Drivers only just learning what mystery buttons on car steering wheel actually do

Some drivers are only just realising what some of the buttons in their cars actually do.

Cars have changed a lot over the years, and they now have far more buttons and dials than they ever did before. From switching from manual windows to electric ones to being able to control your music and answer calls from your steering wheel, there's new technology being added to vehicles every year.

All this means that getting a new car with upgraded tech can be overwhelming. Every car should come with a manual that tells you everything you need to know, but you might still find yourself staring at a button you've never seen before, wondering what it does.

Some motorists have been facing this dilemma recently, confessing to having no idea what some of the buttons on their steering wheel are actually for.

In a Reddit post, one driver posted a picture of their steering wheel, which had two buttons on the top, one with a plus sign and the other with a minus sign.

They asked: "What is the purpose of these things? When I click them, I notice the car lights up D6 or D7 or another number, depending on if I click - or +."

The two buttons the driver was asking about are called paddle shifters, and they're primarily found in automatic cars rather than manual ones. They allow the driver to manually select gears without using a clutch pedal and offer a more controlled driving experience, especially in challenging conditions, while still allowing the car to shift automatically when desired.

Commenters on the Reddit post helpfully made this clear to the poster, with one person saying they're especially useful when driving in mountainous or hilly areas where you don't want to "melt your brakes" when going downhill.

One person said: "Those are useful if you're ever driving in a mountainous area. Let's say you're going down a steep slope. You can shift down a gear or two and use engine braking as a way to slow down your car. That's helpful so that you're not constantly riding your brakes and melting your brake pads."

Another added: "They are shift paddles. I use them all the time to utilise engine braking when going down steep mountain roads."

Several other commenters urged the poster to simply look at the "thick book" in their glove box, pointedly telling them that the information they need should be in their car's manual.

According to car manufacturer Kia, paddle shifters are found in cars with automatic transmissions to provide a "manual mode", which gives drivers a more "active driving experience".

Paddle shifters allow motorists to shift gears while holding the steering wheel, without having to move their hand to the gear lever. This makes the change "safer and quicker". By clicking the paddle shifter, you can upshift or downshift the transmission as you drive.

Paddle shifters are simple to use. All you need to do is press or push the paddle to put your car in manual mode. The paddle marked with a plus sign is used to upshift, while the paddle with a minus sign is used to downshift.

However, according to Cars.com, your vehicle's computer won't execute a command if it determines it will damage the engine. They state: "For example, if you’re cruising down the highway in 6th gear at 70 mph and pull the paddle five times to drop down into 1st gear - which would over-rev the engine and possibly blow it up - the computer will ignore your command."

Paddle shifters are most commonly used when going downhill in order to save your brakes, but they can also be used when accelerating on slick surfaces to reduce the chance of your wheels spinning, or even when passing another car to give yourself more power more quickly to allow for a safe overtake.