August 4th, 2023, Lesley Simeon
Results from recent YouGov surveys have revealed that consumers globally consider factors like car warranties, maintenance plans and the resale value of cars as important when in the market to buy a new car. But what are the technological features consumers are looking for as they purchase a new car?
Globally, advanced safety features are the most popular option and they are sought after by 44% of consumers. But they are followed closely behind by driver assistance features (41%) and navigation system (33%).
Connectivity elements like WiFi, hotspot and Bluetooth are features that 30% of global consumers are influenced by. Automatic climate control (24%) and infotainment system (23%) are some of the other technological features global consumers factor in when weighing up a purchase.
YouGov data suggests that rear-seat entertainment (9%), voice control (13%) and head-up display (14%) are the least important features global respondents say would influence their purchase decisions.
Higher-income consumers are more likely to favor entertainment and smart-tech related car features than middle and lower-income consumers.
Across all income groups observed globally, advanced safety features are a top consideration, with 40% of lower income, 48% of middle income and 51% of higher income consumers saying it influences their decision when purchasing a new car.
While nearly a third of higher income earners (32%) would be influenced to buy a car if it had an infotainment system with touchscreen display, android auto or Apple CarPlay, fewer than two in ten lower income consumers find this an influencing factor (19%).
By country, the technological features consumers are influenced by when in market for a new car
In the US, more than a third (37%) of consumers are influenced by advanced safety features, closely followed by driver assistance features (36%). More than a third of Britons would consider driver assistance features (36%), followed by navigation system (30%).
In India, 60% of consumers would look at advanced safety features in a car when buying a new one. Further, car buying decisions of those in the UAE, Sweden and India (31% each) would be influenced by automatic climate control.
Compared to consumers in other markets, larger proportions of Indian consumers would consider features like navigation system (43%), connectivity like Wifi and Bluetooth (45%) and infotainment system (37%).
Nearly two-fifths of consumers in UAE find smart key technology (39%) an influencing factor along with connectivity (39%). Close to a third also look for an infotainment system (32%) and automatic climate control (31%).
A navigation system (38%) is slightly more important to Singapore consumers than connectivity (32%), followed by smart key technology (30%). And nearly a quarter of consumers also look for infotainment system and adaptive headlights (23% each).
For consumers in Great Britain, Sweden, US and Singapore, features like head-up display, voice control and rear-seat entertainment are of less importance compared to other technological features.
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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 511 and 1,999 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in May 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
Photo by Brock Wegner on Unsplash