logo
A Shocking Amount of People Say Car Cupholders Are 'Difficult to Use'

A Shocking Amount of People Say Car Cupholders Are 'Difficult to Use'

The Drive27-06-2025
The latest car news, reviews, and features.
The consumer insight researchers at J.D. Power and Associates run an annual Initial Quality Survey (IQS) on new car buyers. It yields a comparative list of how satisfied people are with new cars from all of our market's major brands. It also exposes features and trends that buyers like and don't. And this year, one of the biggest jumps in car-owner complaints was about cupholders.
J.D. Power's IQS press release lays it out like this:
'While it seemed like manufacturers had cupholders figured out, given that owners are now bringing more reusable containers into their vehicles, manufacturers are struggling to keep up with being able to accommodate all the different shapes and sizes that are increasingly available. Consequently, owners are again citing more problems in this area, with the expectation that their vehicle should be able to hold different sizes of containers.'
I got some more context for us on that from Frank Hanley, J.D. Power's Senior Director, Auto Benchmarking. 'When looking at the top 10 problems for the [industry] 'cupholders – difficult to use' went from being the [seventh] most problematic issue for the vehicle to the [third] most reported this year,' he explained over email.
Third-most-problematic sounds high, no? Climate-controlled cupholders seemed neat when we started seeing them years ago, but now that everybody's coffee cup is insulated, the idea is kind of redundant. Adobe
Elaborating, Hanley added [sic]:
'In the survey we ask owners about 227 specific areas where they can report issues with their vehicles across 10 categories. Owners also have the ability to write in any problems that are not listed. Cup holders this year was the 3rd most reported of those 227 items.'
'Everything a customer does mark a problem we ask additional follow up questions that pertain to the issue including having them write in a comment. When reading these comments it was clear that more customers are complaining about the cup holders not being able to hold the larger cup sizes being brought into the vehicles well like Yetis and Stanley mugs. The larger cups are also intruding on access to other areas in the center tunnel like storage spaces and controls in the center stack depending on the positioning of the cup holders.'
As a lover of both old cars and giant coffee cups, I feel this pain deeply. Driving my 20-year-old manual-shift BMW with a drink in the center console is equally hilarious and annoying. But I'm a little surprised people are having this issue with new cars—a lot of the press loaners I'm in seem to accommodate cups well enough.
Or, maybe, is it possible that I just don't have a big enough coffee cup?
It's funny to think of product planners at car companies trying to track the next trend in travel mugs as they spec out center console cupholder designs. I remember talking to somebody at a German automaker years ago, with a question along the lines of 'why aren't the cupholders bigger,' and his frustration at the concept of cupholders at all was not well hidden. He said something like, 'Why do you need to drink while you drive? Just stop at a cafe.' Trust, if I could spend my days sipping cappuccinos at roadside rest stops in Europe, that's exactly where I'd be writing this from right now. But here in America, I have to drive 100 miles through the mud, uphill both ways, just to get my groceries. And I'm not about to sit anywhere for that long without a little coffee to suck on, goshdang it.
Jokes aside, I very much do like to sip a beverage while cruising, and a good cupholder does go a long way in interior ergonomics. So while it does sound silly that so many people would complain about something as trivial as beverage storage, I kind of get it. And I guess it's good news that one of America's biggest issues with their new cars could be solved by simply switching to a smaller cup?
As for automakers trying to keep up with cup trends, here's a free pitch: Cupholder adapters.
Got a great or terrible cupholder situation in your car? I want to hear about it at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scholar Rock (SRRK) Jumps 14% on Bargain-Hunting, Price Down 20.4% YTD
Scholar Rock (SRRK) Jumps 14% on Bargain-Hunting, Price Down 20.4% YTD

Yahoo

time9 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Scholar Rock (SRRK) Jumps 14% on Bargain-Hunting, Price Down 20.4% YTD

We recently published . Scholar Rock Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:SRRK) is one of Wednesday's best performers. Scholar Rock saw its share prices jump by 14.26 percent on Wednesday to close at $34.4 apiece as investors appeared to have hunted for bargains to take advantage of its cheap valuation. Month-to-date, shares of the company were already down by 7.15 percent, while year-to-date, prices have already declined by 20.4 percent. Copyright: restyler / 123RF Stock Photo In the second quarter of the year, Scholar Rock Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:SRRK) saw its net loss widen by 89.6 percent to $110 million from $58 million in the same period last year. Operating expenses increased by 89.8 percent to $112 million from $59.5 million year-on-year. In the first six months, net loss increased by 60 percent to $184.7 million from $115.36 million, while operating expenses grew by 60 percent to $189 million from $117.9 million. While we acknowledge the potential of SRRK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen. Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten

Mortgage Rates Level Off
Mortgage Rates Level Off

Yahoo

time9 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Mortgage Rates Level Off

Primary Mortgage Market Survey® MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.58%. 'The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage remained flat this week,' said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's Chief Economist. 'Over the summer, rates have come down and purchase applications are outpacing 2024, though a number of homebuyers continue waiting on the sideline for rates to further decrease.' Shop Top Mortgage Rates Your Path to Homeownership A quicker path to financial freedom Personalized rates in minutes News Facts The 30-year FRM averaged 6.58% as of August 21, 2025, unchanged from last week. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.46%. The 15-year FRM averaged 5.69%, down slightly from last week when it averaged 5.71%. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.62%. The PMMS® is focused on conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans for borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit. For more information, view our Frequently Asked Questions. Freddie Mac's mission is to make home possible for families across the nation. We promote liquidity, stability and affordability in the housing market throughout all economic cycles. Since 1970, we have helped tens of millions of families buy, rent or keep their home. Learn More: Website | Consumers | X | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube MEDIA CONTACT:Angela Waugaman(703)714-0644Angela_Waugaman@ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store