New Car Owners Couldn’t Do Without USB Ports, Bluetooth in Terms of In-Car Tech

Unsurprisingly, people looking for new cars are also looking at what they can offer in terms of safety and entertainment, but also maintenance, warranty and engine power.

A small study conducted at the beginning of the month by TrueCar reveals that, when it comes to safety, rearview cameras rank highest on drivers' desired or highly recommended list. With all that, price remains the number one consideration at the moment of purchase, followed by fuel efficiency and safety: 94.6%, and 91.1% and 90.2%, respectively.

If you factor in car crash history, drivers' priorities tend to change. Those who were never in a crash continue to value price, fuel efficiency and safety, but those who had at least one event in their vehicle, said warranty, special features, depreciation rate and engine power were the factors they'd consider when shopping for a new set of wheels.

Special features that ranked highest included in-car tech for safety, like rearview cameras, reverse backup sensors and blind spot detection, and for entertainment purposes, like USB ports and Bluetooth. Though small (944 drivers planning to buy a car in the following 12 months, queried by survey), the study highlights the fact that, while not all cars have rearview cameras, most motorists would buy a car with this feature or recommend it to friends. Those who already have it credit it with being the most helpful in preventing an accident.

The same goes for semi-autonomous driving system: while about only 5% of queried car owners had it, about 80% of them were likely to recommend it to a friend or seek it themselves when switching cars.

The study also highlights a difference across generations in terms of what type of in-car tech is deemed most important or advisable. For instance, Generation X members are partial to rearview cameras and backup sensors, while baby boomers want blind spot detection.

"Tech features in newer cars may be geared toward comfort and fun, but features like rearview cameras and night vision can help prevent accidents. The tech features most loved in cars by our respondents, however, happened to be the simplest – USB ports and Bluetooth were features that drivers couldn't seem to leave behind," the study concludes.