Despite their reservations, consumers are willing to pay a premium for autonomous vehicle technology, reveals IHS

According to IHS Markit analysts, autonomous vehicle technology hasn’t gained widespread popularity yet. However, it’s one of the features people are most willing to pay for in their next car.

Blind spot detection tops the list of desired features across all age groups, with the willingness to pay for it varying by region. US respondents, in particular, are willing to pay significantly more for this technology compared to others.

The survey gathered responses from over 5,000 soon-to-be car buyers across the USA, Canada, China, Germany, and the UK. This marks the fifth year of the survey, offering insights into what features consumers want in their next vehicle purchase.

Colin Bird, a senior automotive technology analyst at IHS Markit, noted, “For safety features like automatic emergency braking and blind spot detection, consumers want these to be standard. But there’s also a significant group willing to pay for full autonomy, seeing it more as a valuable add-on rather than a must-have safety feature.”

Only 44% of all respondents found full autonomy desirable in their next car, ranking it the lowest among the technologies surveyed. Despite this, it’s the feature they’d pay the most for. Prices they’d pay varied, with US consumers showing the highest willingness to spend.

German respondents would pay about $1,016, nearly 20% more than their US counterparts. Chinese consumers showed the highest interest in full autonomy, with 72% wanting it and willing to pay $557 for it, along with high interest in related technologies like blind spot detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, highway autopilot, and autonomous co-pilot.

In the US, just over half want full autonomy in their next car, with an average willingness to spend $780. They also show interest in blind spot detection, navigation systems, automatic emergency braking, and steering wheel controls.

Globally, highway autopilot is a top desire, though costs vary. US consumers are willing to pay $107 more than other regions for this feature.

The survey also looked at comfort with vehicle technology by age. Younger drivers, including millennials and Gen Z, are more interested in full autonomy, with 61% marking it as a feature of interest. Older generations like Gen X, baby boomers, and the swing generation show significantly less interest, even though these technologies could make transportation easier for them.

Many respondents also reported that driving alone is their primary mode of transportation, followed by walking.