luxury automotive

Wealthy consumers accelerate towards EVs but practicality still beats performance.

A consumer-led view of how wealthy drivers buy, use and perceive luxury cars.

This new research from Altiant reveals a luxury automotive consumer in transition: increasingly receptive to electric and hybrid vehicles, highly engaged with automotive brands, but still placing practical considerations such as safety, comfort and design ahead of pure performance.

  • 600 affluent/HNW individuals across the UK, US, France, and China.

  • Median investible assets of US$2.75m; median household income of US$386k.

INSIDE THE REPORT

KEY FINDINGS

• Fuel prices are changing the equation

Almost three in five (59%) say rising fuel prices are making electric and hybrid vehicles more interesting to them - suggesting that economics, as well as environmental considerations, are influencing the transition.

• Practical luxury beats raw performance

Despite the emotional appeal of acceleration and engine sound, practicality, safety and comfort collectively account for 42% of the top-ranked considerations when choosing a car. Design, technology and acceleration follow.

• Luxury automotive brands still occupy very distinct territories

Bentley is most strongly associated with luxury (82%), Ferrari and Lamborghini with power (81% and 79%), and Mercedes-Benz with comfort (75%).

• Wealthy consumers actively engage with automotive culture

Some 43% engage with automotive content online every month, while 35% read automotive magazines — reinforcing the category’s role as an interest and passion rather than simply a purchase.

ABOUT ALTIANT

altiant specialises in quantitative research and fieldwork across 15+ countries, exclusively serving the luxury and wealth management sectors.

Through our deep online research expertise, sophisticated tools and a highly validated proprietary panel of affluent and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI), we turn your marketing and commercial questions into actionable insights - quickly and accurately.

  • Trusted by the leading global wealth and luxury brands and best-in-class research agencies

  • Reliable data helping research, insights and marketing teams make better-informed decisions

  • LuxuryOpinions®: our proprietary, highly validated panel of affluent and high-net-worth individuals. Designed to support market research across the luxury and wealth management sectors, LuxuryOpinions exists to ensure that the voice behind every insight remains human.

Human Data Verified™ indicates that all insights originate from real, individually validated participants within the LuxuryOpinions community. No synthetic or AI-generated respondents are used.

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