Three in five consumers expect to use artificial intelligence (AI) when buying their next car, raising questions about how easily buyers can find dealers’ stock through these tools.
The figure comes from OC&C Strategy Consultants’ Global Automotive Disruption Speedometer 2026, which surveyed more than 8,000 consumers across nine countries, including the UK. It is a finding across the surveyed markets, rather than a UK-only figure.
Researching which car to buy was the most common planned use of AI, followed by estimating a part-exchange value and finding a specific vehicle to purchase.
Three in four respondents aged 25 to 34 expected to use AI during their next purchase, compared with fewer than one in three aged over 65.
For dealers, the potential change is at the start of the buying journey.
If customers ask AI tools to compare cars or find available stock, accurate vehicle descriptions, prices, specifications and availability could affect which cars those tools present.
That is a practical implication of the findings, rather than a measure of how many sales currently originate from AI.
Nicholas Farhi, partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants, said consumers were changing how they researched cars and which brands they would consider.
“Reliability remains essential, but monthly affordability and the deal offered carry considerably more weight than they did two years ago.”
Farhi also pointed to changes in how buyers discover vehicles: “AI is moving into the discovery process and Chinese EV brands are gaining credibility on quality as well as price.”
Farhi said automotive businesses should make the full monthly cost of ownership easier to understand and ensure their vehicle and stock data can be found through AI tools.
The research covered Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.
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