Parking sensors top most wanted list
Despite the plethora of driver aids now in cars, front and rear parking sensors remain top of the wanted list.
This is according to research commissioned by GoCompare Car Insurance, based on a survey of 2,000 drivers.
It found that 65% of drivers said they’d be prepared to pay extra for this feature. Other popular features include in-car technologies designed to make driving safer such as tyre pressure warning systems, lane departure warning and braking assist, as well as those which make driving easier including automatic windscreen wipers and headlamps and electric seats with a memory function so at the press of a button, drivers can return their seat to their ideal position after someone else has driven their car.
However, it seems that UK drivers aren’t quite ready for fully self-driving cars just yet with only 13% saying that they would pay good money to add the feature to their next new car.
Other features which didn’t quite make it into the top 10 include in-car Wi-Fi hotspot (16%) and hands-free text reading (12%).
Matt Oliver, from GoCompare Car Insurance said, ‘Our research clearly shows that despite the availability of potentially more exciting driver aids, parking is the issue that drivers want technological help with. According to Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency data reverse parking is one of the main reasons people fail their driving test, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that technology which makes reverse and parallel parking easier is so popular with drivers.
‘In recent years the size of cars has grown considerably – both in width and length, while the average size of parking spaces hasn’t changed – making parking even more of a challenge.
‘As far as insurance is concerned, we aren’t yet seeing a reduction in premiums for driver assist technology. It’s still relatively early days and insurers need to build up a body of data on how effective the new technologies are in reducing accidents and claims’ costs before they are able to decide on whether they warrant a discount.’
