Consumer sentiment about self-driving vehicles is shifting—with a growing number of car buyers now demanding features central to the tech.
The details: AutoPacific’s 2025 Future Vehicle Planner report—drawn from 18,000 consumers intending to purchase a new vehicle—reveals that the most-wanted features include autonomy and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
43% of new vehicle intenders rank hands-off semi-autonomous driving for highway use only with driver attention required as their top feature—marking a 20%-point increase over 2024.
43% of those intending to purchase a new car also rank the ADAS feature, rear automatic emergency braking as their top feature—now common in both luxury and mainstream vehicles.
Six other autonomous and driver assistance features make the top 15 most wanted features in 2025, spanning adaptive cruise control with active lane centering—to hands-off, fully autonomous highway and city driving to a pre-specified destination with option to still drive the vehicle when desired.
Why it matters: Consumer desire for autonomous and advanced driver assistance features has its pros and cons. The tech can significantly lower the risk of accidents—but it also can be more expensive to repair, driving up insurance rates.
Between the lines: Growing demand for autonomy and advanced driver assistance systems among vehicle intenders is being driven by several factors—including consumer comfort level with the technology and younger, future car buyers.
2025 data show an increase in the percentage of new vehicle intenders overall who say they “trust advanced car safety systems that prevent accidents automatically.
Younger consumers—specifically those in Generation Y and Z—tend to have an even higher comfort level with autonomous vehicle features, being more tech savvy.
What they’re saying: “As younger generations continue to enter the new vehicle market, they bring more knowledge of technology and enthusiasm for having it in their vehicle,” said Deborah Grieb, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research at AutoPacific.
Bottom line: Consumer interest in self-driving and advanced driver assistance features is surging, especially among younger, tech-savvy buyers—signaling a clear shift in market expectations. For stakeholders, this means integrating autonomy and ADAS into vehicle offerings is no longer optional but a competitive necessity, despite the trade-offs in cost and insurance implications.
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