A study of connected car buyers found the majority showed interest in sharing their personal data to gain information for specific service offerings, such as safety alerts, maintenance warnings, and traffic updates.

The research, conducted in the USA by Otonomo and Edison Research, included 514 interviewees who were connected car owners, and 794 people who planned to purchase a new car in the next year.

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The research found as many as 94% expressed interest in apps and services.

Approximately 80% of those who expressed interest in a number of potential services (including real-time alerts of dangerous driving conditions, early detection of maintenance and repairs, and faster response times from emergency responders in the event of an accident) stated a willingness to share personal automotive data in order to gain access to these capabilities.

Transparency and trust are now critical to consumer confidence, with 64% stating they want to be told exactly what data is being collected, how it is being used, and by whom.

Confidence in automakers as trusted stewards of data was high, with 71% of new car buyers and 77% of connected car owners stating they were confident or somewhat confident that car manufacturers would properly secure their data.

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Other key findings

The research found that 86% of both new car buyers and connected car owners are comfortable with navigation apps collecting information about their location, speed, and destination.

90% of both samples agreed that technology made cars safer, and approximately eight in ten agree that technology made it more fun to drive or be a passenger.

Car manufacturers have earned 71- 77% trust in two key ways—for those respondents who named a specific car manufacturer as being the “most trustworthy,” the top two reasons for that trust were a tie between personal experience and good reputation.

The study’s results indicate that consumers are willing to share their personal data cautiously with organizations that demonstrate transparency and a commitment to security. “This study underscores that consumers recognize the benefits of connected car features, and are inclined to share the data that enables them with entities they trust,” says Lauren Smith, policy counsel, and The Future of Privacy Forum.

“For connected car companies to continue earning that trust, they should communicate the purposes of such data collection and use, and incorporate privacy choices and safeguards.”

Edison research senior Vice President Tom Webster said: “While consumer trust in some industries is trending very low right now, car manufacturers are amongst the most trusted in terms of how they treat customer data. This paints a very compelling picture for the future capabilities of the connected car.”