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Sector briefing · Data and analytics

Connected-vehicle data: value, consent and privacy

How carmakers are building services on vehicle data while meeting privacy rules.

ConfX editorial31 July 20263 min readAutomotive and mobility
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Why it matters

Connected vehicles generate data that can improve safety, maintenance, insurance and services. Using it depends on clear consent, privacy protection and, increasingly, rules on who can access the data.

Vehicle data can reveal where drivers go and how they drive, so its use is sensitive. Manufacturers that explain clearly what is collected and why, and let drivers choose, are better placed to build services on that data.

By the numbers

12 Sep 2025EU Data Act data-access rights for connected products, including cars, apply from this date 1
12 Sep 2026new connected products must be designed for direct data access where feasible 1
68%of 2025 automotive cyber incidents involved data and privacy breaches 3
58%of US consumers would be concerned about their vehicle's location data being shared 2
Consumers concerned about connected-vehicle data being sharedLocation dataData synced from phones
India
72%
73%
US
58%
62%
UK
55%
63%
Germany
49%
58%
Japan
43%
40%
China
39%
44%
Source: Deloitte, 2026 Global Automotive Consumer Study, January 2026

What's changing

  • Data protection authorities treat much vehicle data as personal data.
  • The EU Data Act gives users rights to access and share data generated by connected products.
  • Insurers, fleet operators and service providers want consistent access.

How leaders are responding

  • Designing consent journeys that drivers can understand and change.
  • Minimising and anonymising data where full detail is unnecessary.
  • Preparing technical interfaces for user-directed data sharing.

What good looks like

  • A clear data catalogue that customers and third parties can request from
  • Consent and privacy notices written for drivers, not lawyers
  • Data sharing priced and contracted under the Data Act's rules

What to watch

  • Application of the EU Data Act to connected vehicles.
  • Access to in-vehicle data for repairers and insurers.
  • Privacy-preserving analytics for fleet data.

Where to start

Create a single register of vehicle data flows, with the purpose and legal basis for each, before launching new data services.

Questions for your leadership team

  1. What vehicle data do we collect, and on what legal basis?
  2. How will we respond to requests to share data with third parties?
  3. Which data products create value without identifying drivers?
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