2025 Acko Drive Awards: MINI's Round OLED Screen Wins 2025 Acko Byte Car Tech of the Year TOTM

Tech features are some of the most important selling points for cars, and the past year has seen an explosion in offerings at all price levels. For the Acko Drive Awards, our jury of automotive experts considered not only convenience and usability, but also the “wow factor” that grabs potential buyers’ attention. Many cars were considered on the basis of ADAS features, AI voice assistants, giant touchscreens, 5G connectivity, companion apps, and even fun little touches that make driving and riding as a passenger more enjoyable.

This year’s 2025 Acko Byte Car Tech of the Year TOTM winner is the 9.45-inch round OLED screen and interface of the new MINI Cooper, also known as its "Interaction Unit". At first, it stands out for its shape and size, but as soon as we began to use it, we could see that a lot of thought and effort has gone into customising and designing the user experience. Information is displayed neatly, animations are slick and purposeful, and it’s just quirky enough to match the MINI itself. It manages to find a balance between gimmicks and usability, showing that there’s room for plenty of innovation in the car UI and UX space. 

It has been optimised for touch and voice control, and is built using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) codebase. Users can interact with Spike, a new assistant based on MINI's bulldog mascot. New Experience Modes let drivers apply custom graphics and and colours, matched with the car's ambient lighting, depending on their mood or driving style.  

Other runners-up were the 48-inch rear screen entertainment experience in the Lexus LM; Mercedes-Benz’s Superscreen with selfie camera; the MG Windsor’s Grandview touch display, and Tata’s iCNG with AMT technology. 

The Acko Drive awards are India’s most credible automotive industry awards. This year’s grand two-day event was held in Pune, one of India’s busiest automotive hubs, honouring the legacy of Indian manufacturing. Over 50 TOTMs were handed out, recognising the year’s best cars, bikes, people, and ideas. Acko Byte is an emerging new publication operating alongside Acko Drive, delivering useful tips, guides and news updates about tech products and services. As our worlds become increasingly online and interconnected, Acko Drive and Acko Byte cover the intersection of technology and automobiles.