Camera side mirrors Side mirrors have been on cars for over a century. But now the automotive industry has decided it wants to fix a problem that's never needed solving. Some manufacturers - especially those specialising in luxury models - are now replacing conventional wing mirrors with cameras. Instead of a glass panel, the side mirrors are high-definition cameras linked to screens inside the car, commonly located above the door handles. The electric Audi Sportback Q8 e-tron was one of the first cars to use such a feature. However, others have followed suit since; the Honda e supermini, Hyundai Ioniq 5 family crossover and Lotus's hyper-SUV Eletre - which King Charles has recently added to his Royal fleet - have all deployed this next-generation gadget. Regular old side mirrors are being replaced with cameras. But they are also distracting Like flush door handles, camera side mirrors are used to make car design look cleaner and minimalist while also improving aerodynamics to bolster EV efficiency and battery range. Manufacturers have also argued that the wider angles provided by cameras reduce blind spots and therefore improve road safety. However, test driving multiple cars with this feature leaves us feeling cameras are far more distracting than they are safe. Remembering to look at a camera positioned in the door is not something anyone does naturally - and it can result in a motorists not checking them nearly as much they would normal wing mirrors. They too offer a reduced sense of depth compared to traditional mirrors and - on particularly bright days - can fall foul of glare. The small lens when dirty can also seriously restrict the image being displayed. Poor image quality, the risk of system failure resulting in drivers having no view of what's around them, and issues for drivers with limited eyesight are other concerns that have been raised. And so has the cost of repairing them. If clipped or knocked off by passing motorists, replacing a digital wing mirror can cost thousands - certainly a lot more than a new glass side mirror. Our verdict: We say keep traditional side mirrors. They've worked just fine for the last 100-plus years, right? Deleted rear windows We've been using rearview mirrors to see what's behind our cars on the move since 1914 - so for a grand total of 120 years. They were first introduced by female racer extraordinaire Dorothy Levitt in 1909 but in 2024 we saw the arrival of the first car to abandon the feature having deleted the rear glass window. The £50,000 Polestar 4 became the first new model sold in the UK to have no rear window and use a camera-based system linked to a virtual rear view mirror instead. The Nissan Ariya EV also has a virtual rear view mirror, though users can switch between the conventional and 'intelligent rearview' mirror mode at the press of the button and still look out a glass panel at the back. The Polestar 4 is the first mass-market car sold in Britain without a glass rear window. To see out the back, owners are reliant on a new camera-based rear view mirror system The rearview camera sits at the back of the car and is linked to a digital rearview camera located in the traditional spot on the windscreen. While we aren't against rearview cameras, we're not convinced that deleting the glass back window is the way to go In the Polestar 4, a digital rearview mirror is all you have. And this will also be the case in Jaguar's new £120,000 electric GT. It means you can't swing your arm over the passenger seat to look back when reversing into a parking space, instead relying on a digital display to tell you how close you are to other vehicles, walls, kerbs, pedestrians etc. Polestar says that traditionally the rear interior gets in the way of what you see through the rearview mirror, claiming this digital rearview mirror provides better sight. Our verdict: We're probably in a minority, but we agree in this case because so many rear windows are so small on modern cars today that sometimes a digital rearview mirror can actually be better. However, we're not entirely convinced by the deletion of the rear glass window, which is a failsafe when conducting reversing manoeuvres. Advanced Driver Assistance System warnings Advanced Driver Assistance Systems - or ADAS - are likely the most marmite feature of this list. ADAS systems are split across safety, driver assistance, convenience and automation and many of the features are mandated for new models by the EU and recently - under the Government's Road Safety Strategy announced last month - the UK too. Features include automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition. But while these systems are designed to mitigate crashes and make motorists feel more guarded, what drivers have been left with is a suite of intrusive features that persistently beep, bong and tell them off for the most minor infringements behind the wheel. Now, there are some that we can get along with. Blind spot monitoring systems, for instance, really do prevent accidents by warning you before you pull out into a lane with a car in it you can't see. But there are others that are driving us - and you, according to the comments each time we write about it - around the bend. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) mean you can end up with a suite of systems that beep, bong and tell you off about pretty much everything you do behind the wheel RELATED ARTICLES