Traditional carmakers beat Silicon Valley in race for consumers' trust

According to new INRIX research, traditional carmakers are most trusted to build autonomous vehicles and to protect drivers' connected car data

INRIX, a company involved in connected car services and location analytics, published the results of its Connected & Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) Consumer Survey, revealing insight into drivers' concerns about this emerging multi-trillion pound market.

Connected cars have more in common with smartphones than they do with cars of the past. However, UK drivers surveyed by INRIX were uncertain who to trust with their in-car data. A third of UK drivers do not trust anybody to secure connected car data, and among those who expressed a preference, 27% trusted traditional car makers with their data compared to only 18% who picked Silicon Valley's tech giants.

The sentiment in the UK is echoed in Germany and France where only 8% and 13% of drivers, respectively, trust technology giants to secure in-car data. In contrast, 30% of US and 31% of Italian drivers have confidence in Silicon Valley.

"The UK is charging towards a transport revolution and time is ticking for Silicon Valley's tech giants to address data security and privacy concerns," said Dr Graham Cookson, Chief Economist & Head of Research, INRIX. "Consumers are more aware than ever of keeping their data safe, and the fact that they trust traditional carmakers over tech giants with their in-car data sends a powerful message.

"While UK drivers are more sceptical of today's tech titans, traditional carmakers still need to do more to show consumers the benefits of their connected, and in the future, autonomous, vehicles to secure a concrete foothold in this highly lucrative market. As connected and autonomous vehicles become an essential part of brands' business model, the stakes have never been higher."

UK drivers can see the benefits of connected and autonomous vehicles. The most valued benefits are improved disabled and elderly access, increase in free time, and better safety (80%, 68% and 58% respectively). In fact, three in five drivers (61%) believe autonomous cars will be as safe or safer than cars today.

This could explain why over half of UK drivers (54%) believe that in-car technology is more important than the brand of the car when making a purchasing decision and 48% feel the technology is more significant than the car's performance.

Over half of UK drivers (53%) believe autonomous vehicles will be widely available within a decade, rising to 61% among men, 64% of under-40s and 79% of under-21s. However, only 18% of UK consumers think autonomous vehicles will be available in the next five years.

Despite this, less than one in five UK drivers (17%) would be likely to purchase an autonomous vehicle and nearly seven in ten consumers (69%) think automakers are not doing a good job of explaining the benefits of connected cars.

For detailed findings of the INRIX Connected & Autonomous Vehicle Consumer Survey, including the complete report, please visit: http://inrix.com/research.