Best car infotainment systems of 2022

Declaring one infotainment system the best over any other is an inherently subjective matter. You can look at quantitative testing for things like input response time and various screen load times, but ask a room full of people that have tried them all what their favorite is, and you’re likely to get a lot of different responses.

Some prefer systems that are exclusively touch-based with a simplistic user interface. Others may prefer a non-touch system that is navigable via a scroll wheel. You can compare it to the phone operating system wars. Just like some folks prefer Android phones over iPhones, we all have our own opinions for what makes up the best infotainment interface.

All that said, our combined experience tells us that a number of infotainment systems are at least better than the rest. We’ve narrowed it down to five total systems in their own subcategories that stand out to us. Read on below to see our picks, and feel free to make your own arguments in the comments.

Best overall: UConnect — Various Stellantis products

If there’s one infotainment system that all of us agree is excellent, it’s UConnect. Both UConnect 4 and the latest UConnect 5 software are included in this praise, too. It has numerous qualities that make it great, but above all else, UConnect is simple and straightforward to use.

Ease of operation is one of the most (if not the single most) vital parts of any infotainment system interface. If you’re expected to be able to tap away on a touchscreen while driving and still pay attention to the road, a complex infotainment system is going to remove your attention from the number one task at hand: driving. UConnect uses a simple interface that puts all of your key functions in a clearly-represented row on the bottom of the screen. Tap any of them, and it instantly pulls up that menu. We like the radio/media interface — it’s super easy to swap stations or sources. The menu structure is easy to grasp, and of course both Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are available if you want them.

UConnect 5 is a big visual improvement over UConnect 4, but thankfully it retains the same ease of use as the outgoing system. We’ll also point out that Stellantis is able to adapt UConnect to different screen shapes and sizes with great success — it works stunningly well in the vertical 12-inch screen of the Ram. The software takes full advantage of the extra screen real estate, and it comes with its own screen-splitting capabilities that aren’t possible on the more traditionally-shaped screens.

No matter the application, whether it’s in a Maserati or a Jeep, UConnect is flexible, easy to operate and aesthetically pleasing. It’s high-tech, but doesn’t slap you upside the head with unnecessary features and complications, and it’s our favorite infotainment system of all.

Best luxury: iDrive 7 — BMW

We have to specify “iDrive 7” for this one, because the just-released iDrive 8 is unfortunately a step backwards. However, set aside the new infotainment system for a second, and focus on the goodness that is iDrive 7. BMW’s been consistent with its use of the iDrive knob for years, and iDrive 7 is as good as it gets — and maybe, it’s as good as it’ll ever get.

Infotainment systems from luxury brands, especially European ones, tend to be more complicated than non-luxury-branded systems. That’s no different with BMW’s iDrive. There are tons of settings, menus and displays you can scroll through. However, BMW makes it all manageable with a logical menu structure that you can traverse through quickly and efficiently with the convenient iDrive knob. Said knob is key to this being our favorite infotainment system from a luxury brand, too. It allows you to remain fully sat back with your arms in a natural place and involves far less body movement than using a touchscreen would. This is a big plus for safely using the system while driving. Alternatives like touchpads or the old (and dreaded) Lexus mouse require far too much precision and concentration to operate. The iDrive knob just scrolls, rocks and clicks, making it a natural way to move about the big, bright screens in BMWs these days.

But! If you’re someone who needs to have a touchscreen, every iDrive 7-equipped car can give you exactly that. Plus, the touchscreen itself is an extremely good one, responding instantly to our touches and swipes. We wish we could say the same for iDrive 8, but our experience with this system so far is a frustrating one. The previously easy-to-use menu structure is a scattered mess of tiny icons; the system is generally slower/laggier, and BMW removed physical buttons for climate control/radio controls, integrating them all into the touchscreen instead. It requires multiple touches to accomplish tasks that were easily done in just one touch before.

Despite all the praise we’re giving iDrive 7 here, there are a couple detractors that point out the substandard radio tuning ability. If you’re one to constantly surf random radio stations, BMW’s tuning controls are not easily or quickly accessed. However, anyone who sets their own radio presets or just listens to music via their phone won’t have a single issue. And speaking of the phone, BMW offers both wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto in iDrive 7-equipped cars now, which is key to it being our favorite. It wasn’t that long ago that BMW didn’t support Android Auto, and that would’ve been an instant disqualifier to any “best of” list for infotainment systems.

Best non-luxury: UVO/Blue Link — Kia/Hyundai

UConnect would be the most natural choice here, but since we’ve already given it the “best overall” recognition, we figured it best to highlight our other favorite infotainment system from a non-luxury manufacturer. We’re halfway cheating here by including both Kia’s UVO and Hyundai’s Blue Link, but seeing as how they’re mostly the same with branding and slight aesthetic differences, they both deserve to be here.