Pay-as-you-go gains ground over vehicle ownership
Rental, car and motorcycle sharing and the subscription model are increasingly widespread formulas to favor mobility instead of car ownership, especially among younger users, according to a survey conducted by Europcar Mobility Group Spain. On the other hand, eight out of ten drivers would change their car for an electric or hybrid one.
The ‘Mobility of the Future Study’, the first part of which was released earlier this year, yields new results that reveal the most important parameters for mobility in the coming years, especially for young people: multimodality and ecological awareness.
Alternative mobility options to their own carare becoming increasingly important for people aged 18 to 34. 19% opt for renting (compared to 13% of the average), 17% for car and bike sharing (compared to 10% of the average) and 15% for the subscription model (compared to 11% of all ages).
The study also shows a direct relationship between the level of studies and the preference for these mobility options. Within the same age group, 68% say that they would rather do without their own car than their mobile phone if they had to choose.
“The results of this survey show that car ownership is losing the social status it had until recently among young people. They are more and more inclined to pay-as-you-go formulas and less and less inclined to own their own car," explains Tobias Zisik, general manager of Europcar Mobility Group Spain.
SUSTAINABLE CARS
94.3% of surveyed drivers of all ages admit that their car is a gasoline-powered car, but eight out of ten would not like it to be so. The reasons for this discord are to be found in the price (the most important factor for 52%) and the lack of freight infrastructurea deterrent to 38% of respondents.
20% still lack confidence in the maturity and reliability of the technology. These percentages also increase among people between 18 and 34 years old (cost is a problem for 59% of young people; lack of charging infrastructure for 47%).
“We need charging infrastructures to match the green intentions of Spanish drivers. The electric and hybrid car will undoubtedly be very important in the future of mobility, but it is difficult to make them so in the short term if Spaniards do not feel comfortable and safe driving them," explains Zisik.
CAR SHARING
The results of the first part of the study already showed that car sharing was becoming an increasingly attractive option for Spaniards before the crisis: seven out of ten see it as a future option to replace car ownership to reduce pollution, due to the availability to pick up and return the vehicle (65%) and the services included, such as insurance or fuel (57%).
As Clara Colino, director of Ubeeqo, the car sharing brand of Europcar Mobility Group, explains, the number of users interested in car sharing is higher than before confinement. Users, especially younger ones, understand that car sharing is a sustainable and useful alternative for those who have to go to work but do not want to buy a car and for domestic tourism," she says.