I have a 2021 Skoda Octavia and boy do I have to touch the screen a lot.

Yes, you can open the AC screen by tapping the AC button but then you still need use the touch screen for any actual AC adjustments.

It’s a joke that that’s legal. Looking at my phone is illegal, yet it’s many times faster.

My 2025 Audi A3 is pretty good with buttons and knobs. The only time I need to touch the screen (other than for CarPlay) is to tell it, "no, you still cannot steal my data" every time I turn the car on.