Consumer Trends in the Automotive Industry

You’ll learn about:  

The changing shape of the online automotive conversation

• The car conversation is negative, and it's getting worse over time
• Reddit is platform for car conversations 
• The social media performance of automotive brands 

The most mentioned topics in online car conversations 

• The most common consumer pain points around electric cars  
• The hype around sustainability and used cars slowed down 
• Consumer interest in vehicle subscriptions and leasing  
• How consumers feel about AI technologies and cars 

The most popular car features in online conversations 

Automotive influencers on Instagram 

The changing shape of the online automotive conversation 

Consumers have a lot to say about the automotive industry. More than 13 million unique authors talked about cars from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, resulting in nearly 41 million online mentions. The number of unique authors has been growing over the past few years, with a 4% increase in the period analyzed compared to the previous 12 months.  

The car conversation is negative, and it's getting worse over time 

Cars are an emotional topic, and overall a very negative one. An overwhelming 72% of sentiment-categorized mentions are negative. Looking across the languages we studied, French consumers have the highest percentage of negative mentions in online conversations, while conversations from German consumers have the lowest. When consumers talk negatively about cars, the main expressed emotion is anger, with 45% of emotion-categorized mentions being angry. In second place comes joy with 22% followed by sadness with 15%. 

Looking at the sentiment in online conversations about cars and customer experience, the number of unique authors talking positively has decreased and is now lower than those talking negatively. Consumers appear to be having less positive experiences as time goes on. 

One big topic in negative conversations is a customer service experience that doesn’t fulfill expectations. When consumers have a problem and can't reach customer service in a timely manner, or when customer service doesn't provide a satisfactory solution, it creates a negative experience. This includes areas beyond the car itself, such as issues with auto insurance or repair shops.  

Brands in and associated with the automotive industry need to ensure that they provide an excellent service, or risk losing customers to their competitors. According to a Deloitte survey, more than half of US consumers say they are considering switching brands for their next vehicle. In this highly competitive market, brands need to differentiate themselves through excellence. Brands that monitor online consumer conversations can identify areas for improvement and competitors' weaknesses.   

Reddit is a huge platform for car conversations 

Reddit is a huge platform for consumers to discuss cars on, and they turn to it for advice and recommendations. The most popular car-related subreddits are about getting recommendations on which car to buy, getting advice from mechanics, or reading reviews. 

An analysis of the most popular Subreddit, whatcarshouldibuy, reveals the top five most discussed factors consumers talk about in car buying conversations:  

• Mileage 
• Reliability 
• Budget 
• Maintenance 
• Engine  

Consumers do a lot of research before they invest in a car, and online reviews can have a big impact on their purchasing decisions, with 95% of consumers reading reviews before they buy. Reddit is an important platform where consumers share their opinions, unsolicited by brands. These opinions contain valuable insights that brands can use to improve their products and services. 

The social media performance of automotive brands   

Brands also play an important role in online conversations about cars, with a quarter of mentions naming at least one brand. How are they performing on social? We analyzed over 600 brands from 12 different industries using Brandwatch Benchmark to find out.  Here are some interesting benchmarks for automotive brands:

•  Car brands receive a 6.91% engagement rate on Instagram. 
• On Facebook, automotive brands generate nearly 12.7m page impressions.
• Posts by car brands get nearly 33.6k likes on average on X. 
• Automotive brands post an average of 10 videos per month on YouTube.  

Check out more interesting social media benchmarks for automotive and other industries here.  

What kind of content are brands posting online? An analysis of top automotive brands on Instagram shows that posts with the highest engagement show new models, repost user-generated content, or even the occasional AI-generated image.   

With aesthetics playing an important role in purchasing decisions, promoting cars with high-quality, engaging images is critical to catching consumers' attention. The right content format for your brand depends on how it resonates with your audience. Track your social media performance and compare it to your competitors to see what makes their social media strategy successful and identify areas for improvement. 

The most mentioned topics in online car conversations  

What do consumers discuss other than car brands? Not surprisingly, price is the most discussed topic in online car conversations. E-cars and car models come in second and third.  

Maintenance, subscriptions, and SUVs are also big topics of discussion. Consumers talk most positively about car models, while sustainability conversations have the highest percentage of negative mentions.  

Looking at the regional data, there are some differences in how consumers discuss different topics:  

• Maintenance plays a bigger role for consumers in the US and France.  
• German consumers are more likely to discuss car models than consumers in other regions. 
• Electric cars are a bigger topic of discussion for consumers in the UK, Australia, and Spain compared to other regions studied.  

Breaking down car conversations into different consumer groups also reveals interesting differences: 

• Car enthusiasts are more likely to discuss car models than other consumer groups.  
• Drivers with children and car enthusiasts are more likely to talk about connectivity features than other consumer groups.  
• New drivers are more likely to mention maintenance, pricing, and used cars than other consumer groups.  
• Perhaps unsurprisingly, drivers with children are more likely to be interested in SUVs than other consumer groups.  

It's important for brands to understand the needs or preferences of different consumer groups. With this kind of insight, brands can tailor ads to the specific audience and drive better results.  

The most common consumer pain points around electric cars 

Interest in electric cars has grown over the past few years as innovations have brought more models to market. Electric cars were the number one topic of online conversation around this year's New York International Auto Show, with several car brands showcasing their new electric cars and innovations in electric driving. 

Meanwhile, as gas and used car prices have risen, more consumers have considered switching to electric cars. Perhaps as e-cars become more normalized, the hype is slowing down, and this is reflected in online conversations. From April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, mentions of electric cars are down 12% compared to the previous 12 months.  

The overall sentiment, as with car conversations in general, is negative, with three-quarters of sentiment-categorized mentions being negative, and the main emotion expressed is anger.  

The most discussed topics in EV conversations are battery, charging, and costs. Consumers from France and Germany are more likely to talk about costs than consumers from other regions. In conversations around the battery, consumers are concerned about the life of a battery, and how much a replacement will cost.  

Another common pain point is battery charging. From charging time and charging costs to the availability of charging stations, charging e-cars is a big issue. Consumers in the UK are more likely to discuss charging than consumers in other regions.   

One concern that comes with charging is the range, which is becoming an increasingly discussed topic. The number of unique authors talking about range anxiety online increased 38% from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, compared to the previous 12 months. Negative mentions increased more than twice as much as positive mentions.   

In these conversations, drivers say they get anxious about going on a long trip, worried that they won't have enough charge to go the distance and won't be able to find a charging station in time before the battery runs out. 

Other concerns include maintenance and safety of an electric vehicle. Online conversations around both pain points have increased, especially negative mentions for both topics, with maintenance mentions up 17% and safety up 20% from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months. According to Gartner, new technologies will increase the cost of EV maintenance by 30% by 2027.  

Brands need to know what barriers are preventing consumers from buying. Brands that ignore these barriers risk losing customers and being overtaken by competitors. With consumer intelligence platforms like Brandwatch Consumer Research, companies can keep an eye on the most common customer pain points and make better data-driven decisions.  

The hype around sustainability and used cars slowed down 

The used car market has seen increased demand in the past few years, especially in 2020 when there was a supply shortage of new cars. This high demand also led to higher prices for used cars. While online conversations about used cars exploded in 2020, discussions have since quietened down, with a slight decrease of 4% in mentions from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.   

Online conversations about cars and sustainability are also on the decline. From April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, mentions are down 16% compared to the previous 12 months. Sustainability seems to be less of a priority for consumers in 2024. How do they talk about sustainability?   

With 80% of sentiment-categorized mentions being negative, it's one of the most negatively discussed topics in car conversations. It's also one of the topics with the highest percentage of sad mentions. Consumers discuss the sustainability of driving in general, switching to public transportation or a subscription model, or the environmental impact of different car types. 

Electric cars and gasoline-powered cars are among the most discussed topics in the sustainability debate. Even as electric cars become more normalized in the automotive market, many consumers remain skeptical about the new technology. According to a survey by YouGov and the Economist, only 58% of US consumers who believe in man-made climate change have an EV or would consider buying one. Among consumers who don't believe in human-caused climate change, it’s less than 20%.  

Looking at data from different regions, there are some interesting differences in how consumers talk about sustainability and used cars:  

• Consumers from Germany and Spain are more likely to discuss sustainability than other regions, while consumers from the US are the least likely to talk about it. 
• Consumers in the US and Spain talk the least about used cars, with conversations down 45% and 22%, respectively.  
• Consumers in the UK and Australia are more likely to discuss used cars than consumers in other regions. 

Higher prices and high demand for used cars in recent years have made it harder for consumers to prioritize sustainability. According to a YouGov survey, 45% of respondents said they would give lower priority to environmentally friendly cars due to budget constraints. There's also skepticism among consumers about how much more sustainable electric cars are, especially when it comes to battery production and recycling. Here’s an opportunity for brands to provide more information about their sustainability efforts and educate consumers to remove buying barriers.  

Consumer interest in vehicle subscriptions and leasing 

Having to own a car to be able to drive has long been a thing of the past and, with subscriptions growing in many industries, drivers now have more options when renting a car. Consumers are showing more interest in the topic online, too. Looking at Reddit data, 28% more unique authors are talking about subscriptions and leasing. This resulted in more than a third more total online mentions from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.  

What do consumers like about vehicle subscriptions and leasing, and what are their pain points? In positive conversations, consumers like to share their positive experiences, from interacting with dealers to driving the car. The ability to try a car model without making a long-term commitment, especially when it comes to electric cars, is another benefit

The biggest pain point for consumers is cost and payment. Complicated payment plans, unexpected expenses, maintenance costs, insurance policies – there's a lot for consumers to consider before signing a lease or subscription. Consumers turn to subreddits to ask the community for financial advice or when they're experiencing an issue.   

Owning a car isn't the best solution for every consumer, and there's an opportunity for brands to attract new customers by offering subscription models. It's also an opportunity to reach a younger audience. Gen Z is more likely than other generations to talk about vehicle subscriptions and leasing online. According to a Deloitte study, younger consumers are more open to vehicle subscriptions than older generations.  

How consumers feel about AI technologies and cars 

There's no industry that isn't being disrupted by AI right now, and the automotive industry is no exception. Online discussions about the automotive industry and AI have increased more than 40% from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.  

With new developments happening every day, it's no wonder that AI in the automotive industry has become a bigger topic of conversation. From self-driving and autonomous cars, to AI-generated content and chatbots, to AI technology in racing simulators, consumers have a lot to talk about when it comes to AI.  

And it's a controversial topic. It's one of the topics in car conversations with the highest percentage of fearful mentions, but it's also one of the topics with the highest percentage of joyful mentions.   

In fearful conversations, consumers worry about how much AI will disrupt the automotive industry, that companies are overpromising the capabilities of AI, and how safe it is to implement AI technologies in cars.  

Consumers who are positive about AI are excited about the possibilities the technology offers, from developing self-driving cars to making the car easier to use, such as with voice commands.   

AI isn't going anywhere, and brands are experimenting with how the technology can improve the customer experience. In our survey for the Digital Marketing Trends report, 92% of respondents see AI as the number one digital marketing trend for 2024. Brands incorporating AI into their products and services must be aware of consumer concerns and not risk losing the human touch. Authentic and human-to-human marketing is another major marketing trend we cover in the report.  

The most popular car features in online conversations  

What car features do consumers care about? In online conversations about cars, some features are discussed more than others. By far the most mentioned feature is the aesthetics and design of a car, followed by a car's spaciousness.  

Speed, battery, and comfort are other factors that come up frequently in online conversations. More people are talking about luxury, aesthetics, security, and batteries, with mentions seeing an uptick from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.   

What features bring consumers the most joy? Looking at sentiment data, consumers talk the most joyful about aesthetics, comfort, and luxury.   

Joyful online posts that include an image and mention aesthetics are most likely to include the following within shared images: 

• The color blue  
• Lights  
• Sport cars 
• Wheels
• Images in black-and-white 
• Vintage cars  

When it comes to angry conversations, battery, handling, and navigation systems come out on top. No other feature is discussed as negatively as the battery, with 62% of emotion-categorized mentions expressing anger. Car owners complain about battery issues and problems, from charging to not going the distance they expected. 

Interest in a car's features varies from generation to generation. Here are a few interesting differences:  

• Gen Z is more likely to talk about aesthetics than other generations. 
• Baby boomers are more likely than other generations to talk about the battery and least likely to talk about luxury.  
• Millennials are more likely to mention a car's spaciousness.  
• Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to talk about comfort than older generation

When the online conversations are broken down by region, there are also some clear differences:  

• Consumers in the UK and France are more likely to talk about spaciousness than consumers in other regions. 
• Consumers in Germany are more likely to discuss the battery and comfort than consumers in other regions.  
• Consumers in Spain are more interested in a handling and safety than consumers in other regions.   

Different consumer groups have different preferences, but overall, consumers are most happy when they talk about a car's design, comfort, and luxury. Car brands can increase customer satisfaction and win new customers by nailing these features and targeting improvements in areas where consumers are frustrated.  

Automotive influencers on Instagram  

Influencers can have a huge impact on what products their followers buy, and they represent a valuable opportunity for brands to reach new audiences. With Brandwatch Influence, we looked for influencers on Instagram with at least 100k followers who publish automotive content in English.   

Here are the top 10 automotive influencers on Instagram, based on average engagement (data gathered in April 2024):  

The top 10 list is an eclectic mix of influencers publishing content about the latest cars, repair tips, professional racing drivers, high quality produced videos, and car restoration models. At the top of the list is Azem Fouzi Almefleh, a car care detailer from the United Arab Emirates. In his short videos, he gives a glimpse into his daily work of making cars shine again. With his sunglasses and deep voice, he's the Vin Diesel of the car world, and his followers are entertained.   

In second place is Supercar Blondie. Behind the account is Australian Alexandra Mary Hirschi, a car enthusiast who shares her love of luxury and high-performance cars on social media. As one of the biggest automotive influencers in the world, she works with the biggest car brands, gets exclusive access to the latest models, and is invited to automotive events

Working with the right influencer who aligns with your brand values and products is key to a successful influencer campaign. With influencer tools like Brandwatch Influence, brands can easily discover new influencers who are the best fit for their next campaign.