I have just stepped out of the driver’s seat on a Tesla Model Y. It is a car which can tell the difference between a red and green traffic light and steer itself. It can replace the indicator click with a fart noise if you wish to amuse children and will play virtually any song ever published if you ask it to, using voice recognition. 

It’s a clever car which is designed to make life easier. And yet, if you want to see out of the back window to reverse off your drive without scraping against the fence post, you’ll need to get out and give it a wipe with a damp cloth.

Tesla are far from the only culprits here. It seems car makers are trying to wean us off the rear wiper, and I intend to rise up to wipe out this trend. 

For decades, this simple device has been as standard as a radio. Only the most basic hatchbacks and estates in the 1970s wouldn’t have had one, and we have all become used to the extra safety and convenience they bring. 

The Ariya owner can see what's happening behind them

As a car travels through the air, it creates all sorts of havoc which means dirt and rain are naturally sucked and attracted to the back of your car. It will get filthy. And then there is the frost and dew which settles there too in colder weather.

But now we are expected to ignore this and wipe ourselves before we set off, and presumably in the middle of a journey too. 

I can see why car makers like the idea of binning the wiper. It adds weight, cost and presumably a bit of aero dynamic drag too. All of these are bad things in an electric car, but then again so is not being able to see behind you. I have also heard that rear wipers are a uniquely British obsession and the UK importers have to jump up and down to get them included in new models. 

For example, when the Vauxhall Insignia replaced the Vectra, there was going to be no rear wiper. The Vauxhall people were horrified so fired up the PowerPoint to tell the people at Opel that this would be unacceptable. They weren’t convinced until someone showed then spy photos of the new Ford Mondeo – the Insignia’s arch rival – which clearly retained this feature. As a result they rushed through a fix late in the development cycle, which is why the Insignia’s rear wiper looks like it is borrowed from a bus.

The Audi Q8 e-tron has a wiper on the SUV, but not the Sportback version

Times have moved on since then, say the car makers. There are cameras to help you see behind, some even replace the rear-view mirror. Also there are hydrophobic coatings which mean the rain and dirt simply falls off the glass, helped along by little spoilers which direct air over the screen to blow it all away. That’s brilliant in theory, but I’ve not tried one car where they work well enough to stop me wanting a simple strip of rubber attached to a motor. 

I honestly think the lack of rear wiper is enough to make me choose one car over another. When a new model is launched I give a little cheer when I see it has one fitted and boo when a spot a bare back window. 

In a recent test we had a Nissan Ariya pitched against a Toyota bZ4x. They are two very closely matched cars, but the Ariya wins in my book because you’ll be able to see what’s going on behind you. On some cars it is even more complicated. The Sportback versions of Audis don’t have a wiper, but the SUVs do. It’s baffling.

Some cars, like the MG4 and Ora Funky Cat don’t even have the excuse of being coupes. They are hatchbacks, and should have a wiper. The Ora in particular has a camera that watches your face and tells you to take a break if you are yawning, but nothing to keep the rear screen clean.

This Cat is missing its tail

I don’t think I’m alone in this crusade. My colleague Mike Askew isn’t easy to tease, as can be seen by his taste in shirts. But mention his Ioniq 5’s lack of rear wiper and he purses his lips and goes a shade of crimson. I’ve spotted the cloth and squeegee in the boot and caught him surreptitiously giving the back screen a quick clean before driving off.

If you feel similarly keen to keep the back wiper, then mention it loudly in showrooms. These things get fed back to HQ if enough of us talk about them. In the meantime I’ve shamed all of the electric hatchbacks and estate currently on sale that are missing this essential bit of kit. Make sure you give them a wide berth, especially if they are reversing and it’s a bit rainy outside. 

Audi e-tron GT and Sportbacks

BMW i4

Citroen Ami

Citroen e-C4

Fisker Ocean

Genesis GV60

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Jaguar I-Pace

Kia EV6

Lotus Eletra

Mercedes EQS

MG4 (but the MG5 and ZS are OK)

Ora Funky Cat

Skoda Enyaq Coupe (the SUV does, however)

Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model Y

Toyota bZ4x

Ioniq 5 owners need a squeegee at the ready