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2018 UK Automotive Consumer Study

Navigating the customer journey

For more than 100 years, the automotive business model has remained generally unchanged: people own cars that they can drive themselves. We are witnessing major trends that, taken individually, could be highly disruptive to the state of the industry. Technological and behavioural aspects are among a long list of critical forces that will shape how the automotive market evolves over the next 10 to 20 years.

Available now is the 2018 UK Automotive Consumer Study which focuses on Digital Customer Engagement.

This year’s report focuses on UK consumer experiences and insights in autonomous vehicles, alternative powertrain technologies and examines how consumers rate their digital automotive shopping experience.

2018 UK Automotive Consumer study: Navigating the customer journey

Key findings

  • Autonomous vehicles - UK consumers are now more positive about the safety of self-driving vehicles compared to 12 months ago as the proportion of those concerned about safety has dropped significantly from 73 to 49 percent. This indicates how acceptance of autonomous technology has grown rapidly over a short time.
  • Electrified vehicles - Most UK consumers, 73 percent, still favour either a gasoline or diesel engine. Only 27 percent would choose alternative powertrain technologies. The reasons behind this vary from escalating operating costs to a lack of charging infrastructure.
  • Consumers purchasing habits - A third of UK consumers spend less than a month reviewing their vehicle options. This suggests brands have a short time to engage with consumers and influence purchasing decisions.

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2018 Global Automotive Consumer Study

Digital customer engagement

Available now is the 2018 Global Automotive Consumer Study which focuses on Digital Customer Engagement.

Consumers have a brighter outlook on the safety of autonomous vehicles, though concerns remain. Significantly fewer people in the 2018 study feel that autonomous cars will not be safe, with less than half (47 percent) of U.S. consumers holding this view — a dramatic decrease from 2017, when 74 percent felt autonomous vehicles would not be safe.

The view in the UK about car safety is consistent with other countries covered in the study, including: South Korea (54 percent this year vs. 81 percent last year), Germany (45 percent vs. 72 percent), and France (37 percent vs. 65 percent) who feel driverless cars may not be safe. The most notable change comes from China, where the percentage of people who think autonomous cars will not be safe dropped from 62 percent in 2017 to only 26 percent in this year’s study.

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