Skip to main content

Would you toss your car keys to a computer for lower insurance? 1 in 5 drivers would

The robots are coming for you … and they want to drive you to work.

Autonomous or self-driving cars are going to be on sale soon; we have known this for a while. What we didn’t know, though, is just how many people are ready to hang up their car keys, move to the back seat, and let the computers take over.

Recommended Videos

A new study shows that one-in-five people would be happy to stop driving entirely if they had the option of purchasing an autonomous car. And significantly more than one-in-five would consider it if their insurance rates went down.

The study, performed by carinsurance.com, looked both at opinions of 2,000 licensed drivers on autonomous cars and under what circumstances they would be willing to adopt the technology.

A third of drivers would be willing to give up control if their insurance premiums dropped by 80% or more. Perhaps most staggering is that 90% of those polled would at least consider the idea of using the technology.

Such a dramatic drop in insurance premiums might not be pure puffery either, as the automated driving technology is expected to be significantly safer than human control. Some of the benefits are already being seen with the “driver aids” already on the market, like lane departure warning and assisted braking.

Oddly enough, even though consumers are willing to let their cars take over, they don’t agree that they are safer. A whopping three-quarters of respondents said that they felt that they could drive better than a computer. The same number agreed that they would not trust their children to a driverless car.

Apparently, Americans hate car insurance premiums enough to relinquish control of their cars for some monthly savings. People might still think they are better drivers than computers, but for reduced premiums they are willing to give the robots a shot.  

Surprisingly, a majority of respondents said they trust traditional automakers to deliver safe autonomous cars more than startups or tech companies like Google.

This contradicts a previous study, which reported that consumers would prefer a high-tech label to take the lead in vehicle autonomy rather than companies like GM or Nissan. 

With Nissan promising a self-driving car in showrooms by 2020, it’s appropriate to start considering what people will do with all the extra time they’ll have on their hands when they pass driving duties off to their car.

Survey respondents said they’d use the newfound time to take up activities like: texting, reading, work, watching movies, and sleeping. Considering I have seen drivers in distinctly non-autonomous cars doing all of those things, not to mention shaving and putting on makeup, maybe autonomous driving technology won’t change that much for people’s daily routines. It’ll just make the roads safe for the rest of us.

Peter Braun
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Peter is a freelance contributor to Digital Trends and almost a lawyer. He has loved thinking, writing and talking about cars…
Toyota unveils 2026 bZ: A smarter, longer-range electric SUV
toyota bz improved bz4x 2026 0007 1500x1125

Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
The headline news is the improved driving range. Toyota now estimates up to 314 miles on a single charge for the front-wheel-drive model with the larger 74.7-kWh battery—about 60 miles more than the outgoing bZ4X. All-wheel-drive variants also get a boost, with up to 288 miles of range depending on trim.
Charging speeds haven’t increased in terms of raw kilowatts (still capped at 150 kW for DC fast charging), but Toyota has significantly improved how long peak speeds are sustained. With preconditioning enabled—especially helpful in colder weather—the new bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Also new: Plug and Charge support for automatic payment at compatible stations and full adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), meaning access to Tesla Superchargers will be standard by 2026.
Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
With the 2026 bZ, Toyota seems to be responding directly to critiques of the bZ4X. It’s faster, more efficient, and more driver-friendly—finally bringing Toyota’s EV efforts up to speed.

Read more
Cheaper EVs ahead? GM and LG say new battery cells are the key
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV front quarter view.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution have announced a new phase in their ongoing partnership: developing a new battery cell chemistry that could significantly lower the cost of electric vehicles. The joint effort centers on lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery cells, a variation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) that’s gaining popularity for being more affordable and less reliant on expensive materials like nickel and cobalt.

This is a big deal because battery costs are still the single largest expense in producing EVs. According to GM and industry experts, LMFP cells could help bring the cost of electric vehicles close to — or even on par with — gas-powered cars. The goal? Making EVs accessible to a broader range of drivers without sacrificing range or performance.

Read more
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more