To the garage, not the dealership
Outside the big cities, the car is still the only real way to get around, and it has become too expensive to replace.
For the first wave of the nabel mobility tracker, we talked with 258 people who travel by car or public transport every week, all of them in a voice conversation with the nabel agent.
Get the full report30 pages, in French
258voice conversations
13 minmedian length
4 daysof fieldwork
They need the car, and it costs too much.
82%
find owning a car too expensive, 42% much too expensive. So do 75% of those who call their travel budget perfectly manageable.
I have no other option. I have no public transport that serves me directly. So the car is essential.
Man, 35–54, rural area
65%
won’t change cars in the next two years, 44% definitely not. 59% bought their main car second-hand.
Keep it despite a few problems, a major repair, but even if the repair is major, it costs less than buying another car.
Woman, 55+, rural area, north-west France
53%
rule out an electric car next time, first because of the price, then charging; range only comes third. All 20 EV drivers we spoke to would choose electric again.
I live somewhere very rural, so charging points near my home, I don’t have a single one. So if I have to drive 50 km to charge the car, I’ve every chance of running out before I get there.
Man, 55+, retired, south-east France
41%
trust none of the twelve carmakers and operators we named. SNCF is both the most trusted (21%) and the most distrusted (14%).
I refuse all of it. The only things I accept in a vehicle are the GPS and Bluetooth for the phone.
Man, 55+, retired, south-west France
258 conversations, one bubble each.
Click a red bubble to hear or read what that person said.Tap a red bubble to hear or read what that person said.
Why they keep the old car, and what would make them go electric
The full report goes further. 30 pages, in French:
- 014 findings on car dependence, running costs, the switch to electric and trust in brands and data
- 02Three respondents’ stories, in their own words, transcribed verbatim
- 03Three opportunities for carmakers and dealers, charging providers and transport operators
- 04The conversation guide and the full methodology
Methodology · Mainland France · 11–16 Sept 2026
258 respondents who make at least one motorised trip a week and have a say in their household’s transport choices, recruited from the PureSpectrum panel. 202 complete voice conversations with the nabel agent, plus 56 partial ones whose completed answers were kept.
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