In our 2025 State of Connected Car Apps report, we learn that there's a big disconnect between driver expectations of connected car technology and how it’s being used today.
While many drivers recognize the potential of connected car technology, we see low awareness and understanding of how these services can be applied to solve key pain points in the mobility experience.
Here are 10+ statistics from our report that highlight some of these findings.
Low adoption of connected services
👉 76% of respondents believe they are not subscribed to their connected services.
Two things fuel this lack of engagement with connected services:
❓Limited awareness: Drivers aren’t sure how to subscribe to their connected services. Close to 40% of these respondents were not aware they even had one. There’s a big opportunity here for automakers to engage vehicle owners with educational content that’s intuitive, accessible, and made with high production quality.
🔎 Value perception: The cost of a subscription was the biggest hurdle for adoption, but the pushback on cost is actually a lot more about value than the cost itself. Drivers don’t want to pay for something they won’t use, and a lack of understanding of the benefits of connected services or a lack of preferred features and functionalities can make anything feel too expensive.
Happy subscribers
👉 74% of connected services subscribers are satisfied with their subscription cost.
When we analyzed the average household income of these respondents compared to those who did not subscribe to their automaker’s connected services, we found slight differences.
💰 30% of US subscribers earn above $100,000 a year, while that number is 15% for non-subscribers. In the UK, 26% of subscribers made more than £75,000 a year, while that number was 20% for non-subscribers.
But beyond cost, we can also see that drivers who subscribe to their connected services are generally more receptive to vehicle technology. Connected services users have an appetite for more comprehensive connected car experiences and actively use their car’s software features to optimize different aspects of their vehicle experience. As a result, 67% of subscribers would pay more to access better features in their subscription.
Eagerness for connected car tech
👉 61% of connected services subscribers want more capabilities included in their subscription.
Connected services subscribers are comfortable using technology to optimize their vehicle ownership experience. Most of them use third-party applications to fill the value gap.
In addition to wanting more features in their subscription, 63% of subscribers see an opportunity for automakers to improve their connected services offerings and match the diversity of features offered by third-party applications.
Automakers can further engage subscribers by doubling down on partnerships with third-party connected car apps and integrators like Smartcar.
But beyond that, we see that users of third-party connected car applications today are a receptive market for automakers to introduce new software-driven offerings and deepen their market research for technology innovation.
Cost is a barrier
👉 50% of drivers would use connectivity features if connected services and vehicle applications were less expensive.
The overall perception about the state of vehicle connectivity is that it’s not accessible for the average driver.
Although many automakers offer connected services for free with the purchase of a car, people are not aware of how to use these features, contributing to this perception.
As for the paid subscribers, automakers can build even more trust and value with drivers by including features they actually want. 👀 What are those features? Our report goes into detail about that.
The same perception applies to third-party connected car applications. Drivers associate solutions powered by vehicle connectivity with costly subscription fees and in-app purchases. We see an opportunity for mobility businesses to focus on value and cost transparency when marketing applications to customers.
Third-party app adoption
👉 56% of drivers have connected their vehicle to a mobility application.
Vehicle owners are generally receptive to mobility applications that can help them solve a clear problem. Most drivers have used software applications to optimize different aspects of travel and vehicle ownership — think solutions for insurance, repair, or car rentals.
Drivers are aware of the pain points that impact their day-to-day mobility experience and have a clear idea of the kind of software features that could help them solve those problems. We asked drivers to rank their most valuable use cases for vehicle connectivity.
Here’s what they said:
Data-driven insurance
👉 43% of respondents say that auto insurance products are the most valuable use case for vehicle data.
Increases in insurance rates across the US and Europe played a big role in pushing drivers toward solutions that can lower costs. Across both regions, high premiums without clear justification were the biggest pain points.
60% of these drivers say they want integrated insurance solutions that bridge insurance products with vehicle protection and maintenance services.
Another interesting point to note is that these drivers are willing to share vehicle data with insurers to get personalized (and lower) auto insurance rates. Only 22% say they are unlikely to do so.
But this form of data sharing comes with a clear condition...👇
Data privacy and transparency
👉 55% would share their vehicle data if they knew the clear benefits of doing so.
Drivers want transparency — no buried terms and conditions written in difficult legal lingo. They want to know who has access to their data and how that data will be used. Understanding these terms helps drivers make an informed decision based on their priorities and pain points.
For example, the controversy around connected car data for insurance stemmed from drivers not knowing that this data was being collected from them to calculate insurance risk. But we can see that drivers don’t mind sharing data for a product they know could benefit them in return.
The ability to provide explicit consent and revoke data sharing at any given time is necessary for the future of connected car software. 53% of respondents said they would feel more secure if their automaker implemented a consent management system.
📊 More stats where that came from!
These findings scratch the surface of what’s covered in the full report. We explore the evolving landscape of connected car applications, analyzing driver attitudes, behaviors, and expectations in key automotive verticals — auto insurance, repair and maintenance, EV charging, and shared mobility.
Get your copy of the report here.
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