Autonomous vehicles appear to be at the forefront of the auto industry’s agenda––but US consumers remain unconvinced about the technology.

That’s according to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, released earlier this month, which homes in on “the consumer trends and issues shaping the global automotive sector,” per a news release. The findings are based on surveys of more than 31,000 consumers from 30 countries.

Ryan Robinson, automotive research leader at Deloitte, walked Tech Brew through the report’s main findings, including stagnant EV adoption and the growing popularity of hybrid vehicles. And 52% of US respondents reported having concerns about fully autonomous robotaxis “operating where they live.”

Robinson said safety concerns around AVs “need to be addressed, even though we see in some markets there are signals right now that the regulatory environment may be evolving, that would allow for, or maybe ease the development and deployment of some of these self-driving fleets in the not-too-distant future.”

Hybrids’ rise

You’ve heard it here before: The auto industry has shifted gears to add more gas-electric and plug-in hybrids to their lineups amid a swift rise in popularity for the technology that some see as the bridge between internal combustion engine vehicles and EVs.

Cox Automotive analysts expect hybrids to capture 15% of the new-vehicle market this year––more than BEVs’ projected 10% share.

Deloitte found that US consumer intent to buy a hybrid was up five percentage points YoY to 26%. Meanwhile, intent to buy ICE vehicles and EVs fell five points and one point, respectively, to 62% and 5%.

“Consumers are most definitely still a bit shy or cautious of making that full step toward BEV,” Robinson said, “and hybrids are sitting in that sweet spot that allows consumers to gain the advantages of an alternative powertrain, but not have to compromise any of the things that they either expect or have gotten used to.”

Although the report pointed to some of the familiar factors holding back EV adoption––higher up-front costs, lengthy charging times, range anxiety––the authors posited that the focus on building out public charging infrastructure may be a bit misguided.

After all, nearly 80% of EV intenders said they’d charge their vehicle at home––and 58% of respondents said they don’t frequently drive more than 60 miles from home.

A better approach to solving charging woes, Robinson said, would be to focus on “making sure that we have the right technology deployed in the right locations” and that “people can afford to install chargers in their home.”

Defectors

Consumers aren’t as loyal as they used to be. In fact, more than half the respondents said they “plan to switch brands for their next vehicle.” This trend, according to experts, could be especially worrisome for legacy manufacturers that are facing a slew of competitive pressures around the world.

“It’s a big concern when you have an increasing number of your consumers…thinking about migrating to another brand the next time they’re in market,” Robinson said. “Obviously it’s signaling the need for building those strong customer relationships…The old adage, ‘it’s always less expensive to retain a customer than acquire a new one’ is definitely at play in this theme.”

Another potentially troubling data point for auto industry leaders is that four in 10 respondents between ages 18 and 34 said they’d “be willing to give up vehicle ownership in favor of a fully available mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) solution.”

Basically, younger consumers don’t feel as strongly about owning their own car as older generations, in part because of affordability challenges. This trend, Robinson said, “should be very concerning to vehicle manufacturers.”