It seemed like only yesterday that power windows and air conditioning were considered a luxury in most cars. Believe it or not, necessities like anti-lock brakes and airbags were even options in most cars during the early 90s. However, the automotive industry as a whole has stepped up its game in the past couple of decades as more tech-savvy features are making their way onto the standard feature lists of most new cars.

The main issue is that we tend to take them for granted and there are even some new-car owners out there that don’t know they exist. So here are five underrated features that we all should be thankful to have.

Rain-sensing wipers

Rain-sensing wipers are definitely useful when you experience some unexpected rainfall when driving. As you can tell by their name, rain-sensing wipers automatically start wiping your windshield when water starts to accumulate on your windshield.

 No, they don’t go off with a single drop of water, but if it turns into a steady stream, then you’ll be thankful when your wipers briskly clear up your line of sight.  

Memory seats

Do you have more than one driver in the household? Or do you sometimes let friends and family members borrow your car? In either case, you’ll be thankful that you have memory seats.

Sure, one seating position is fine when you’re the only one driving your car 95 percent of the time. But for the other 5 percent, when you lend your car out to someone else who is taller or shorter, it’s nice to know that the push of a button will position the car’s driver’s seat and side mirrors back to your desired position.

It’s as if your car knows you.

Keyless Entry and push-button start

This is one feature that we all definitely take for granted. Keyless entry has become common in most cars over the past decade and so has a push-button start. However, have you ever noticed just how easy it is to enter and start your car when your hands are semi-full?

For those cumbersome times, just remember to thank those automakers and engineers that designed those two features because it seems like only yesterday that we were all dropping things while fumbling for our keys in our purses and pockets.

Power-folding mirrors

Unless you have a narrow parking space or need to parallel park regularly, you have probably overlooked the fact that your car’s mirrors automatically fold and tilt.

It’s OK, we have, too. But we must all remember that having to adjust our mirrors downward and manually push them in when squeezing into tight spaces used to be an issue. Not anymore, thanks to power-folding mirrors.

Remote Start

It might seem like a gimmick to some people and a godsend to others, especially those that live in snow states. But remote start is easily one of the best features that we take for granted.

Is your car super cold in the winter and you want it to defrost while you sit comfortably inside the house? Just push the button!

Or is your car super-hot in the summertime and you would rather be in an air-conditioned building while waiting for it to cool off? Just push the button!

Either way, there’s no more need to sit in a freezing or burning-hot car while you wait for the interior climate to become normal. Now, just push the… you get the point.

Don’t take them for granted

According to Capital Motor Cars, these are just a few of the ingenious features that we take for granted every day. And while you may, or may not, have known they existed, be sure to pay mind to them the next time you hop in your car. After all, they sure do make life just a little easier.