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Do you miss any of these obsolete car features from the last 20 years?


Cars have changed significantly in the last two decades. 

Features that were once the norm in models around the turn of the century have now become obsolete – or will soon be replaced by new technology.

From the choke, to the cigarette lighter and even a proper key, things are vanishing fast. 

So what’s going missing? We’ve listed 15 common items found in vehicles 20 years ago that are rapidly becoming a thing of the past – and want you to tell us which (if any) you miss the most.

Motoring nostalgia: This Ford Fiesta is 20 years old. We take a look back at some motoring norms from those days that have since been replaced in 2018

Motoring nostalgia: This Ford Fiesta is 20 years old. We take a look back at some motoring norms from those days that have since been replaced in 2018

Motoring nostalgia: This Ford Fiesta is 20 years old. We take a look back at some motoring norms from those days that have since been replaced in 2018

Our list is inspired by recent research from LeaseCar.uk, which asked thousands of its customers to name features of cars from two decades ago that have since been culled entirely or superseded by new technology.

According to the study, the dumping of the paper tax disc in 2014 and the death of four-star leaded fuel in 2000, are just the start of it. 

Chokes have now long become a thing of the past, as have cassette car stereos and overflowing ash tray, while things such as key ignition and steering locks are far less common than they once were.

Gareth Roberts from LeaseCar.uk said: ‘Vehicles are a lot more sophisticated and reliable now than they were 20 years ago, and certainly greener.

‘Very few drivers would want to go back to pulling out the choke – especially on those chilly mornings – and hoping the car will start.

‘Four-star petrol is another thing motorist won’t miss, the same as queuing up in the post office to buy a tax disc and unwinding cassettes jammed into the car stereo.’

This is Money has also added a few almost obsolete features to the list. And we want to know which ones you miss the most – vote in our poll below.

Here are the 15 car features from 20 years ago that are dead or about to die. If you think of others, let us know in the comments section.

Tax discs were abolished at the end of September 2014, with car tax moving online

Tax discs were abolished at the end of September 2014, with car tax moving online

Tax discs were abolished at the end of September 2014, with car tax moving online

1. Tax discs

Tax discs were abolished in October 2014 and replaced with an electronic tax system after 93 years of paper versions.  It caused headaches for drivers and hasn’t been all that lucrative for the government, with a report last year showing a huge rise in the number of untaxed vehicles on the road, costing the Treasury £107million a year. 

2. Four-star petrol

Four-star petrol was banned from the forecourts in January 2000, with cars which previously ran on the fuel converted to take unleaded. All petrol-engined cars produced from 1992 were built to run on unleaded petrol in preparation for four-star pumps to be removed. 

Most drivers now reply on a sat nav or a smartphone to give them directions

Most drivers now reply on a sat nav or a smartphone to give them directions

Most drivers now reply on a sat nav or a smartphone to give them directions

3. Road maps

Today, drivers can easily get from A to B with the help of a sat nav or smartphone. While paper maps are still printed and sold, sales are in decline as more motorists depend on their gadgets.

4. Manual choke

Most young drivers would never have experienced a manual choke, but for some this was the norm when it came to starting their vehicle years ago. With the introduction of fuel injection, the manual choke disappeared from the market in the early 90s.

5. Steering wheel locks

Before built in immobilisers, drivers used to place a steering wheel lock over the steering wheel to deter burglars. While this was gradually becoming a rare sight, steering wheel locks have started to become more popular in recent years to combat criminal gangs using new high-tech methods to steal cars. Owners of in-demand cars that can easily be breached – such as Land Rover Defenders – also tend to stick to the old-hat security devices. Halfords said in May that sales of steering locks have risen by 226 per cent in a year.

6. Antennas 

Remember when cars used to have enormous antennas? Especially the ones that would rise in sections out of the wings. As receivers have improved and more cars feature DAB digital radio, the easily-snappable features have become a thing of the past. 

With smoking banned in business and fleet cars, the cigarette lighter and ash tray have started to become a lost in-vehicle feature

With smoking banned in business and fleet cars, the cigarette lighter and ash tray have started to become a lost in-vehicle feature

With smoking banned in business and fleet cars, the cigarette lighter and ash tray have started to become a lost in-vehicle feature

7. Ashtrays and cigarette lighters

There was a time when all new cars had an ashtray – and most had more than one, with the more luxurious the car the more spots for cigarette ends on offer. And those owned by smokers tended to be heavily used. Now, with tighter smoking regulations, some drivers have no other option but to wait until they are home to light up instead of doing it in their vehicles, and manufacturers have been responding by removing them altogether. Cigarette lighters have also been replaced with sockets with a blank insert.

8. Coin trays 

We’ve rapidly moved into a contactless world of payments, meaning there’s less need to carry change in your car. Motorists now have to utlilise the trusty cup holder to store their pennies, but there was a time when new cars had a specific fold-out tray designed to hold change. The slots were even cut to perfectly cradle everything from 1p pieces to pound coins.

The trusty window winder is a rarely seen motoring feature today - unless you've bought a basic- spec Dacia recently

The trusty window winder is a rarely seen motoring feature today - unless you've bought a basic- spec Dacia recently

The trusty window winder is a rarely seen motoring feature today – unless you’ve bought a basic- spec Dacia recently

9. Wind-up windows

Most drivers only know what it’s like to press a button to raise and lower the glass in their cars, but before 2000 electric power windows were still quite the luxury. Even if your car did come with electric windows, it was commonplace to have them only in the front. Now the thought of having to manually wind a window up and down is a big effort.

10. Non-heated windscreens

Ford patented a windscreen feature called Quickclear that had heated elements in the windscreen glass that could clear a fogged or frozen screen quicker than using the blowers in the car. That patent has since expired, meaning all car makers now have the functionality. For non-Ford owners 20 years ago, this luxury wasn’t always available.

11. Keys

Fewer cars on sale today have a physical key to start the car. Keyless ignition for years has for some time been used in luxury cars, but even superminis in showrooms now have the systems. As mentioned previously, this has resulted in a spike in remote car thefts, and gangs used specialist equipment to break into and steal these vehicles.

Just over a third of new car have a hand brake fitted, with most manufacturers shifting to electronic parking brakes instead

Just over a third of new car have a hand brake fitted, with most manufacturers shifting to electronic parking brakes instead

Just over a third of new car have a hand brake fitted, with most manufacturers shifting to electronic parking brakes instead

Poll

Which of these motoring norms from 20 years ago do you miss?

  • Tax discs



    3 votes
  • Four star petrol



    1 votes
  • Steering wheel locks



    1 votes
  • Maps



    0 votes
  • Manual choke



    0 votes
  • Cassette car stereo



    1 votes
  • Ash trays



    0 votes
  • Coin trays



    1 votes
  • Unlocking cars with keys



    0 votes
  • Wind-up windows



    1 votes
  • Non-heated windscreens



    0 votes
  • Hand brake



    1 votes
  • Key ignition



    0 votes
  • Spare wheels



    1 votes
  • Antennas



    0 votes
  • Other (include in comments section)



    3 votes

12. Hand brake

As This is Money reported last month, just over a third of new cars now have a manual hand brake. These have been replaced predominantly by electronic parking brakes that are automatically applied or put on at the push of a button. It means fewer drivers today can perform handbrake turns.

13. Spare wheels

Analysis of the new car market by What? Car earlier this year found that just 38 per cent of new cars had a spare wheel as standard. These are rapidly being replaced by run-flat tyres and puncture repair and inflation kits, which have notoriously proved confusing to use and not all that reliable. Manufacturers can marginally improve the claimed fuel efficiency of their vehicles by saving weight, and the spare wheel is one easy omission from the boot.

14. Unlocking the car with keys

Unlocking the car door by putting a key into the lock used to be the norm. Now, drivers are used to having a remote fob, unless they own a basic-spec Dacia model.

15. Cassette car stereo

Before built in digital radios, Bluetooth and USB ports, drivers would have their trusty car stereo complete with cassette deck. Quality was poor, and the car was often littered with disused tapes. They were replaced with CD decks, although they are now being transitioned out of new models in favour of apps and wireless technology. 

Not only is the tape deck a thing of the past, now CD decks are being phased out by car makers

Not only is the tape deck a thing of the past, now CD decks are being phased out by car makers

Not only is the tape deck a thing of the past, now CD decks are being phased out by car makers

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