Today, an increasing number of OEMs are equipping their latest models with innovative new technologies and connectivity features that work to elevate the user experience and extend it beyond the vehicle. For luxury and mass-market vehicles alike, the way that these features and systems are implemented and deployed plays a crucial role in enabling and delivering a satisfactory user experience.

In recent years, through to today, vehicle companion apps have increasingly been embraced by luxury and mass-market OEMs looking to integrate this experience more deeply into consumer's digital life. Available for modern smartphones, these apps extend the user experience beyond the vehicle, with many offering remote control of key vehicle functions and some facilitating new experiences altogether.

Representing one entry in a new two-part report series, this report will see our usability experts perform a further UX deep dive into the companion apps offered alongside the models reviewed in our 635 Vehicle Evaluation Series. For these apps, it highlights the experiences offered on smartphones while understanding how they interact with connected vehicle features. New for 2024, the series will more broadly provide insight into the implementation, differentiation, and key USPs of contemporary companion apps as well as the latest hands-off driving systems.