UK drivers are warming to the idea of driverless cars – survey results
Back in 2015 we ran a survey to find out how UK drivers really felt about driverless cars. The results of that survey suggested that self-driving car manufacturers had a lot of work ahead of them to convince UK motorists of the benefits.
The survey revealed that just a quarter (26%) of respondent’s were ‘Excited’ about driverless cars, and just a few more (28%) would prefer a self-driving car instead of their current car.
Now that 18 months have passed, we thought it would be interesting to return to this subject and see if there has been any change in the way UK motorists view driverless cars and how they feel about the prospect of seeing them on the roads in the near future.
We found that, although there’s still some way to go before UK drivers actually prefer a self-driving car, there are signs that they are definitely warming to the idea of driverless cars.
In 2015 our survey found that 26% of drivers were ‘Excited’ about driverless cars, with 35% ‘Concerned’ and 39% ‘Not bothered’.
Now 34% of drivers describe themselves as ‘Excited’ and 28% are ‘Concerned’ – which is quite a significant turn around.
Likewise, in 2015 28% said they would prefer a self-driving car instead of their current car – that has now jumped to 37%.
The positive change in UK drivers’ attitudes towards driverless cars could be a result of a growing awareness of the developing technology. 18 months ago over a third of respondent’s (34%) were not even aware of self-driving cars. Now just less than a quarter (24%) are still in the dark – which means 76% of people now know about driverless car technology.
Top products…
See the full results of our latest survey below…
In numbers
For this study we surveyed a total of 2,109 people in the UK…
Gender:
Male – 53%
Female – 47%
Age:
17-24 – 12%
25-35 – 28%
35-45 – 21%
45-55 – 27%
55-65 – 8%
65+ – 4%
Do you have a valid UK driving licence?
Yes – 72%
No – 28%
Are you aware that companies such as Google are currently developing self-driving cars?
Yes – 76%
No – 24%
How do you feel about the development of self-driving cars?
Excited – 34%
Concerned – 28%
Not bothered – 38%
Would you prefer to have a self-driving car instead of your current car?
Yes – 37%
No – 45%
Don’t know – 18%
Related:
Google’s new driverless cars involved in just 11 accidents so far
Driverless car tested on UK public for first time
New report suggests driverless cars could increase congestion on UK roads
Latest Posts
- New car sales fell by 20% in April due to road tax changes and growing fears over diesels
- Direct Line and Admiral first insurance companies to reveal impact of personal injury payout changes
- The UK is now the second most congested country in the world - see our most congested cities here...
- Top professions with the most drink driving convictions revealed
- 27% of motorists guess their annual mileage when getting a car insurance quote
- New survey shows one-in-six UK drivers DON'T adapt their driving in winter conditions
- Car insurance prices have risen by £82 in the last 12 months - AA
- Britain is the third biggest buyer of electric cars in Europe