The results of a recent survey by J.D. Power show that car buyers in the United States continue to show a preference for vehicles that offer support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
However, one area that continues to put a damper on excitement across all vehicle fuel types is infotainment—one of the 10 factors on which the study is based. Despite satisfaction improving 5 points this year to 823, infotainment remains one of the lowest-scoring categories industry wide. While satisfaction with in-vehicle infotainment systems averages 805, it is higher among owners who use Android Auto (832) or Apple CarPlay (840). This shows that customers prefer to have the simplistic usability of their phone extended into their vehicle more so than what manufacturers are providing.
The study, which was conducted from July 2023 through May 2024, is based on responses from 99,144 owners of new 2024 model-year vehicles in the U.S. who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership, according to J.D. Power.
CarPlay has been popular among respondents in vehicle satisfaction studies ever since its 2014 launch. This survey comes on the heels of General Motors’ decision in 2023 to drop CarPlay and Android Auto from its new electric vehicles in favor of its own infotainment solution. Electric car maker Rivian also uses its own software in place of CarPlay and Android Auto. Both companies could eventually rue that day they made the decision to drop CarPlay, as consumers definitely prefer Apple’s and Google’s infotainment solutions.