Brake lining material properties are considered an essential aspect of the safe operation of vehicles. The presented paper aims to present a comprehensive review of brake lining materials and their tribological properties including the proposed materials, their advantages and disadvantages, analysis of results, and test rig experiments. The first section of the paper includes brief information on brake lining materials, friction modifier additives, and recent developments in friction additives. The second section discusses the tribological performance of brake lining materials. Furthermore, the key mechanisms of the friction layer produced on the worn brake lining surface have been explained microscopically (HRTEM). Part of this review is devoted to demonstrating current research gaps and challenges related to brake performance in automotive for further research. In brief, this review study is highly significant, as it provides more detailed information regarding the performance of brake lining materials.