when did power steering become standard in cars

[DeAddyson]

Power steering transitioned from a luxury option to standard equipment on most cars sold in the United States over a long period, but the most significant shift happened between the late 1980s and mid-1990s. By the 1990 model year, it was standard on the majority of new passenger vehicles. The journey began with the 1951 Chrysler Imperial as the first production car to offer a practical power steering system, but it remained an expensive option for decades.

The adoption rate accelerated for several key reasons. As cars became heavier with more safety features and air conditioning, and as front-wheel drive (which concentrates more weight over the front wheels) became the dominant layout, manual steering became increasingly difficult. Consumer demand for comfort and ease of use, especially with the rise of suburban commuting and parking, made power steering a near-necessity for the average buyer.

The technology itself also evolved. The early hydraulic power steering systems were effective but could be complex, requiring pumps and fluid maintenance. This paved the way for Electric Power Steering (EPS). While introduced earlier in Japan, EPS became widely adopted by U.S. manufacturers in the 2000s. EPS is more fuel-efficient, integrates seamlessly with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and is now the standard on virtually all new cars.

Adoption Timeline of Power Steering in the U.S. Market

Era	Status	Key Developments and Examples
1950s	Rare Luxury Option	First introduced on the 1951 Chrysler Imperial under the name "Hydraguide."
1960s-1970s	Common Option	Popular on large luxury and muscle cars. Still an extra-cost option on many mainstream models.
1980s	Becoming Standard	Standard on most full-size and mid-size cars. An option on many compact and subcompact cars.
1990s	Effectively Standard	By the mid-1990s, it was standard equipment on over 90% of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S.
2000s-Present	Universal with Tech Shift	Universal standard, with a rapid transition from hydraulic systems to Electric Power Steering (EPS).

[BrynleeLynn]

I remember it being a big deal when my dad's '89 Buick had it, but my first car, a '92 Honda Civic, did not. It was definitely an option on cheaper models well into the early '90s. By the time I bought a new car in '98, it was just expected. You'd have to special-order a base model to not get it. It was one of those features that went from "nice to have" to "how did people live without this?" in under a decade.

[DelKate]

From an engineering standpoint, it was a gradual process driven by vehicle weight and consumer demand. The shift to front-wheel drive architectures in the 1980s increased steering effort, making power assist almost mandatory. While common on luxury models by the 1970s, it wasn't truly standard across the entire industry until the 1990s. The more recent shift to electric power steering (EPS) was motivated by fuel economy gains and the need for integration with electronic stability control and automated parking systems.