I can't say it's the main reason I would choose a car, but bad UX (the whole thing, from UI to knobs) is certainly one of the no-compromise ones I would bail a car on.
They've had their hits and misses over the years. Not at all typical, I'm sure, but a fun anecdote: I had a 90s bmw at one point, with electronic controls for the adjustable driver's seat down near the floor between the seat and door. The buttons got wet one time when it was raining, and it led to the seat coming alive and trying to crush me against the steering wheel while in highway traffic. Mashing on the controls didn't work and the motor was quite powerful. I was barely able to pull over with the room I had to move. If I wasn't as thin as I am, I might have been pinned down and crashed.
I’ve got an off button in the center of my controls. The only oddity is that I have to press it to lower the airflow from 5 to 0 (off) but otherwise pretty easy to find and use. It says “OFF.”
I misunderstood what you were looking for. AC seems easier for me as there’s a button labeled “A/C” that is lit up when AC is turned on and not lit up when it is off.
Really? What model do you have? I have a 330e and it does not have an A/C button, only a "MAX A/C" button. I can turn the A/C on with this button, but I can't turn it back off.