A survey has found that Korean consumers show low willingness to pay for advanced autonomous driving features such as Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD).
According to a survey conducted by mobility platform Chabot Mobility targeting 450 consumers planning to purchase new vehicles in 2026, "no willingness to pay" was the highest single response at 23.5% when asked about paying additional costs for advanced autonomous driving features like FSD.
However, by price range, 20.6% of respondents said they would consider paying less than 3 million won, 19.9% for 3 million to under 5 million won, and 19.5% for 5 million to under 10 million won. Respondents willing to pay some level of additional cost accounted for 76.5% of the total. In contrast, only 6.5% were willing to pay 10 million won or more. Monthly subscription preference stood at 10.1%, indicating some demand exists. While autonomous driving is perceived as a premium option, realistic pricing in the 3 million to 5 million won range appears to be a key threshold for mass adoption.
Regarding how future autonomous driving technology development will influence vehicle selection criteria, "increased importance of safety standards" recorded the highest response at 26.7%, followed by software update capability (23.8%), prioritizing autonomous driving technology level (21.7%), and emphasizing technology over brand (18.0%).
When asked about electric vehicle purchase intentions, 75.1% of all respondents answered positively. Specifically, "EVs are under consideration" accounted for the highest share at 41.9%, followed by "actively considering EVs" at 18.4% and "decided on an EV" at 9.4%. Meanwhile, "not considering EVs" was only 30.3%.
Economic factors emerged as the primary reason for considering EVs. "Charging cost savings compared to fuel costs" recorded the highest response at 62.5%, followed by government subsidies at 41.3% and tax benefits at 32.7%. Conversely, infrastructure and safety concerns were major factors causing hesitation in EV purchases. "Insufficient charging infrastructure" ranked highest at 45.3%, followed by fire and safety concerns (34.9%), charging time requirements (32.8%), battery lifespan and replacement costs (32.3%), range anxiety (29.3%), and vehicle price burden (26.7%).
For Chinese EV brands, price competitiveness stood out as the most attractive factor, with 64.3% of respondents citing it as the overwhelming top choice. This was followed by battery technology and driving range (14.1%), sophisticated design and appearance (11.9%), latest technology specifications (9.0%), and charging speed (7.6%). However, 26.4% of respondents said there was "nothing attractive" about Chinese EV brands.