11:48 am, August 28, 2018
MORE than half of British motorists aren’t yet willing to buy an autonomous car, according to Close Brothers Motor Finance.
The latest edition of the company’s Britain Under The Bonnet report, which quizzed 2,000 UK drivers, found that 55 per cent of them wouldn’t consider buying a driverless car.
A further 20 per cent said they wouldn’t even consider buying a car with partial autonomous features, with 19 per cent admitting that they didn’t trust the technology in self-driving vehicles.
Meanwhile, 26 per cent said they’d need to see more evidence about autonomous car safety before considering buying one, and 19 per cent said they simply didn’t like the concept of a car that drove itself.
In terms of age demographics, 22-to-30-year-olds were the most keen on the technology, with 32 per cent showing an interest in buying a self-driving car, compared with only 11 per cent of those aged more than 45.
As for gender, 23 per cent of men would consider buying an autonomous car, compared with just 15 per cent of women.
Seán Kemple, sales director at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: ‘The momentum of discussion around autonomous cars continues to grow, but unanimously positive consumer sentiment toward these vehicles has yet to come into fruition.
‘The general consensus on the future of cars currently resides with converting fossil fuel vehicles into electric. Consequently, there could be some time until we see a mass adoption of autonomous motors.
‘Despite this, to keep ahead of the curve, dealers would be wise to engage with the developments of autonomous vehicles so that they have a holistic view of the industry. This will allow them to make the most informed decisions about these types of cars for their forecourts when the time comes.’
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