The company, a Nasdaq-listed provider of smart mobility technology (VRRM), released the results Tuesday. The survey polled 2,000 U.S. adults who own or lease a 2019 or newer vehicle. It is the second such study Verra Mobility has conducted, following a baseline survey in 2024, and the company characterizes the findings as evidence that connected vehicles have moved from an emerging technology to a mainstream consumer expectation.
A Majority Crosses the Threshold
The headline figure is that 72 percent of respondents expect their next vehicle to function like a smartphone, with apps and services built in. A smaller but still sizable share, 51 percent, said connected features would influence a decision to buy a different make, model or higher trim level.
Actual use is rising alongside expectation. Fifty-four percent of drivers reported using at least one manufacturer-provided connected service, up from 49 percent in the 2024 survey. Familiarity with the term “connected vehicle” climbed to 69 percent, compared with 60 percent two years earlier.
Cathi Chinn, Verra Mobility’s vice president of innovation, said in the company’s announcement that “consumers have arrived at the connected vehicle category.” She added that drivers are bringing expectations shaped by the connected devices they use elsewhere in their lives, which she said puts pressure on the automotive industry to deliver experiences that justify those expectations, particularly in embedded payments, mobility services and safety features.
Younger Drivers Lead the Way
The survey found a pronounced generational divide. Among drivers aged 18 to 24, 67 percent actively use at least one connected service, compared with 44 percent of drivers aged 55 to 64. Sixty-nine percent of the younger group said connected features would sway a purchase, versus 40 percent of the older group.
The gap also appeared in attitudes toward the in-vehicle digital wallet, a concept in which a car handles payments directly. Sixty-three percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 and 61 percent of those aged 25 to 34 found the idea appealing, well above the 44 percent who said so across all age groups.
What Drivers Say They Want
Respondents placed convenience and safety at the top of the list of services they value. Seventy-two percent said they would value a vehicle that proactively offers trip suggestions, such as locating parking, fuel or charging stations and handling toll transactions. Sixty-six percent said they would appreciate not having to connect a smartphone each time they get in the car.
Comfort with automated payments was more divided. Fifty-one percent said they would be comfortable with their vehicle automatically paying for tolls and parking. Forty-three percent said they have already signed up for an app or service through their vehicle’s infotainment system, such as parking, EV charging or tolling. On safety, 59 percent said they believe connected vehicles make driving safer.
Trust Lags Behind Adoption
The survey also points to a gap between use and understanding. Willingness to trade data for tangible benefits was unchanged from 2024: 66 percent said they would share driving and location data in exchange for benefits such as insurance discounts, automatic toll payments and emergency services.
Comprehension, however, has moved the other way. Only 14 percent of respondents said they fully understand what data their vehicle collects, down from 22 percent in 2024. Fifty-four percent expressed at least some concern about vehicle data collection practices.
How the Survey Was Conducted
Verra Mobility commissioned the research, which was conducted online through Pollfish on May 21, 2026. Respondents were U.S. adults 18 and older who currently own or lease a vehicle from model year 2019 or newer.
The survey defined connected vehicle services narrowly, as those that use a vehicle’s embedded communications rather than a mobile phone connection. Services accessed through a smartphone, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, were not counted as connected vehicle services for the purposes of the study.
Verra Mobility, headquartered in Arizona, provides transportation safety systems and parking management solutions, along with payment, utilization and compliance services for fleet owners and rental car companies. The company operates in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The full report is available at verramobility.com.