Highlights from Parkopedia’s first China driver survey
China driver insight – Strong demand for premium in-vehicle parking services
Highlights from Parkopedia’s first China driver survey:
- Nearly 90% of drivers consider parking to be a highly stressful experience. A lack of parking information, difficulty navigating in parking facilities and vehicle safety concerns are the main sources of pressure.
- Automatic guidance and recommendations for parking is a vital function that car users expect to have in their vehicles with the majority of drivers also expecting parking payments to be managed automatically by their vehicle systems
- Digital payments are hugely popular in China with less than 1% wishing to make their payments using cash.
- Nearly all drivers surveyed are willing to pay a surcharge to receive digital parking data and integrated parking payments in their vehicles
- Most drivers want to have access to live parking space availability. In general, checking availability only occurs when approaching a destination or at departure
Shanghai, China
Motorists in China reveal they want premium in-vehicle parking services including parking data, in-car express parking payments, reservations and EV charger data according to a new survey by Parkopedia, the world’s leading parking service provider. The study, which surveyed 1,600 drivers across Tier 1 and 2 cities in China in March 2021, offers a deep insight into driver behaviours and preferences for the automotive and parking industries looking to develop parking products.
China Parking and EV Update
The majority of all car-users that took part in this study use parking for home and office parking, shopping entertainment and school runs also said that they feel pressure from parking (88.5%). The lack of parking information available, difficulty navigating facilities, and vehicle safety concerns are amongst the top parking pressures, with car owners aged 48 and over worrying the most about being overcharged for parking, but the least for damage to their vehicles and finding a parking location
Cost is also not the most important factor when selecting parking locations. Availability (61.9%), walking distance (45.6%) and vehicle security (36.5%) are the top factors. Compared with Parkopedia’s 2019 Driver Survey in Europe and North America, Chinese drivers are less sensitive about parking fees. This was the top factor in 2019 for European and North American drivers, whereas it only features as the 4th most important for Chinese drivers today.
Owners in different age brackets also have significantly varying concerns when it comes to selecting EV charging locations. 18-27-year-olds are more worried about the number of chargers and a parking discount for charging vehicles, whereas 28-37-year-old car owners are significantly more concerned about charger speeds when selecting a location. Higher age groups generally factor in the costs much more in determining their locations when compared to younger drivers.
When it comes to service expectations of a vehicle parking system, automatic guide and recommendation services were rated as a vital function that car users expect to have in their vehicle parking systems, with over half of all respondents also expect parking payments to be managed automatically by their vehicle systems.
Digital Parking Services and Data
The survey indicated there is a high demand for vehicle-based digital parking tools, with 65% of drivers using their vehicles to find parking and 47% using this service over 3 times per week. The majority of Chinese drivers also want live dynamic parking availability that is connected to the vehicle systems for when drivers approach a destination or on departure which is where 77% of all searches take place
Current parking information services are available on smartphones and vehicle systems, with integrated vehicle systems the preferred choice due to strict traffic laws restricting the use of mobile phones in vehicles. Nearly half of the respondents show no preference between on-street and off-street parking. However, 82% of these would favour on-street parking if more information was provided digitally.
1 in 7 drivers are still not sure if their own vehicles even have parking information services available, but those who are aware, generally have a positive experience using these services. In addition, the study revealed more than 95% of all respondents are willing to pay a surcharge to receive digital parking data. Nearly 40% are willing to pay 5-10 Yuan per month for premium parking information.
Demand for in-vehicle parking payments
Over 40% of participants have already activated parking express payments, with the majority (86.3%) having positive views on the function. Providing single sign-on solutions and e-invoices were the top features required to improve existing payment services, with flexible payment methods, a more efficient process and reservation services also requested by drivers. Amongst those who have not yet activated parking express payment services, the key motivations to make drivers activate express payments is by using seamless technology, trustful service and parking fee discounts.
Digital payments are hugely popular in China with less than 1% wishing to make their payments in cash. Premium brand vehicle owners value time savings more with digital payments for parking, whereas joint brand and local brand owners are more motivated by discounted parking fees. Only a small number of vehicle owners have experienced reservation services in China. Confirming availability (75.2%), saving time (74.6%) and trusted service (55.1%) are key motivations towards mass adoption of reservation services.
Commenting on the survey, Parkopedia’s Managing Director China, Ding Xian, said:
“The results show clear trends in how the parking ecosystem in China is evolving and the demand for accurate parking data is at an all-time high. Premium services such as street parking data, reservations, dynamic availability and digital payments that are integrated within drivers vehicles, are vital for the Chinese market, taking priority over smartphone apps. This demand is highlighted in many cases with over 95% of respondents willing to pay a surcharge to use these features in their vehicles and less than 1% wishing to make parking payments using cash.
“Parkopedia’s goal is to continue to make motorists’ lives easier on a global scale with our market-leading range of services. This survey shows the market demand for premium parking services which Chinese drivers now expect to feature in their vehicles.”
To download the complete China Drivers Survey please visit: https://business.parkopedia.com/china-driver-survey
About Parkopedia
Parkopedia is the world’s leading parking services provider used by millions of drivers and organizations such as Audi, Apple, BMW, Ford, Garmin, GM, Jaguar, Land Rover,
Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Sygic, TomTom, Toyota, Volkswagen, and many others. Parkopedia is available in 15,000 cities across 89 countries globally, covering over 70 million parking spaces, helping drivers take the pain out of parking. Parkopedia helps drivers find the closest, cheapest, or available parking to their destination, pay in selected locations, and navigate directly to the parking space. Visit business.parkopedia.com for more information.
Media Contact
Adam Calland
Marketing Director
Parkopedia
T: +44(0)7838219129
E: adam.calland@parkopedia.com