5 easy ways to improve your car’s voice assistant

Voice control can help you stay focused on the road while managing navigation, calls, messages and vehicle settings. Here’s how to get the best results from your car’s voice assistant.

Voice control in cars has become one of the simplest ways for you to stay connected in the car while keeping your hands on the wheel and your attention on the road. From making calls and sending messages to setting destinations and controlling music, today’s voice assistants can handle a growing range of tasks.

But to make it worth your while, it’s best to use it the right way. Here are five simple tips and tricks that can help make voice commands faster, more accurate and less frustrating to use.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

1. Reduce background noise

Voice recognition systems work best when they can clearly hear you. Excessive cabin noise can make it harder for your assistant to understand commands.

Before using voice control:

• Roll up the windows and close the sunroof.
• Lower the fan speed if the air conditioning is running at full blast.
• Turn down the volume of the music or the radio.

These quick adjustments can significantly improve voice recognition accuracy.

2. Know how to activate voice control

Most vehicles offer two ways to start voice control.

Use the steering wheel button

Many cars have a dedicated voice command button on the steering wheel. A quick press normally activates the car’s built-in assistant, while pressing and holding the button for a few seconds may launch Siri or Google Assistant (though the latter is gradually being moved to Gemini AI) through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Use a ‘wake’ word

Many modern vehicles support voice activation phrases such as:

• “Hey Mercedes”
• “Hey BMW”
• “Hey IDA” for Volkswagen
• “Hey Laura” for Skoda

Some manufacturers even allow you to customise the wake word through the infotainment setting menu.

3. Speak naturally

Today’s in-car assistants use advanced AI technology and are designed to understand conversational language. So instead of memorising exact commands, you simply speak naturally.

Navigation

Try commands such as:

• “Take me to the nearest coffee shop.”
• “Navigate home.”

Climate control

You can often adjust comfort settings by saying:

• “Set the temperature to 21 degrees.”
• “Turn the driver’s seat heater to level two.”

Calls and messages

Many assistants can handle communication tasks, including:

• “Text Mum I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
• “Play my last voicemail.”

Some systems also support command chaining, allowing you to combine multiple requests in one conversation.

4. Ask for help

Not sure what your assistant can do? Simply activate voice control and say, “Help.”

Most systems will display or read out available command categories such as:

• Navigation
• Media and entertainment
• Phone functions
• Messaging
• Vehicle settings
• Climate controls

This is often the quickest way to discover features you may not know exist.

5. Check your system settings

If voice commands regularly fail or certain features aren’t available, your settings may need attention.

Start by:

• Checking for infotainment system software updates.
• Ensuring Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is correctly configured.
• Confirming Notification Access permissions are enabled so your assistant can safely read and respond to messages.
• Verifying Bluetooth connections are working properly.

Keeping your vehicle’s software up to date can improve both voice recognition performance and feature availability.

When should you use your car’s assistant vs Siri or Google Assistant/Gemini AI?

As a general rule of thumb, we’d recommend using your car’s built-in assistant for vehicle-specific functions such as climate control, seat settings or other car features.

For messaging, phone calls, calendar appointments and web-based searches, Siri and Google Assistant/Gemini AI often give you a more seamless experience through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Click here to follow us on WhatsApp, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos.