Cars Are Rolling Computers Now. So What Happens When They Stop Getting Updates?

Samsung and Google provide Android OS updates and security updates for seven years. Apple halts servicing products seven years after they stop selling them.

That might not cut it in the auto world, where the average age of cars on US roads is only going up. A recent report found that cars and trucks just reached a new record average age of 12.6 years, up two months from 2023. That means the car software hitting the road today needs to work—and maybe even improve—beyond 2036. The average length of smartphone ownership is just 2.8 years.

It’s not something that you might think about, but with all the technology in cars, how long will the tech be supported? Cars can last a long time if well maintained. Tech seems to be somewhat expendable.

My Honda Civic is now 10 years old and I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. The only “tech” I have in my car is the standard entertainment system, but newer cars have a whole lot more between cellular connectivity and much more.

Is it all going to be maintained and supported? Are security updates going to continue for the life of the car? What will GM, Ford, Honda and others consider the “life of the car”?