R-Link infotainment system tops independent usability study

~ TomTom and Renault’s in-car system proven to offer the best system usability experience ~

Amsterdam – An independent study published on September 10th has rated the Renault R-Link featuring TomTom technologies as the best connected navigation system available. The study, by automotive research consultancy SBD, rated R-Link the ’best system’ over six other leading European OE infotainment and navigation systems.

R-Link was rated ’easiest to use system’ by a panel of expert analysts and consumers. The system received consistently high scores for its balance of simplicity and feature-richness.

“We are delighted that our long-standing collaboration with Renault has been recognised by independent research,” said Charles Cautley, Managing Director Automotive at TomTom. “Connected in-car systems have become an important factor in consumers buying decisions. This benchmark study shows that TomTom’s strategy and capability of keeping the connected car easy to experience combined with the best guidance and traffic information is valued by drivers and experts alike.”

David McClure, Director of Research and Consulting at SBD commented: “As connected car services become mainstream, customers not only expect value for money, but also very good usability. SBD’s new User Experience Testing service uses a unique approach, with a combination of expert and non-expert testing, to make sure that our automotive clients have the best products in the market. Out of the systems we tested recently, Renault’s R-Link consistently proved to be the most intuitive and easy-to-use system.”

The SBD study found that consumers and experts rated systems with more features and functionality too complicated and resulted in lower overall usability scores. Systems with higher prices did not guarantee a better user experience.



Notes for editors

1. “Usability Benchmarking: Expert and consumer evaluation of connected car systems” is an independent study of seven high-profile OE navigation systems offered by OEMs in Europe, conducted by SBD. The study’s methodology utilised 200 hours of testing and 70 hours of video of expert and consumer evaluation. The full report can be found here.

2. Renault R-Link received a system score of 90% from expert analysts, 85% from non-expert analysts, and 85% overall. The system was ranked first in the study by both expert and non-expert analysts.

3. Renault R-Link received positive feedback for features including:

• simple input HMI (human machine interface)
• consistent menu structure
• voice recognition system
• system feedback
• text to speech feature
• news information app functionality

Interviews are offered by Jan-Maarten De Vries, Vice President Product Marketing Automotive at TomTom.