A 2012 survey asked the question "Which one of the following attributes would be MOST important to you in your choice of your next vehicle?" The choices were fuel economy, dependability, low price, quality, and safety. This same question was asked in previous surveys and the results are compared in the graph below. Dependability was chosen most often in nearly every survey, but fuel economy surpassed it in 2011 and 2012. Twenty-nine percent of the survey respondents indicated that fuel economy would be the most important vehicle attribute, while only 25% of respondents chose dependability.
Most Important Vehicle Attribute, 1980-2012
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Supporting Information
| Year | Fuel Economy | Dependability | Low Price | Quality | Safety | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 42% | 31% | 14% | 4% | 9% | 100% |
| 1981 | 20% | 40% | 21% | 7% | 12% | 100% |
| 1983 | 13% | 38% | 30% | 11% | 9% | 101% |
| 1985 | 8% | 41% | 29% | 12% | 10% | 100% |
| 1987 | 4% | 44% | 31% | 8% | 14% | 100% |
| 1996 | 7% | 34% | 11% | 19% | 29% | 100% |
| 1998 | 4% | 36% | 5% | 20% | 34% | 100% |
| 2000 | 11% | 33% | 11% | 22% | 24% | 100% |
| 2001 | 11% | 30% | 8% | 22% | 30% | 100% |
| 2004 | 22% | 26% | 10% | 19% | 23% | 100% |
| 2005 | 12% | 33% | 7% | 21% | 28% | 100% |
| 2006 | 20% | 28% | 7% | 20% | 26% | 100% |
| 2007 | 21% | 30% | 7% | 17% | 24% | 100% |
| 2008 | 27% | 27% | 8% | 15% | 23% | 100% |
| 2009 | 24% | 29% | 10% | 19% | 18% | 100% |
| 2011 | 30% | 22% | 8% | 18% | 22% | 100% |
| 2012 | 29% | 25% | 14% | 16% | 15% | 100% |
| Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2012 Vehicle Technologies Market Report Figure 17. | ||||||