Drivers Between 18 and 36 Years Are Most Likely to Buy Self-Driving Cars

As manufacturers race to bring their versions of autonomous cars to the market, it seems increasingly likely that we may start seeing vehicles driving themselves on our roads in the not too distant future.  

The question is, are consumers ready for them? Avis Budget Group gathered opinions through a recent survey. 

Avis Budget Group’s latest survey revealed that motorists between the age of 18 and 36 are ‘most likely’ to invest in an autonomous vehicle, however, this age category appear to find it difficult to define what autonomous means.  

The team, who surveyed 14,000 motorists from 14 European countries, discovered a wide knowledge gap in consumer understanding. When asked to provide a definition of ‘connect’ or ‘autonomous’ vehicles, 24 per cent of the survey respondents did not know the correct answer.  

On the other hand, around 56 per cent of those who completed the survey were able to give the correct definition of what autonomous means, identifying the term to mean ‘a car which drives itself’.  

‘It’s clear as an industry we need to educate consumers across markets and age groups, highlighting the innovations and technological advances that have been made – which have helped make developments that were once only seen in science fiction, a reality’’, says Avis Budget Group’s president of international, Mark Servodidio.  

Although the survey revealed that the younger generation would prefer an autonomous vehicle, the lowest understanding of the term was found to be of those mostly aged 18-23 and 24-36. Respondents aged 66 and over appeared to have a wider understanding of self-driving cars yet expressed very little interest in making an investment compared to those of a younger age group. 

Of the British motorists who took part in the survey, 60 per cent admitted that they would prefer to drive their current car than a self-driving vehicle.