Back in the ‘90s, car manufacturers started to get really creative and innovative, installing all sorts of unique features that felt truly cutting-edge at the time. In fact, everyone was scrambling to get a car that boasted these features, but despite this, they’re rare to see these days. Ultimately, this primarily comes down to them now being seen as redundant or unfashionable; for instance, check out the following 20 dated car features from the ‘90s, and you’ll understand why no one wants them anymore.
Cassette Players
It should be pretty obvious as to why cassette players have made it to the top of this list. Sure, they had their moment, but fiddling with tangled tapes or flipping sides feels laughably inconvenient now, and who even owns a tape collection anymore!? Modern drivers would rather stream music through Bluetooth, which is admittedly so much easier. As a result, those chunky players built into dashboards have long since been phased out from new cars, and you’d have to buy a really old secondhand car to own one.
Manual Window Winders
Before electric windows became standard, winding a handle was the only way to let in fresh air, and frankly, it was pretty exhausting. Passengers would stretch across the car to wind down the opposite side window, knackering themselves only to have to wind it back up again a few minutes later. Nowadays, the idea of physically cranking a window seems oddly prehistoric, although it’s still more common to see them than you might think.
Ashtrays and Lighters
Looking back on it, it’s pretty crazy to think that ‘90s cars came equipped with ashtrays and cigarette lighters as standard, catering to a smoking culture that is far less common today. Today, these features now sit unused, collecting dust or coins, while lighter sockets are better repurposed for charging phones. Therefore, ashtrays are long since gone from cars, although lighters are still pretty common.
Pop-Up Headlights
We can all agree that pop-up headlights were cool back in their day, giving cars a futuristic edge. Come on, though–don’t forget how temperamental their mechanical parts were, often failing and leaving one light embarrassingly stuck halfway. Eventually, safety regulations phased them out, and more aerodynamic designs made these quirky lights a thing of the past–that was probably for the best.
Handbrake Levers
Even though many people still experience the satisfying clunk of a manual handbrake lever, electronic parking brakes are rapidly taking over. If you own a car like this, no longer will you have to yank a lever with all your strength on steep hills. This isn’t just for convenience’s sake, though; the old-school handbrake is far less reliable and takes up unnecessary space in today’s sleek cabins, which is precisely why manufacturers are starting to ditch them.
Bulky Car Phones
In contrast to handbrake levers, you’ll never see a car phone these days. Amusingly, these ‘90s gadgets screamed luxury back in the day, especially considering how extortionately priced the calls were. Regardless, these bricks now seem laughably impractical, because modern mobiles outperform them in every way, so why would anyone still want one?
CD Changers in the Boot
During a time when cassette players were still the norm in cars, multi-CD changers burst onto the car scene, typically integrated into the boot. Anyone who had one knows that these felt super high-tech at the time, allowing us to swap between albums with minimal fuss. However, it required pre-planning and a willingness to crawl into the back to reload it, and your favourite CDs would often get scratched when driving over speedbumps. Thankfully, streaming services now offer infinite playlists, leaving the CD changer pretty much non-existent.
Velour Seats
For some reason, soft, fuzzy velour upholstery defined car interiors of the ‘90s, even though it wasn’t exactly the height of durability. Stains stuck around, and the material wore out far too quickly. Meanwhile, today’s sleek fabrics and leather options feel far more comfortable, practical, and stylish, so it’s easy to see why velour fell out of fashion.
Rear Window Wipers on Saloons
While hatchbacks and estates still benefit a lot from rear wipers, saloon cars in the ‘90s sometimes sported them unnecessarily. Rear windscreens on saloons rarely need the extra wipe, making this feature feel completely redundant. Regardless, they still stuck around for a while, but once the turn of the ‘90s came around, manufacturers quietly abandoned the idea, leaving it to be remembered as an odd design quirk from the past.
Analogue Clocks
If you’re a relatively young driver, the idea of an analogue dashboard clock probably makes you chuckle, but they were real! People actually thought they looked quite elegant at the time, but they didn’t offer much when it came to accuracy. Drivers would spend ages resetting them after battery changes or daylight saving shifts, so they all breathed a sigh of relief when digital displays took over.
Physical Keys for Doors and Ignition
There’s a high chance that you still have a physical car key, but this is a feature that is slowly being phased out. In the ‘90s, though, every car came with a key, which could sometimes be tricky in the cold or when you had full hands. Worse still, losing your key meant an expensive ordeal, hence why the modern keyless systems of today feel so much more convenient.
Wooden Dashboard Trim
Much like velour upholstery, fake wood panels made a bizarrely fashionable appearance in ‘90s cars, becoming a go-to for making car interiors feel posh. Let’s be real, though–they looked far more tacky than luxurious. Over time, the veneer would peel or scratch, revealing their cheap construction, so instead, today’s minimalistic dashboards focus on clean lines and high-quality materials, ditching the faux timber look entirely.
Fabric Sunroofs
Fabric sunroofs, or targa tops, seemed really sporty in the ‘90s, but we’re sure you can remember that they didn’t hold up well against British weather. Rain leaks and fading fabric were common issues, making them really quite impractical in the long term. Solid glass sunroofs now dominate, and while they might not look as cool, they certainly cause fewer headaches.
Single Airbags
During the ‘90s, airbags were only just emerging as a safety feature, so they were often reserved for the driver only. Frankly, that’s insane to consider today; passengers had to rely on seat belts alone, which simply wasn’t safe enough. You’ll be relieved to be reminded, though, that modern cars now include advanced airbag systems throughout, offering far better protection and rendering those single-airbag designs shockingly outdated.
Overly Complex Alarm Systems
More often than not, ‘90s car alarms were more trouble than they were worth, with drivers often battling faulty systems that seemingly went off at random. Neighbours were regularly woken by blaring horns in the middle of the night, which was undeniably amusing–at least if it didn’t affect you. These days, though, alarm systems are far less intrusive and much smarter, offering heightened security but without the chaos.
Tape Deck Adapters
One of the most useless car features from the ‘90s in this day and age was the tape deck adapter. CDs were slowly starting to take over music, but many drivers still only had tape decks in their cars. So, they bought these adapters to bridge the gap, letting them connect their portable CD players or early MP3 players via cassette slots. It seemed pretty high-tech at the time, but the hiss and crackle were far from perfect, and their fiddly wires seemed laughable next to today’s seamless Bluetooth connections.
Non-Power Steering
If your car has ever run out of power steering fluid, you’ll know how difficult it feels to drive a car without it. Let us remind you, though, that this was once the norm in the ‘90s. Parallel parking without power steering was a serious workout, especially in tight spaces, so don’t take it for granted that power steering is now a given.
Carburettors
Back in the day, carburettors were once central to fuelling engines, but they required constant adjustment and struggled when it came to efficiency. Poor fuel economy and frequent breakdowns made them a laborious chore for drivers, so we were all relieved when fuel injection systems took over, offering better performance, lower emissions, and much-needed reliability.
Manual Side Mirrors
Many readers will still have to deal with this problem, but in the ‘90s, the only way to adjust your side mirrors was to do it manually, which often meant rolling down the window, leaning out, and hoping for the best. Electric mirrors now let drivers make precise tweaks with a button, leaving manual ones firmly in the past, and we definitely feel safer for it.
Pull-Out Aerials
Last but not least, if you never had a pull-out aerial, did you even drive in the ‘90s?! Radio aerials had to be pulled out manually back then, and as you can probably remember, they often became bent or snapped over time. Worse still, forgetting to retract them before heading through a car wash was a recipe for disaster. Today, though, integrated antennas and shark fins are the norm, handling the job discreetly and with far less chance of damage.
