Imagine sitting in the driver's seat, one hand in your lap and the other gripping a cup of coffee. A green strip of light on the steering wheel indicates the car is driving for you. No need to turn through that highway bend or brake for that slower car ahead. There is no need to pass that car, either—the car can also do that. This is not hypothetical; this is what it is like to use General Motors’ (GM) Super Cruise hands-free highway driving assistance feature.
For more background and details, check out our full explainer on GM Super Cruise.
While the photos you see here are of a 2026 Cadillac Optiq, Super Cruise is available across many models from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. I have also tested the system in numerous vehicles, most recently in the Cadillac Vistiq and Optiq, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Equinox EV, and the GMC Acadia. For the Optiq, I used it not only in the 2026 test vehicle shown here, but also in a 2025 Optiq I have owned for eight months.
While I have found that Super Cruise operates in the same impressive manner across all of the above vehicles, there are slight differences in the user interface. The animations on the instrument panel vary by brand and car. However, they share a common attribute: prominent, bright green graphics that indicate when the system is active.
The steering wheel controls can also differ. Some have physical buttons, while others, like the Optiq, have a touch-sensitive panel. I do not love that the Super Cruise engagement icon is right next to the heated steering wheel one, they look too similar.
All steering wheels, however, have a prominent indicator light on their upper rims that glows in different colors. Blue indicates you have activated Super Cruise but must keep steering until the car is ready to take over. Green indicates the car is in control. Flashing red indicates the driver must take over immediately. In certain instances, GM’s Safety Alert Seat vibrates your tush to give you an extra heads-up.
This steering wheel light is the primary reason I prefer Super Cruise to other hands-free systems. It is much easier to tell when the system is active and when the driver needs to take over. I tested a 2025 Ford Expedition, equipped with Ford’s BlueCruise system, where blue lights in the instrument panel are used to indicate the system is active, and it was not as obvious.
Super Cruise works only on highway-like roads that GM has mapped with LiDar. As of February 2025, it covered more than 600,000 miles across the United States and Canada. During my time testing various Super Cruise-equipped vehicles, I have noticed that roads have been added to the coverage network. The system is updated via a three-year vehicle connectivity plan, which must be purchased after the trial expires.
With this mapping data at its disposal, the system knows what lies ahead on the road instead of simply reacting in the moment, as an adaptive cruise control system would, using its bevy of sensors. That said, it still needs those sensors to detect other vehicles and lane markings. If they should disappear, expect the red light to flash.
Besides sudden road markings disappearing, I found that morning frost or condensation can prevent the system from working. It happened to me in both Optiqs, even though their windshield wipers automatically clear the cameras and sensors behind the rearview mirror. I have used the system many times in the rain and have been impressed by how its capability does not seem to wane, but since I live in Southern California, I have not used it in snow.
There is one other key factor that is always in play: the driver must be paying attention. Super Cruise constantly monitors and ensures that the driver is facing the road with eyes open and is therefore ready to take control. I’ve found that it gives you a lot more leeway to look at the touchscreen or at some pretty scenery than the driver monitoring systems in other vehicles, but the leash is always there.
In all the many GM vehicles I have now tested with Super Cruise, I have never found that the system performed any better or worse in any one vehicle. In fact, it has always been impressive, and I trust it more than any other highway driving assistance feature, hands-free or otherwise.
I have even used Super Cruise in a Chevy Silverado while towing a trailer; the system automatically adjusts to the increased size, weight, and turning radius. At speed and in stop-and-go traffic, it performed as promised.
There is one attribute I usually turn off: automatic lane changes. On a sparsely occupied two-lane highway, the system works very well. It will detect a slower vehicle ahead in the right lane, activate the left signal, check for vehicles in the left lane, then execute the lane change once the way is clear. It does the reverse once the pass is complete.
On multi-lane highways, however, there are usually too many other vehicles and therefore too many parameters. The system will attempt a lane change when I would not, mostly because it seems unable to look even farther ahead and see that changing lanes is not particularly beneficial. As such, I keep full automation off, but I usually keep its half measure activated: the same auto lane change protocol, instigated by me hitting the turn signal.
Super Cruise is an exceptionally well-executed hands-free driving assistance system that delivers on its promise while keeping the driver attentive, thereby promoting the safety of passengers in the vehicle as well as of surrounding motorists.
James Riswick has been testing and reviewing cars since 2007, serving as an editor at Edmunds.com and Autoblog. In addition to jdpower.com, he has also contributed to Autoguide Magazine, Autotrader, Capital One Auto Navigator, Car and Driver, and Hagerty. He resides in Southern California and owns a 1998 BMW Z3, a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 Wagon, and a 2025 Cadillac Optiq.
The Ford Transit is the automaker’s full-size cargo and passenger van offering, designed to serve a wide range of commercial and lifestyle applications. With 37 available configurations, the platform ...See More
Read the Full Article
The Chevrolet Tahoe is a full-size, three-row SUV with a standard V8 engine and available diesel power. Built on the same platform as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup, the Tahoe benefits from its ...See More
Read the Full Article
It is the end of the line for the Ford Escape. After 25 years as a fixture of Ford’s lineup, 2026 will be the compact SUV’s last model year.
Read the Full Article
The Colorado is Chevrolet’s midsize pickup. It ranks among the segment’s most capable trucks for payload and towing, and can be configured for both work and off-road adventures. For 2026, the ...See More
Read the Full Article