OLED technology in the automotive industry
OLED technology is currently used on a large scale to create thin, efficient, and flexible displays and lighting panels. Self-emitting light displays and OLED diodes are used in the lighting industry, TVs, smartphones, laptops, and wearable devices. This technology is being improved every year, and as a result, the automotive industry has also begun to take an interest in it1.
According to the latest analysis by Omdia Automotive Display Intelligence Service, the global automotive display market is expected to see strong growth in 2030, with display panel revenues reaching $18.3 billion. Today newly released cars, have on average 3,5 displays installed.
However, already in 2025 OLED technologies accounted for approx. 9% of the total $13.6 billion automotive display market, signalling a shift in the automotive display market toward higher value-added technologies2. With this information in mind, it is worth exploring the use of OLED technology in the automotive industry.
When OLED technology made its way into the automotive industry?
In 2016, Audi unveiled its latest model, the Audi TT RS 2016 – the first car on the market to feature OLED technology. In this case, OLED was used in the car’s rear lights3. OLED displays only made their way into car interiors in 2021, but they immediately became a feature within premium brands. The Cadillac Escalade was equipped with a large 38-inch integrated P-OLED (Plastic Organic Light Emitting Diode) display from LG Electronics. This was the first use of a curved OLED screen4. The first central touchscreen with a 12.8-inch OLED display was introduced in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the same year5. Another innovation in this segment came from BMW, which installed the first round OLED displays in MINI cars in 20236.
In less than four years, OLED technology has become firmly established in modern cars from various segments. And not only in the form of dashboard displays or exterior lighting, but also in the form of interior lighting, Head-Up Display, and digital rearview mirrors.
Source, and copyright: AUDI AG / Audi Media Center
The Porsche Cayenne Electric recently made its debut, taking OLED technology to a whole new level. The car is equipped with several OLED screens – a curved OLED screen behind the steering wheel, a central instrument cluster with 14.25-inch OLED technology, and an optional 14.9-inch passenger display. In addition, there is also a head-up display with AR technology, which visually represents a display area of 87 inches7. And this is just the beginning of the OLED revolution in the automotive industry!
Will this be what cars of the future look like? There are many indications that this will be the case, considering not only reports, but also the direct interest of OLED manufacturers such as LG8, BOE, and Samsung9, which are focusing on significant development in this area and are already announcing new products for the automotive industry that are likely to dominate industry trade fairs in the coming years.
The development of OLED technology in the automotive industry is also strongly driven by electric car manufacturers. Not only American Tesla, but also many new brands from China are becoming increasingly bold in their international market activities, focusing on electric cars full of technological innovations. Many of these brands sell several million cars a year – all it takes is for one of them to decide to implement OLED technology, and many market reports confirm that it is only a matter of time.10
Why are OLEDs gaining popularity in the automotive industry?
Today, LED technology still dominates in modern cars, but this is beginning to change quite rapidly in favour of OLED technology. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of OLED technology over LED and why the automotive industry is turning to it.
Flexibility and customization
OLEDs can be manufactured in various designs and shapes, allowing them to blend in better with the car’s design. In addition, they can convey more information.
- Exterior lights. OLED technology emits light directly, so it does not require reflectors or wiring, which increases its efficiency and reduces overall weight. These lights feature high contrast and the ability to be divided into segments and adjusted for brightness, allowing for unique light patterns to be created. For example, in the latest Audi Q5, you can order OLED taillights with three different light patterns and dynamic animations that change when you return home, among other things. In addition, an active warning function is available – when another vehicle approaches a stationary Audi, all OLED segments automatically light up to signal danger11.
- Interior Flexibility is also important inside the car. For example, an OLED display can be transparent, rounded (as in the MINI model mentioned earlier), or simply curved, allowing it to fit better into the dashboard. Better integration is also possible thanks to the lower weight of the OLED display, which has fewer layers and a thinner structure than LDC. As a result, OLED technology allows designers to create more futuristic and innovative interiors.
True black
Unlike LCDs, OLED displays emit light, so they can turn off individual pixels to create true black. Why is this important? It matters greatly in many ways, such as:
- Better contrast and color reproduction
- Greater safety – a true black background is easy on the eyes of drivers, especially at night when flickering lights and backlighting can distract drivers
- Lower energy consumption by turning off individual pixels
- True black allows for seamless integration in the dashboard with fluid changes between dashboard and display, as they don’t show contrast even in full sunlight
This is confirmed by the authors of the Omidia report, who stated that: “OLED technology is gaining an advantage over LCD thanks to its thin and lightweight design, high contrast ratio, energy efficiency, and ability to create any shape. OLED technology is becoming increasingly popular in central consoles, instrument clusters, and passenger displays.”
Therefore, the authors assume that OLED technology will dominate the premium car cockpit segment, achieving over 20% penetration of automotive display sales revenue by 202812.
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Source links:
[1] https://www.oled-info.com/automotive-oled
[3] https://www.audi.pl/pl/stories/technologia/od-technologii-led-przez-digital-matrix-do-oled/
[5] https://en.ubiresearchnet.com/the-evolution-of-automotive-displays-oled-leading-the-premium-market/
[8] https://www.oled-info.com/lg-display-unveil-new-automotive-oled-display-technologies-ces-2026
[10] https://www.oled-info.com/byd-and-tesla-are-talks-samsung-supply-amoleds-what-could-be-turning-point
[11] https://www.audi.pl/pl/stories/technologia/od-technologii-led-przez-digital-matrix-do-oled/
