User benefits of private passenger transport
25042
From 2025 to 2026
For FIA, TML carried out a study on the private benefits of personal motorised transport, focusing on cars and motorcycles. We conducted literature reviews and data analysis.
For FIA, TML explored a simple yet important question: why do people value cars and motorcycles so much? What do private vehicles bring to their daily lives? Instead of looking at the wider societal debate, we focused on the benefits experienced by users themselves. In short, what makes private mobility so attractive?
We reviewed international research from economics, mobility studies and behavioural science. We compared data from different regions of the world, from high-income countries to emerging economies. The analysis combined measurable indicators — like access to jobs and services — with less tangible factors such as autonomy, comfort and status. This allowed us to build a comprehensive picture of private user benefits.
The research showed that cars and motorcycles provided clear advantages in access to jobs, services and social participation, especially in rural and low-density areas. They offered speed, flexibility, and reliability that were often difficult to match with other modes. Beyond practical access, ownership created significant value through freedom, control, and independence.
Spending patterns and global vehicle growth reflect these findings. Around the world, households spend a significant share of their income on private transport, and vehicle ownership continues to grow as incomes rise. The strength of the relationship between income and motorization, however, is context dependent. Several factors influence this relationship, such as the socio-economic structure, land use, the presence of a domestic car industry and “car culture,” and transport-system features such as road infrastructure, quality of alternatives, relative costs of the transport modes, and policy.
For FIA, TML explored a simple yet important question: why do people value cars and motorcycles so much? What do private vehicles bring to their daily lives? Instead of looking at the wider societal debate, we focused on the benefits experienced by users themselves. In short, what makes private mobility so attractive?
We reviewed international research from economics, mobility studies and behavioural science. We compared data from different regions of the world, from high-income countries to emerging economies. The analysis combined measurable indicators — like access to jobs and services — with less tangible factors such as autonomy, comfort and status. This allowed us to build a comprehensive picture of private user benefits.
The research showed that cars and motorcycles provided clear advantages in access to jobs, services and social participation, especially in rural and low-density areas. They offered speed, flexibility, and reliability that were often difficult to match with other modes. Beyond practical access, ownership created significant value through freedom, control, and independence.
Spending patterns and global vehicle growth reflect these findings. Around the world, households spend a significant share of their income on private transport, and vehicle ownership continues to grow as incomes rise. The strength of the relationship between income and motorization, however, is context dependent. Several factors influence this relationship, such as the socio-economic structure, land use, the presence of a domestic car industry and “car culture,” and transport-system features such as road infrastructure, quality of alternatives, relative costs of the transport modes, and policy.
