A majority of car owners would consider using remote-driving services, where someone offsite uses a simulator to drive the car, such as for maintenance appointments; 58 percent report preferring remote over autonomous driving. Survey respondents favored remote driving due to higher perceived safety, control, and regulatory readiness, note Partner Ani Kelkar and coauthors.
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A pair of donut charts and a horizontal stacked bar chart show consumer sentiment regarding remote driving and autonomous driving. The donut charts show consumers’ preference for remote driving, with ~65% of car owners surveyed indicating they would consider using remote driving services and ~58% of respondents favoring remote driving over autonomous driving. The horizontal stacked bar chart shows specific sentiments toward both driving modes: across 11 aspects, remote driving garnered higher positive sentiment among respondents in 7 of the 11. For instance, 48% of respondents indicated they believe that remote driving adapts better to unexpected scenarios, compared with 35% who favor autonomous driving in this regard. Similarly, 46% expressed greater confidence in remote driving’s ability to handle emergencies effectively, in contrast with 35% for autonomous driving; 43% of respondents said they feel safer with remote driving, while 34% shared the same sentiment about autonomous driving. Regarding cost-efficiency, 49% perceived autonomous driving as more favorable, while 33% held this view for remote driving.
Note: This image description was completed with the assistance of Writer, a generative AI tool.
Source: McKinsey Remote Driving Survey 2024 (n = ~1,500).
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To read the article, see “Remote-driving services: The next disruption in mobility innovation?,” January 3, 2025.