The Observatory of Automobility, the result of a collaboration between COSMOBILIS GROUP and L'ObSoCo (the Society & Consumption Observatory), is the benchmark study on how the behaviours and attitudes of French people toward the car are evolving. Analysing the shift "from the automobile to automobility," this initiative sheds essential light on the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of mobility in France.
In the face of mounting economic and environmental constraints, the model of the individual, personally owned car — though still deeply rooted in French habits and mindsets — is now being called into question.
The Observatory reveals deep uncertainty about the future of mobility, reflecting how hard it is to imagine viable alternatives to the current model. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the industry's professionals: to support French people through this transition by rolling out alternative value propositions that meet their needs while taking into account the new economic and environmental constraints.
The car is, and remains, a central element in the daily lives and the collective imagination of French people.
93%
See driving as an important skill to pass on to their children.
90%
of households own a car.
61%
Consider the car a marker of social status.
€14,000
Is the average purchase price of a car.
French people's attachment to the car remains extremely strong. 93% believe that knowing how to drive is an essential skill to pass on to their children.
The car remains omnipresent in everyday French life. 90% of households own one, confirming its central role in our lifestyles.
Beyond its practical function, the car retains a significant symbolic dimension. For 61% of French people, it still represents a marker of social status — and a genuine passion for a quarter of them.
Buying a car represents a major financial commitment. The average purchase price is €14,000, with an estimated monthly cost (all costs excluding the purchase price: fuel, maintenance, servicing, insurance, parking, etc.) of €280.
Faced with the economic and environmental realities of French people, the current model of car-based mobility is nonetheless running up against increasingly obvious limits.
50%
Travel by car every day.
4%
Do not take their driving test.
81%
Believe part of the population can no longer afford a car.
82%
Think the environmental situation is worrying.
The under-use of personal vehicles is a recognised reality. 43% of French people admit their cars sit idle more than 90% of the time. In fact, only 1 in 2 French people travel by car every day.
The driving licence is also seen as a costly process by three quarters of the French people who have obtained it. 4% of French people do not take it because of this cost — that is 1,900,000 people.
The financial accessibility of car ownership is becoming all the more problematic. 81% of French people agree with the statement that "today, part of the population can no longer financially afford to own a car." The future of car ownership appears compromised: 83% expect financial constraints to intensify further.
Environmental concerns weigh increasingly on decisions. 82% of French people think the environmental situation is worrying (including 39% who find it very worrying and even 30% alarming).
French people seem relatively at a loss about the future of mobility.
3/4
Note the absence of an alternative to the car for daily travel.
56%
Say they have no choice between different modes of transport.
73%
Feel at a loss in the face of the end of combustion-engine vehicle sales.
Indeed, for three quarters of French people, "there is currently no complete alternative to the car for getting around on a daily basis." This perceived lack of alternatives is felt particularly strongly by French people living in rural municipalities (82%).
More than half of French people (56%) say they have no choice between different modes of transport (this rises to 86% of rural residents, versus 21% of residents of the Paris urban area).
Against this backdrop, the regulatory horizon appears far from reassuring. Faced with the ban on the sale of new combustion-engine vehicles, only 15% of French people say they are confident. Uncertainty dominates as to how they could adapt: 73% of French people do not know how they will react when this ban applies to them.
Although presented as the solution for the future, the electric car still meets with considerable reluctance and practical obstacles among French people.
12%
Are considering electric to anticipate the end of combustion engines.
65%
Consider the number of available charging points insufficient.
62%
Question the environmental impact of electric vehicles.
83%
Consider the electric car unaffordable.
The transition to electric meets significant resistance. Only 12% of French people plan to buy an electric car to adapt to the ban on combustion-engine vehicles.
The current technology fails to convince. 74% express doubts about batteries' ability to meet their travel needs.
Charging infrastructure is a major obstacle. 65% consider the number of available charging points insufficient.
The environmental argument is no more convincing: 62% of French people think the environmental impact of the electric car is either equivalent to, or greater than, that of combustion-engine cars.
Above all, price remains the main barrier to adoption. 83% believe the electric car is not financially accessible.
French people are starting to consider alternatives to the traditional model of the private, individually owned car, paving the way for new patterns of use.
66%
Agree with the idea that use will take precedence over car ownership.
1 in 10
Of those who own a car already say they are willing to share it.
30%
Used car-sharing/carpooling in the past 12 months.
Use could take precedence over ownership. 66% of French people agree that "in the future, the important thing will be to use a car rather than to own one."
Yet it seems quite difficult to move away from the model of vehicle ownership. Owning one's vehicle outright remains the ideal arrangement for 73% of French people.
It is nonetheless notable — especially given how dominant the prevailing model is — that 1 in 10 French car owners already say they are willing to share their vehicle.
Collaborative practices are becoming part of everyday habits. 30% used carpooling in the past 12 months.
Alternative mobility services are attracting growing interest. Between 25% and 33% of French people show interest in ride-hailing (VTC), car-sharing or subscription-based rental.
The automotive sector is not immune to the digital revolution, which is gradually transforming the entire buying and ownership experience.
44%
Of French people say they are willing to buy a used car online.
49%
Of future drivers are considering an online driving school.
Buying vehicles online is becoming a credible option. 44% of French people say they are willing to buy a used car online.
For new vehicles, reluctance remains more pronounced. Nevertheless, 31% would be open to an online purchase.
Driver training is also going digital. 49% of future drivers could consider enrolling in an online driving school.
