Survey: Nearly 20,000 U.S. New Car Buyers Favor Heated Seats

A survey of over 19,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. who plan to purchase a new vehicle within the next three years found that 47% of respondents want heated seats—a feature that ranked first among 15 available options. In comparison, front and rear parking sensors were selected by 45% of respondents, rear automatic emergency braking (AEB) by 44%, and driver’s power seat adjustment, lane-change assist, night vision systems, and adaptive cruise control with active centering and stop-and-go functionality each garnered 43%. Automatic parking and wireless smartphone charging both received 41%, while 40% of consumers wanted a factory-installed dashcam. Among respondents who expressed a clear preference for specific features, 41% considered all-wheel drive an absolute must-have, followed by wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto at 37%, passenger power seat adjustment at 36%, and blind-spot cameras at 33%. Additionally, 56% of respondents said they trust advanced automotive safety systems capable of actively intervening to prevent accidents, and 62% felt confident allowing vehicles to handle tasks such as lane centering and parallel parking.