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Automatic speed limiters fitted to all new cars could land drivers with hefty fines because the systems fail to identify when the speed limit changes in up to one in four instances.
Intelligent speed assist (ISA) has been a mandatory fitment in all new cars sold in Europe and the UK since July 2024, as manufacturers are forced to cram vehicles with the latest suite of safety tech in a bid to reduce road fatalities.
But Britain's biggest vehicle safety and security body has found serious inaccuracies with the systems when testing them on UK roads.
Thatcham Research, which is headquartered in Berkshire and funded by the insurance industry, analysed the performance of ISA in three different models and found that the worst performer - a budget Chinese SUV - correctly understood the speed limit it was travelling in just 74.3 per cent of the time.
Not only does this make the technology potentially dangerous if motorists become reliant on it, but it could also land them with fines and points on their licence if their car is displaying the wrong limit.
Thatcham Research is now calling on lawmakers to make changes to how ISA tech is approved to provide confidence to drivers to 'trust the technology enough to keep it switched on'.
ISA is one of 19 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that manufacturers must now install in their new models, alongside the likes of Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS) and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).
The automatic speed limiters use a combination of GPS data, satellite navigation and sign-reading cameras to identify what the speed limit is at any given time and determine if the vehicle is exceeding it.
When the driver is over the limit, the system initially warns them to slow down via a visual alert on the instrument cluster or screen, a loud beep or bong, or a haptic notification that gently vibrates the steering wheel. Manufacturers can use a combination of these or all three.
If these alerts are ignored, the system has the capability to take over and automatically slow the car down.
It does so by restricting engine power - not by applying the brakes - until the legal limit is adhered to.
For example, if you are driving on the M1, the ISA technology can limit you to a maximum of 70mph.
A new study found Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) - automatic speed limiters fitted to all new cars since 2024 - are not identifying the correct legal speed limit in up to one in four instances
When active, ISA can be overridden, but only for short bursts. This allows for situations such as overtaking slow-moving vehicles like tractors quickly and safely.
To override it, the driver must push hard enough on the accelerator pedal to disengage the system. The tech should allow the car to go above the permitted speed limit for a short period before the alerts re-engage.
However, because ISA is now mandatory across the market, it cannot be permanently turned off.
EU regulations state that it must automatically be activated each time the engine (or electric motor in an EV) is started.
This means motorists who do not want it interfering with their driving need to deactivate it before every journey.
How difficult it is to turn off the system depends on the car brand.
Renault, for instance, has a dedicated button on the steering wheel that, when held down, turns off the system. However, in cars from other manufacturers, drivers may need to navigate through the infotainment system menu to disable the feature every time they get into the car.
Flaws in the technology
When approving ISA systems in new models, EU rules (EU 2019/2144) require each manufacturer's system to complete a 250-mile test route on a combination of roads with varying speed limits.
To pass the test, the system must recognise the correct speed limit for at least 90 per cent of the distance travelled.
Type approval also requires that the live speed limit is displayed on the driver's instrument cluster or infotainment screen within two seconds of entering a new zone.
However, when Thatcham Research conducted its own test, it found major flaws in the technology.
Rather than following the EU's test procedure, it judged the performance of ISA in three cars - representing one in ten systems in new models today - at each change of speed limit.
The worst performer was the Chinese MG ZS - a £20,245 family SUV.
While it achieved 91.3 per cent accuracy under the EU's measurement method, under Thatcham's performance-based metric it correctly identified the speed 74.3 per cent of the time.
This means that in one in four instances of changes in speed zones, the MG was indicating the wrong limit.
The best performer in the test was a BMW i5 - the German marque's luxury electric saloon, which costs more than three times the MG at a starting price of £67,795.
While it was deemed to be 98.39 per cent accurate in EU tests, Thatcham Research found it was correctly identifying the legal speed limit only 90.3 per cent of the time, putting drivers at risk of exceeding the limit in one in ten cases.
EU rules require ISA systems to be accurate 90% of the time across a 250-mile journey on varying roads in order to be type approved
Thatcham Research instead tested the accuracy of systems at every change in speed limit. And it found that some of the tech failed to identify the legal limit in one in four instances
Yousif Al-Ani, principal ADAS engineer at Thatcham Research, said that presenting drivers with readings that 'fall outside recognised limits' can 'erode confidence in the technology'.
As such, motorists are likely to turn it off before each journey, erasing its road safety benefits.
Jonathan Hewett, CEO of Thatcham Research, added: 'What is needed now is a regulatory standard that demands exactly that - one that measures performance at the moments that matter, rather than allowing systems to pass approval while failing drivers in real-world conditions.
'Getting this right is not optional. The safety case for ADAS depends on drivers trusting these technologies enough to keep them switched on.'
ISA was recommended by the European Transport Safety Council on the basis that it will reduce traffic collisions by 30 per cent and casualties by 20 per cent, as part of a wider target of achieving zero road deaths by 2050.
From 6 July 2022, every new model introduced to the market for the first time has been required by EU law to include the technology.
From 7 July 2024, any new car sold - even models launched five years earlier - must have ISA fitted as standard.
Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning (DDAW) is also required in all new models sold in Europe as part of the mandated suite of ADAS technologies.
This system detects signs of driver fatigue or distraction and sounds a warning alarm.
Another requirement is Alcohol Interlock Installation Facilitation (AIIF).
This makes it easier to fit aftermarket alcohol interlock devices in vehicles if governments legislate in future that drink-drive offenders must use them - requiring drivers to provide a zero-alcohol breath sample before the engine can be started.
