How AI is transforming the automotive purchase journey

Automotive is going through a huge change. A major shift is the move from combustion-engine cars to electric vehicles (EVs), which is dramatically increasing the number of new models in the market, and not just new models, but entirely new brands. Many are names consumers have never encountered before.

This has created a new level of hyper-competition. According to the AutoTrader Road to 2030 report there are now more than 500 different variations of cars for consumers to choose from, more than double compared to just a few years ago. We’re seeing this play out clearly in the data: buyers are no longer shopping within neat categories, but actively comparing mass-market and premium cars side by side, with cross-comparison between models increasing significantly.

Electrification also adds complexity. Consumers are thinking about subsidies, regulation, tax, charging and technical specifications. People go on long research journeys, not only choosing a brand but trying to understand how EV ownership works day to day. So for brands, the challenge is not just getting in front of the consumer, but providing the information that gives them confidence to make a choice.

With so much change happening in automotive, especially around EVs, we wanted to understand what it actually feels like to buy an electric vehicle for the first time.

We partnered with Ipsos and took a qualitative approach to explore the emotions, decisions and actions people experienced throughout their journey. We spoke to a broad spectrum of buyers, from luxury EV shoppers to mass-market buyers, and across a wide age range, spanning from people in their sixties to Gen Z.

The first thing is that people are genuinely excited about buying an EV. It represents the future, innovation, technology and lower lifetime costs. But buying a car is a high-stakes decision. People can’t afford to get it wrong, so they’re doing more research.

It wasn’t the amount of research that surprised us however, but the depth of the detours people took to get answers. Many described it as feeling like “starting from zero”. One respondent in his sixties said he thought he understood the market but realised he knew nothing when it came to EVs.

People went to incredible lengths to get answers, including:

• calling their energy providers to understand tariff changes
• booking electricians to assess home-charging installation before buying the car
• using Google Maps to test real-world charging journeys
• seeking hyper-personalised answers, not just “what’s the range?” but “what’s the range on my journey, with my passengers, my luggage, my local infrastructure, with the air con and radio on?”

We found that across all ages, people wanted tailored information, not generic specs.

There are a few things automotive marketers are focusing on.

First, a full-funnel approach. It’s not just about awareness at launch. In the messy middle, where people compare cars, brands must show up with the right information to help consumers consider their model. And when people are ready to speak to a dealer or search for a specific model, brands need to be present in Search results at that moment.

Second, leaning into authentic voices. The research showed consumers want advice from “someone like me” or people they trust. Marketers are increasingly working with creators who can build credibility and provide the information buyers are looking for.

Third, ensuring brands show up where consumers actually are. Connected TV is a major example. Across all ages, it’s where people are watching content and doing research. Video more broadly plays a big role in discovery and evaluation.

So a full-funnel approach, authentic voices and showing up where audiences are, that combination is now essential.

Traditionally, a query might have been something like “best SUV.” Now it might be “best family SUV that can fit three Isofix seats, including one in the middle.” Much longer, much more conversational and much more personalised.

We also saw that AI-powered Search plays a meaningful part of the journey. People encountered helpful “moments of momentum” that advanced their decision-making, particularly via AI Overviews.

A separate Ipsos study found that in the UK, 61%* of automotive shoppers who saw an AI Overview agreed it gave them relevant and helpful information during their research.

Video was another standout. Not only is it engaging, but people said it offered a break from the intensity of research. It helped them learn faster, in a more digestible way.

We’re asked this a lot, and there are really two parts to it: organic (SEO) and paid media.

On the organic side, the fundamentals haven’t changed. What “good” looks like is still largely the same. Brands need to ensure their content is discoverable and properly structured, with data that Google’s algorithms can surface. That means investing in richer, deeper content that’s genuinely helpful to the person searching.

At its core, it’s about truly answering the question. Is there authentic, first-hand experience reflected in the content? Does it go deep enough to be genuinely useful? Visual formats play an important role here. Images and video are particularly effective for complex queries, helping people understand information faster and with greater confidence. On the paid media side, the challenge is different.

As queries become longer, more conversational and more personalised, it’s increasingly difficult to manually optimise or rely on traditional keyword strategies. There’s simply no practical way to anticipate and manage that level of complexity. That’s why advertisers are increasingly adopting AI-powered campaign formats like AI Max. These formats allow the system to understand the intent behind each query and serve the most relevant ad, with the right creative and the right landing page, at exactly the right moment.

Behind the scenes, measurement also needs to evolve. When someone arrives via an AI Overview or AI Mode result, they’re often more pre-qualified. They’ve already done a significant amount of research, which means they tend to be higher-intent and more valuable visits. The way marketers measure and value that traffic needs to keep pace, because those signals are what ultimately feed the paid algorithms.

Ultimately, it comes down to three things: strong SEO foundations, adoption of AI-powered campaign formats, and measurement that reflects how these new journeys are really playing out.

The results are early but encouraging. Advertisers are seeing more volume and strong ROI, with results varying by advertiser, and even those already sophisticated in using AI are seeing additional uplift.

We’re seeing clear differences between rapid and slower adopters. While most UK advertisers are now testing AI Max, rollout speed varies by more than fivefold between them.

Often the best performers test quickly, refine when results aren’t perfect, optimise every component, retest and then scale as soon as something works.

We like to use this analogy in automotive: In everyday driving, you move at the pace of the cars around you and can easily get stuck in traffic like everyone else. But in Formula 1, when there’s a race to win, drivers adapt to the track conditions in real time.

Today, brands need to do the same by driving to the road conditions of consumer behaviour. AI gives brands the ability to spot change earlier, respond faster, and maintain momentum as the journey shifts.

What really stands out for me, and we see this clearly in our research, is the variety in the formats people now use to research and learn about products. People are moving fluidly between text, video and images as they try to find answers and build understanding.

That shift creates a huge opportunity for brands. It allows them to think more creatively about how they show up across those different formats, and how they engage potential customers at different moments in the journey.

As Sophie has touched on, being helpful today isn’t just about what you say. It’s also about how you say it. Using the right mix of formats makes information easier to understand, more engaging, and ultimately more useful for people trying to make confident choices.

AI Mode only launched in July, and I’m amazed at how fast consumers have begun to change their behaviour. Automotive is the canary in the coal mine. Consumers are adopting these AI tools faster here because the category is so complex.

This is a fundamental shift. Marketers need to move at pace and evolve their capabilities to meet the moment.