The surprising link between cars and phones

A new survey has uncovered some very different attitudes to car ownership and the purchase experience among young, tech-savvy people.

Tech lovers who frequently upgrade their smartphones could be first in line to sign up for electric cars.

A new survey of Australian motorists commissioned by car subscription service Loopit suggests folks rushing to get the latest personal technology will be early adopters of electric cars such as the Tesla Model 3.

Folks who insist on having the latest phone are more likely to upgrade cars regularly.

And in the same way that they aren’t likely to be shelling out $2000 or more for a new handset each year, young buyers may be ready to accept pay-by-the-month car deals as opposed to outright purchases.

Hello Cars co-founder Paul Higgins says a survey of 1000 drivers showed 99 per cent of Aussies who upgrade their phone annually plan to drive an electric car in the next five years, and that 83 per cent of those would prefer to subscribe to a car rather than buying it outright.

“People are obviously excited to get their hands on the latest technology every year with their phones, and now car subscription lets you do that with your car,” he said.

Smartphone enthusiasts are drawn to electric cars such as the Tesla Model 3.

“Car safety and technology is improving rapidly and it’s difficult for the average consumer to keep up to date — even the most affluent people can’t afford to upgrade their car as frequently as subscription allows.

“Early adopters often predict the next big trend, so we expect to see car subscription become more mainstream this year.”

Car subscription services such as Car Next Door and GoGet have increased in popularity following the coronavirus pandemic, as people move away from public transport.

Manufacturers overseas have followed the trend for subscription-based services, even making some extras such as automatic high-beams temporarily available on a month-to-month pay-as-you-go basis.

The electric Mercedes-Benz EQS has the ultimate in-car digital display.

New cars are becoming more like smartphones each year. Most models have phone-mirroring software such as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and car makers are increasingly switching to digital screens and voice assistants similar to Apple’s Siri to make life easier behind the wheel.

Many car makers have sophisticated smartphone apps, and Ford is working with Google to put Android technology in its next-gen cars.