What Is Super Cruise?

Hands-free driving is here, and you can find it on several General Motors vehicles.

Sami Haj-Assaad | 

Feb 16, 2022 | 3 min read

Cadillac

Updated December 10, 2024.

Super Cruise is General Motors' Level 2 semi-autonomous advanced driver-assistance system, designed to make long drives and commutes more comfortable. During a road trip, you may have felt tempted to take your hands off the steering wheel to relieve yourself of such a tedious task.

While adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist have helped make driving easier, they lack hands-free functionality. Super Cruise, which is intended to allow for that hands-free driving, is exclusively offered in select General Motors vehicles: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands.

Cadillac

What Super Cruise Does and How It Works

First introduced on the 2018 Cadillac CT6, Super Cruise combines the capabilities of adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist with additional technologies, allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel for an extended period in certain conditions.

Super Cruise uses cameras and sensors to detect other motorists and obstacles around the vehicle. It combines that real-time information with high-definition maps and GPS data to keep the vehicle within its lane and ready for the route ahead.

Cadillac

In addition to these capabilities, Super Cruise features an in-cabin, driver-facing camera that can detect whether the driver is paying attention to the road. An LED light bar is embedded into the steering wheel that can communicate with the driver about the system's status. When the light is green, the system is operating normally but may flash to alert the driver to pay attention to the road ahead. If the light bar flashes blue when the driver is steering manually, the system will be reenabled after the steering wheel is held steady. A flashing red light bar means the system cannot operate in the current conditions and that the driver needs to take over.

About 750,000 miles of freeways across North America have been mapped, or are planned to be mapped, for use with Super Cruise. Drivers can even use the system while towing a trailer. Super Cruise not only allows for hands-free cruising on the highway but it can also change lanes.

Cadillac

What Super Cruise Can't Do

Super Cruise is only available in specific scenarios. It works on divided highways as well as major and minor freeways. It doesn't work on roads unmapped for use with Super Cruise. Additionally, Super Cruise doesn't work in tunnels, construction zones, or on highway exit lanes. Using the system in adverse conditions, such as rain or snow, isn't recommended.

Buick

Vehicles That Offer Super Cruise

Since introducing Super Cruise, General Motors has increased the number of vehicles offering the feature.

In the Chevrolet lineup, vehicles equipped with Super Cruise include the 2024 Blazer EV, 2024 Equinox EV, 2024 Silverado, 2024 Silverado EV, 2024 Suburban, 2024 Tahoe, and 2024 Traverse.

At GMC, Super Cruise is available on vehicles including the 2024 Acadia, 2024 Hummer EV, 2024 Sierra 1500, 2024 Sierra EV, and 2024 Yukon.

Cadillac also offers several vehicles with Super Cruise, including the 2025 Lyriq EV, 2025 Escalade, 2025 Escalade IQ, 2024 XT6, and the 2025 Optiq EV.

So far, the only current Buick available with Super Cruise is the 2025 Enclave.

Super Cruise-equipped vehicles typically come with three years of connected service, which is required for Super Cruise to work. After that, the driver must subscribe to a connected-services plan.

Sami Haj-Assaad

Sami Haj-Assaad is an award-winning automotive journalist who has contributed to several automotive, electric vehicle, luxury lifestyle, and technology publications. His work isn't just limited to the written word, as he's also hosted YouTube videos and podcasts. Having grown up in the '90s, he has a strong sense of attachment to that era's style, though he also loves to geek out about the modern, futuristic tech and powertrains rolling out today.