drivers complain. For example, there is a light rain with large drops, the car floods, but the sensor does not react at all, the car owner complains. It is easier and simpler to regulate the windshield cleaning system yourself. The light sensor should automatically turn on external lighting at dark time days or darkened places. “I always drive with low beams, so this option is absolutely unnecessary,” says another driver. This function may be useful only for those who constantly drive through tunnels or covered parking, but the drivers surveyed by RB.ru are not among them.

6. Crankcase protection. It turns out that crankcase protection is sometimes completely useless, but it costs a lot of money. “You have to try very hard to reach this protection, but with a strong blow it may not help. In addition, the crankcase significantly reduces safety indicators,” says Dmitry Makarov from Auto-Dealer.ru.

7. Cruise control. It seems like a useful thing in theory - cruise control, it can even seriously save gas. But in practice, many do not use this function. “If you use it, you can actually fall asleep at the wheel,” explains one driver. “The traffic is such, both in Moscow and outside the city, that you drive in gas-brake mode all the time. What kind of cruise control is there,” another echoes. The convenience of using cruise control on our roads is very relative. However, there are times when you may still need this function - if you travel long distances. “I never understood why cruise control was needed until I drove a car to Anapa, on the way I rubbed a callus on the heel of my right foot and began to regret that I didn’t have this option,” one of the drivers sneers.

8. Carpet and velor mats. The majority of car owners surveyed by RB.ru believe that buying carpet or velor mats for a car is a waste of money. You will still only drive with rubber ones - they are best for washing off accumulated dust and dirt. One of the interviewed drivers bought, for example, two sets of mats: carpet for the winter, and rubber for the summer. But in the end, carpets gather dust at home.

9. Mountain descent assistance button. Perhaps this option is relevant for the high mountainous regions of Russia, but clearly not for Moscow and its environs.

10. Automatically adjustable seats. In fact, the driver only needs to set up his own seat once, which is easier to do without automation. Many car owners still don’t understand why they need this option.

11. Automatically closing doors when the engine is running. Maybe for some this is an important option that protects the slow driver from the ubiquitous thieves. But the majority of drivers surveyed by RB.ru believe that it does not make any difference to the weather, and would easily do without it.

12. Front parking sensors. Are there really drivers who cannot feel the dimensions of their car even from the front? Most people don't need this option at all.