Why the Automotive Industry Deserves More Focus on Software Quality

For decades, automotive innovation was measured in horsepower, design, and fuel efficiency. But that era is shifting. Today, the defining feature of a vehicle isn’t just under the hood, it’s also in the software.

Modern vehicles now ship with up to 100 million lines of software code, and that number is expected to climb dramatically in next-generation electric and autonomous vehicles. Software already accounts for a growing share of vehicle value, and the global automotive software and electronics market is projected to reach around $462 billion by 2030.

The message is clear: the car is becoming the next connected device, an app on wheels.

The Car Is Now an App and That Changes Everything

Cars are no longer static mechanical products. They’re software platforms that update themselves, learn driver behavior, and connect to third-party services in real time.
Over-the-air (OTA) updates are now common, enabling new features, bug fixes, and UI improvements without a trip to the dealership. Infotainment systems have become ecosystems of their own by integrating maps, media, messaging, payments, and even digital assistants.

A major way drivers experience the car is through the software, whether that software is built by the automaker or by an app developer. When an app stutters, a screen lags, or voice recognition misfires, the frustration still happens inside the vehicle, and it shapes how drivers feel about the overall experience.

Automakers recognize this shift as well. The industry increasingly views software not as an add-on, but as a core part of the vehicle’s identity. Research from Capgemini reinforces this: 92% of automotive organizations believe that every automaker will need to evolve into a software company to support software-defined vehicles.

That’s why quality can’t stop at the app level. It’s a shared responsibility across the entire ecosystem from the automaker to the developer, to make sure every interaction on that screen feels seamless, safe, and reliable.

The Automotive App Ecosystem Is Expanding Fast

There’s still a perception that cars only support a small set of apps, such as navigation, music, and messaging. That may have been true once, but that has been changing and will continue to change rapidly.

The in-vehicle apps market was valued at $62.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $132 billion by 2034.

This growth isn’t just about entertainment. Drivers are increasingly using productivity apps, video conferencing tools, payment services, and vehicle-specific companion apps right from the dashboard.

A recent consumer study shows:

• 26% of drivers have downloaded more than five connected-car apps
• 1 in 10 have downloaded more than ten.

Platforms like Android Automotive OS are accelerating the shift. Google’s “Car-Ready” initiative now helps developers bring more mobile apps directly to the car screen.

The takeaway is simple: vehicles are becoming multi-app platforms. And with more apps comes more complexity and far more need for rigorous testing.

The Overlooked Challenge of Testing Quality at Scale

Despite how quickly vehicles are evolving, testing practices haven’t caught up.

Many teams still depend on physical vehicles, cables, and local head units for validation. While this traditional method works for small-scale testing, it can’t match the pace of continuous software delivery. Each new feature, OS update, or integration adds complexity, making in-car validation a growing bottleneck.

This gap between software speed and testing capability carries real-world risks. In 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 1,000+ recalls affecting nearly 35 million vehicles across the U.S. automotive market. While not all of these were software-related, NHTSA notes that a growing share of modern recalls now stem from software, connectivity, and electronic system issues, a clear signal that in-car software quality has become a safety concern, not just a user-experience issue.

If cars are becoming apps, then automotive testing must evolve like app testing; fast, automated, scalable, and continuous.

A New Standard for Testing

The industry is at a turning point. The shift toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and electric mobility demands a new standard for testing. One that combines the rigor of automotive engineering with the agility of modern software development.

That’s where solutions like Digital.ai Testing come in:

• The first and only unified platform supporting automated testing for Android Auto, Android Automotive, and Apple CarPlay.
• Built around industry-standard frameworks like Appium, enabling teams to automate flows end-to-end and run continuous validation across CI/CD pipelines.
• Designed for scalability, giving teams the ability to test across OS versions, device types, and display configurations, all without maintaining physical vehicles or head units.

By bridging the gap between traditional validation and modern software practices, teams can ensure that innovation doesn’t come at the cost of reliability or safety.

Why This Deserves More Focus

As vehicles grow smarter and more autonomous, the margin for error shrinks. A lag or crash that might annoy a smartphone user could distract a driver at 60 mph.
The data is clear: as in-vehicle software grows and OTA updates become standard, testing must evolve into a continuous process, one that keeps pace with every patch, feature rollout, and ecosystem change.

Car makers must start to treat quality as a safety requirement, not just an engineering standard.

The Road Ahead

The automotive industry stands at a crossroads, one defined not by how fast we drive, but by how safely our software performs.

The future of driving depends on the quality of the software behind it. The question isn’t when cars become apps anymore, but whether we’re testing them like they already are.