Modern cars are outsmarting their owners, according to new research that flies in the face of studies that suggest car buyers want plenty of advanced technology.

A survey of 1,000 car owners carried out by BookMyGarage.com found that 73 per cent of people don’t understand how to use all of the high-tech gadgets in their car.

This comes despite 54 per cent saying that they bought their car on the strength of all the technology it featured.

Tyre pressure monitoring systems, cruise control, stability control and paring sensors are among the facilities that have put drivers’ heads in a spin.

According to the survey, cruise control was the gadget most likely to cause confusion – and is therefore left unused most of the time. Special eco-settings were a solid second, with Bluetooth connections also called confusing.

And 48 per cent said that simply not understanding them was the main reason for not using their car’s full capabilities.