In-car voice assistants: how do they work and which ones are best?

Talking to our cars and having them respond has been a thing for two decades now, since America’s 2004 Honda Accord. It’s existed in principle for much longer, of course - thanks, Michael Hasselhoff. But it still feels new, somehow; in-car voice control is yet to overtake the button or the dial or the touchscreen in being the main way we get our cars to make us warmer or colder or tell us the way home.
Buttons (or lack of them) are a more fundamental automotive concern at the moment. If voice control was ubiquitously used, Euro NCAP wouldn’t be changing the parameters of its crash testing, encouraging carmakers “to use separate, physical controls for basic functions in an intuitive manner, limiting eyes-off-road time and therefore promoting safer driving.” That’ll happen in 2026. And in February 2024, a YouGov poll called ‘do Brits want their cars with digital voice assistants?' found that only a third of drivers had ever used one, with 39 percent uninterested and a further 18 percent apathetic. But that will change. Because, like all new(ish) tech, it’ll get much better and we’ll eventually get used to it and wonder how we lived without it. Like the convection oven.

How does an in-car voice assistant work?

In the past, in-car voice assistance was generally limited to a set number of specific commands, usually for media, telephone, climate control and navigation. It was activated by hitting a button, waiting for a ‘speak now’ bong, then screaming one of a few pre-set phrases with increasing intensity and decreasing regional accent. Then giving up and just hitting the ‘skip track’ button yourself.
Modern systems are much better, and tend to use their built-in microphone for voice activation in the first instance, "Hey Siri" style: “Hello Nissan” in a Nissan, "Hey Mini" in a Mini, “Hey BMW” in a… you get the idea. The best voice assistant systems cover a wide variety of in-car functions, and the rise of AI is making voice control more sophisticated than ever before. Skoda has just incorporated ChatGPT into its ‘Hey Laura’ voice assistant, for instance. It means that if you ask the car something beyond its in-built capabilities, it uses web-based ChatGPT for an answer. In general, voice assistance systems are much better these days at recognising casual speech and accents, using ‘natural language processing’ to ensure that there’s no need to do your best impression of a post-war BBC newsreader to make them function. Some of them even use machine learning to figure out your preferences and make suggestions on the screen – showing regularly dialled phone numbers, your home address, or favoured radio stations. Audi's MMI is one such system. And they’re getting better all the time, updateable over the air as the software improves.

BMW | iDrive
BMW’s iDrive infotainment system has come a long way since its ruefully minimalistic and counterintuitive first iteration in 2001. Today it’s one of the most instinctive systems on the market, and its ‘Intelligent Personal Assistant’ voice control one of the best. A quick “hey BMW” and you can ask it to change the car’s suspension settings, ask it how much battery range you have left, or tell it you’re hungry for nearby drive-through suggestions. Mercedes-Benz | Hey Mercedes Incorporating ChatGPT, “Hey Mercedes” is one of the most ‘natural’ voice command systems on the market; Mercedes makes a big deal about its system understanding “your usual colloquial language”. Aside from the usual stuff (“turn the temperature up,” or “make Taylor Swift be on my stereo”), it can tell you jokes, remind you when your next appointment is, rap for you, and even say what it thinks about BMW and Audi. Cheeky cheeky. Mini | Spike Mini’s latest voice setup uses the same basic software as BMW’s, but with an injection of fun because, you know, Mini. So, ‘Spike’ is a little bulldog, an avatar for Mini’s voice assistant, and “your partner in crime,” apparently. Like BMW’s system, Mini’s has brilliant natural voice recognition and extends way beyond just changing radio stations, including things like customising the car’s circular OLED display. Presumably Spike will also help you case out the local Argos. Skoda | Laura Skoda has just announced that ChatGPT has been integrated into its ‘Hey Laura’ voice control system. According to the company, “if a question does not relate to the categories ‘Vehicle,’ ‘Data,’ ‘Weather,’ ‘News,’ ‘Sports,’ or ‘Stocks,’ it will be automatically directed to Chat Pro, which is seamlessly connected to ChatGPT.” It’s another step towards us basically being able to converse our cars. Or, more usefully, giving parents a means to pass their baffling questions over to something that can actually answer them. “Hey Laura, what are lasers made out of?” Apple/Android Apple CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto are two of the very best voice activation systems in the business. The vast majority of cars have smartphone mirroring as a standard feature now, often wireless. And although they won’t allow you to control proprietary in-car functions like air-con (yet), they do make media and telephone functions much easier, and give you voice control for navigation and media apps that are often much better than the stuff that comes with the car. Some manufacturers recognise this – Ferrari has just announced that it’s getting rid of in-built nav in some of its cars, because smartphone mirroring is better than anything it can do itself. Others will probably follow. Amazon | Alexa There’s a big list of manufacturers that offer an Amazon ‘Alexa Skill’ app built in in their software, including Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Skoda, Nissan and Volvo. As well as media control within the car, it extends to remote comfort features, meaning you can ask Alexa to lock or unlock your car, cool or heat the cabin, or how much fuel you have left.