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A 2016 survey of the general population asked “Which one of the following attributes would be most important in your choice of your next vehicle?” The choices were fuel economy, dependability, low price, quality and safety. The same question was asked in previous surveys and the results are compared. Dependability was chosen most often in nearly every survey after 1980, but fuel economy surpassed it in 2011 and 2012 when gasoline prices were higher. In 2016, 15% of respondents indicated that fuel economy would be the most important vehicle attribute, up from 13% in 2015.
Most Important Vehicle Attribute, 1980-2016
Note: During the survey, answer categories were rotated to prevent respondent bias.
Supporting Information
| Year | Fuel Economy | Dependability | Low Price | Quality | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 42% | 31% | 14% | 4% | 9% |
| 1981 | 20% | 40% | 21% | 7% | 12% |
| 1983 | 13% | 38% | 30% | 11% | 9% |
| 1985 | 8% | 41% | 29% | 12% | 10% |
| 1987 | 4% | 44% | 31% | 8% | 14% |
| 1996 | 7% | 34% | 11% | 19% | 29% |
| 1998 | 4% | 36% | 5% | 20% | 34% |
| 2000 | 11% | 33% | 11% | 22% | 24% |
| 2001 | 11% | 30% | 8% | 22% | 30% |
| 2004 | 22% | 26% | 10% | 19% | 23% |
| 2005 | 12% | 33% | 7% | 21% | 28% |
| 2006 | 20% | 28% | 7% | 20% | 26% |
| 2007 | 21% | 30% | 7% | 17% | 24% |
| 2008 | 27% | 27% | 8% | 15% | 23% |
| 2009 | 24% | 29% | 10% | 19% | 18% |
| 2011 | 30% | 22% | 8% | 18% | 22% |
| 2012 | 29% | 25% | 14% | 16% | 15% |
| 2014 | 20% | 30% | 11% | 19% | 20% |
| 2015 | 13% | 31% | 14% | 18% | 21% |
| 2016 | 15% | 33% | 9% | 19% | 24% |
Sources: 1996-2016: Opinion Research Corporation International for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (based on the general population). National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Consumer Views on Transportation and Advanced Vehicle Technologies, NREL/TP-5400-64840, September 2015, Figure 11. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Consumer Views on Transportation and Energy (Third Edition), NREL/TP-620-39047, January 2006, Table 4.1.1. | |||||