The 5 Best Dashboard Gadgets For Drivers Who Hate Touchscreens

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There’s a reason some new cars are finally adding buttons again. While a big touchscreen may be great for something like your cellphone or a tablet, it isn’t ideal while you’re trying to drive. That, or you may just prefer physical buttons for controlling things within your vehicle. Whether you’re concerned about safety or just have an old-school attitude, there are still plenty of devices for your vehicle’s dashboard that don’t rely on a touchscreen, and these are some of the best we found.

If you’re looking for dashboard items that may take a more traditional approach to tech, our selection below covers a range of products, including items that can provide you with useful information while you drive, and some that may even potentially be an upgrade over your current stereo system. Each item on this list is highly rated by customers and can expand the capabilities of your vehicle in some way. Additionally, some of the accessories below offer features you simply may not find in most vehicles.

For those who don’t like dealing with touchscreens, the 5.5-inch SinoTrack Digital GPS Speedometer Universal Heads Up Display provides a good amount of driving information without ever needing to interact with the screen itself. It is a cool dashboard gadget that is especially useful if you like all your important information in front of your eyes without fiddling with complicated menus.

With a dual-core processing system, the SinoTrack Digital Speedometer features a 5.5-inch display that shows drivers their real-time speed, driving time, trip mileage, and compass direction. It can also tell you the number of GPS satellites connected to the device for monitoring signal reception. Along with providing driving and satellite information, the speedometer also emits an audio warning when a driver exceeds a programmable, user-defined limit. It can also warn drivers to rest after four hours of driving. While the display can automatically adjust its brightness, there’s also an option to manually adjust it. All it needs is 5V DC power through your car’s USB port.

Holding a 4.2-star rating on Amazon with 1,400 customer reviews, users give this digital speedometer high marks for its easy installation, especially for being a plug-and-play device. Users also appreciate its functionality and value, though many of the negative reviews claim the device stopped working after a period of time. Nonetheless, 80% of customers give it a 4-star rating or better, so this one may be worth checking out.

With a 4.7-star rating and over 2,110 reviews, the DoHonest Rear-Facing Baby Camera for $29.98 promises users a full view of their backseat without needing to turn around while driving. Designed with babies in mind, there are some features built into the device that can make for some situational uses, and there’s even two-way audio options. As it has no distracting touchscreen controls, it can be a good tech gift for new parents.

Featuring a 1080p, 360-degree rotating camera that’s fully adjustable, the camera itself is compatible with a wide array of car sets. Featuring automatic switching to night vision, the camera also includes a 150-degree wide-angle view. As for the display that sits on your dash, the 4.3-inch HD display also features a suction mount for simple installation. Display controls help users fine-tune brightness, contrast, and saturation of the monitor, and everything is powered through your 12-volt cigarette lighter.

With 94% of reviews giving the device four stars or higher, users give this one high marks for its easy setup, though there’s also praise for the quality of the camera as well as its night vision capabilities. That said, at least one customer warns areas with high foliage may accidentally engage the automatic night vision. Looking at the negatives, users find the product to have a lot of lengthy cords, as they are necessary for running the camera and its display.

If you are looking to replace your car’s radio unit with something more modern, the Pioneer MVH-X390BT Digital Media Receiver can be a great choice. Alongside being an Amazon’s Choice item, the $99.95 media receiver holds a 4.6-star rating with over 530 reviews. With a detachable face plate and a single-line 13-character display, there’s no touchscreen on this device, though, there are smartphone and flash drive connection options, and even a wireless remote control.

Along with being able to play MP3, WMA, WAV, and AAC music files, the Pioneer Digital Media Receiver also includes a 5-band equalizer with both low- and high-pass filters along with an Advanced Sound Retriever (ASR) that’s able to restore audio from compressed files. This item also comes bundled with a USB charging cable adapter, which includes micro USB, Lightning, and USB-C options. There’s also built-in Bluetooth for making connections to a smartphone and playing audio wirelessly.

As this replaces the head unit in your vehicle, note that some installation is required. However, the unit does promise that its shallow chassis allows for wide compatibility. Nonetheless, Amazon reviewers give this one high marks for its easy installation, and solid sound quality. Users also find this one to be a good value for the price, though some report having issues reading USB devices such as flash drives. Even for those that prefer touchscreens, the features, reviews, and price can make this one a good addition to your car dashboard.

The Timloon Car Dashboard Clock provides a good amount of information on its 3-inch screen, along with serving its primary purpose of showing time. This one goes for $17.98 on Amazon, though it’s possible to catch this one on sale. While it’s only available in black, there’s an option to customize the backlight between green and blue.

The Timloon Car Dashboard Clock features an LCD display that displays temperature, humidity, time, and calendar information. The LED display also automatically lights up at night, and shuts off automatically ten minutes after you stop the car. There’s also an option to switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius for temperature readings. You can power the display using a USB-C cable (not included in the box), though it’s also capable of drawing solar power.

Currently ranking as the best seller in automotive clock gauges on Amazon, customers give this one positive reviews for being adaptable to all kinds of weather. Users also appreciate the device for its LED brightness and readability, which likely helps the product maintain its 4-star rating out of over 190 reviews. However, despite 73% of reviews giving it four stars or higher, some customers do complain that the temperature accuracy can be sporadic. This one can also be a good gift for a friend or relative that never seems capable of following a clock.

The BOSS Audio Systems 616UAB Car Stereo retails for $34.99, though periodic sales can bring the price down a bit. With several different options for making connections, this unit also includes a wireless remote for additional controls. In addition to an included USB-A port for connecting devices and thumb drives and an AUX port for physical connections, this car stereo also features Bluetooth support for hands-free options. 

Featuring front and rear pre-amp outputs, there’s also AM/FM audio options for those that want them. In addition to having a small chassis for easy installation similar to the Pioneer option, this device also includes a 3-year warranty directly from BOSS.

Being an Amazon’s Choice item, the BOSS Car Stereo holds a 4.2-star rating with over 21,840 reviews. While some users have complaints about the Bluetooth connectivity and functionality, users nonetheless give this device high praise for its overall value, solid sound, and being easy to use. Like the Pioneer dashboard unit, this one does require installation, though installation brackets are included.

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For this list, the main requirement was that the product had little to no touchscreen functionality, though several other factors also helped determine our recommendations. Along with choosing products that maintain a 4-star rating out of five or higher, we also ensured that each product had hundreds, if not thousands, of reviews. 

We usually like to give a product bonus points when it’s an Amazon’s Choice item, meaning the items are highly rated, available for immediate shipping, and are well-priced, according to the company. We also tried to offer a good amount of variety within this list to help users have a better idea of what’s available online.