A survey on public sentiment on self-driving cars has shown that Lexus leads in consumer approval with a 98.8 percent positive sentiment, the highest among the brands included in the survey.
The main finding is, however, that public sentiment toward self-driving cars remains skeptical, with only 25 percent of people expressing positive views, while 40 percent distrust the technology and 35 percent remain neutral. Key concerns include technology failures, unpredictable AI decision-making, legal liability, and cybersecurity risks.
These findings come from a survey commissioned by Good Guys Injury Law. The poll evaluated public sentiment and safety records for both self-driving cars and traditional car brands using a data-driven approach.
The study consists of three main components: first, sentiment analysis of self-driving cars, where public opinion data was gathered from surveys, online discussions (Reddit, Quora), Statista, and other research sources, and responses were categorized into positive, neutral, and negative views, with trend analysis comparing shifts in public trust from 2022 to 2025.
Second, safety and sentiment rankings for traditional car brands were determined by using accident data (incidents per 1,000 drivers) as a safety metric and public sentiment scores derived from social media discussions, consumer reports, and automotive sentiment studies.
Finally, brands were ranked based on safety (lowest accident rate) and sentiment (highest positive sentiment), with the overall score combining both rankings to determine the final order, prioritizing brands with high safety and strong public trust.
Main outcomes:
| Make | Positive Sentiment (%) | Safety Rank | Sentiment Rank | Overall Rank Score | Rank |
| Kia | 97.5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Tesla | 95.73 | 21 | 1 | 22 | 2 |
| Nissan | 93.2 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| Volvo | 91.9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 93.2 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Lexus | 98.8 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 6 |
| Land Rover | 87.3 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 7 |
| Hyundai | 92.9 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 8 |
| Ford | 45.45 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 9 |
| Audi | 93.5 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 10 |
Kia ranks 1st with a 97.5% positive sentiment score. The Korean manufacturer achieved an impressive sentiment result, making it the second most positively perceived brand. Kia also performed exceptionally well in safety perceptions, securing the 4th position in safety rankings and demonstrating balanced strength across both key metrics.
Tesla ranks 2nd with a 95.7% positive sentiment. The electric vehicle pioneer secured the top position in sentiment rankings with strong consumer feedback. Despite its popularity, Tesla received the second-lowest safety rank (32) among the top brands, highlighting a significant disparity between consumer enthusiasm and safety concerns.
Nissan ranks 3rd with a 93.2% consumer approval. The Japanese automaker earned a strong sentiment rate and ranked 3rdin sentiment rankings. Nissan performed well in safety perceptions with a 6th place safety rank, showing consistent performance across both sentiment and safety metrics.
Volvo ranks 4th with a 91.9% positive sentiment. The Swedish manufacturer achieved the 3rd highest safety rank, significantly outperforming brands like Tesla and Audi in this category. Volvo has strong consumer trust in its self-driving technology development, yet its sentiment score falls slightly below leaders like Kia and Tesla, placing it 7th in sentiment rankings.
Mercedes-Benz ranks 5th with 93.2% positive consumer feedback. The German luxury brand received identical sentiment to Nissan, placing it 5th in sentiment rankings. Mercedes-Benz also ranked 5th in safety perceptions, showing consistent performance across both metrics.
Lexus comes in 6th with a 98.8% positive sentiment score. Despite this great sentiment performance, Lexus ranked 10th in safety perceptions. Land Rover takes the 7th spot with an 87.3% positive sentiment score.
Hyundai ranks 8th with 92.9% consumer favorability. The Korean manufacturer achieved a strong sentiment result, placing it 6th in sentiment rankings. Hyundai’s 7th place safety rank, while respectable, couldn’t match Kia’s 4th position. Ford follows in 9th with a 45.4% positive sentiment score. Audi rounds out the top ten with a 93.5%favorable public opinion.
