Consumer fears about driverless cars are steadily dropping

Nearly half of UK consumers still believe that self-driving cars will not be safe.

That figure is down from 73 per cent last year, according to Deloitte, suggesting that while concerns are still there, they are steadily diminishing.

The auditor’s report found that more than half of UK consumers would feel more comfortable being a passenger in a driverless vehicle if it was operated by a trusted brand.

Consumers still have more trust in traditional car manufacturers as opposed to tech companies, with a ratio of 51 per cent to 21 per cent. However, consumer confidence in tech companies did increase from 17% in 2017 to the current level.

Mike Woodward, UK automotive leader at Deloitte, said: “The significant improvement in consumer trust in autonomous vehicles is a critical step in progressing driverless technology. Although driverless cars are still at an experimental phase, building consumer trust in the industry will be a key step in its future success.”

Consumer habits die hard, however, with nearly three quarters expressing a preference for either a petrol or diesel engine – just 5% would choose an all battery powered electric engine as their next vehicle purchase. However, this changed across the continent with consumers in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy all preferring electric vehicles.

Woodward added: “Two significant trends could move us closer to the tipping point: battery cost reduction and government regulation. The trend towards mandating electrified powertrains, not merely demanding increased fuel efficiency or better carbon footprints, lays out a ‘must-do’ path for car manufactures. As automakers simultaneously begin to partner on building out electric charging infrastructure and developing other value-added services that increase the convenience factor for consumers, electric vehicles could become a desirable alternative.”

Driverless cars are set to hit the UK’s streets in the next two years.

The government awarded four projects a total of £51m in funding to create the environments needed to test connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology.

The projects were the first to be funded from the UK’s £100m CAV test infrastructure programme, which was announced in November 2016.

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