2026 Mobility Outlook: Four Key Trends to Watch

By Gregory Ducongé, CEO of Vulog 

The year 2025 has been a rollercoaster, with tariffs, shifting EU policies, economic slowdowns, and intense pressure on mobility operators and automotive manufacturers. After more than a decade of uneven growth, experimentation, and rapid technological progress, the industry is entering a new phase characterized by greater efficiency, smarter execution, and more integrated technology.

The companies that succeed in 2026 will be those that adapt quickly and operate with focus and excellence. Here are a few mobility trends that will shape the industry in 2026.

Trend 1: Multi-service mobility becomes the global standard

Operators who unify services across a single fleet and platform will lead the market, while those who cling to siloed models risk falling behind.

For years, mobility services like rental, subscription, car sharing, and corporate fleets grew in separate silos, each with its own systems and operational processes. This fragmentation kills efficiency and leaves the vehicle underutilized.

The time is now for multi-service mobility

In 2026, the operators who will win are those who break down these silos and unify services on one fleet and one platform. This shift is driven by four converging forces:

1. Economics Demand It: One vehicle can now unlock multiple revenue streams from carsharing-based short urban trips to weekend and holiday rentals to long-term subscriptions. For instance, in Montreal, our free-floating carsharing venture LEO Autopartage saw its 600+ vehicle fleet fully booked over Thanksgiving, with many users renting the vehicles for one or more days in advance via the “schedule-a-trip” feature.” When operators layer carsharing, rentals, and subscriptions on top of this kind of baseline demand, multi-use vehicles dramatically increase utilization and reduce downtime.
2. Users Expect Flexibility: Consumers don’t want separate apps for different durations; they want seamless access “whenever, for however long.” This aligns perfectly with today’s digital-first expectations. And the shift is already happening: 90% of consumers now expect an omnichannel experience when purchasing a car, blending online and in-store interactions.
3. Operators Need Predictability: Multi-service fleets offer operators more than convenience; they provide stability. A unified fleet stabilizes revenue and reduces sensitivity to seasonal fluctuations. This predictability enables better planning, optimized fleet utilization, and more consistent cash flow throughout the year.
4. Technology Now Enables It: What once seemed impossible is now fully achievable thanks to advances in technology. Unified pricing models, multi-service booking flows, and telemetry-driven fleet routing allow operators to manage complex, multi-service fleets efficiently, making seamless, flexible mobility a practical reality.

By 2026, multi-service mobility will become the industry default. Operators who unify services across a single fleet and platform will lead the market, while those who cling to siloed models risk falling behind.

Trend 2: Profitability Pressure Redefines the Mobility Landscape

Profitability is no longer a financial outcome; in 2026, it becomes the defining competitive advantage that separates the operators who survive from those who disappear.

The era of cash-burning mobility is over. Capital is no longer cheap, and investors have zero tolerance for unprofitable business models. In 2026, operators will face unprecedented pressure to reach EBIT positivity quickly, not eventually.

This shift forces operators to mature fast, driving a new focus on:

• Operational efficiency
• Predictable unit economics
• Ruthless cost control
• Automation across the value chain
• Real-time data, diagnostics, and decision-making

Market consolidation is coming, are you ready?

The impact will be decisive. The market will undergo a rapid cleanup: unprofitable or undisciplined services will shut down or be absorbed, while strong operators, those with efficient operations, stable economics, and scalable models, will accelerate.

Profitability is no longer a financial outcome; in 2026, it becomes the defining competitive advantage that separates the operators who survive from those who disappear. Services like Leo&Go in Lyon – which reached breakeven within 21 months – are finding success by optimizing fleet availability, offering flexible access modes, and keeping operations lean. This proves that disciplined execution works, even in a challenging financial environment.

Trend 3: Security Will Become the Core of Mobility Operations

Security is no longer a back-office concern. It is a core competitive advantage and ignoring it will be costly

Security is the most overlooked blind spot in mobility today, and it will cause the most damage if ignored. Despite fleets being connected, unlockable, and command-driven, most operators still treat security like an optional IT hygiene task. That mindset is dangerous. In 2026, security will sit at the heart of every critical aspect of mobility operations.

Modern mobility systems like connected fleets, open APIs, cloud systems, and vehicle interfaces create an attack surface far larger than most operators realize. And the consequences of ignoring it are no longer theoretical. One breach, one compromised script, one tampered device, and an operator can lose customers, revenue, brand trust, insurers, and city partners in a short period of time. 

Security needs to be front of mind

Operators who place security at the forefront will scale and thrive. It’s no longer a “nice to have”; it’s the backbone of operational continuity, profitability, hardware integrity, API governance, data trust, user safety, insurer confidence, and regulatory approval. Those who do not recognize this will get burned, and some may not survive at all. Security is no longer a back-office concern. In the next phase of mobility, it is a core competitive advantage and ignoring it will be costly.

Trend 4: AI Becomes a Mandatory Layer of Mobility Operations

AI can amplify operational excellence, but if the foundation is weak, AI simply amplifies the chaos

AI is no longer optional in mobility. By 2026, it will be the only practical way for operators to meet the productivity and profitability levels investors now demand. But AI only creates value when it’s deployed with strict cost discipline. The winners will be the operators who apply AI precisely to high-impact workflows, not those who pursue vague, expensive “AI transformations.”

Agentic AI can handle 60-90% of customer support, but only when ticket flows are standardized, models are trained on real data, and escalation is tightly controlled. Otherwise, AI becomes a double cost: an expensive platform that still requires a bloated support team to manage. AI isn’t just a support engine, and it isn’t a magic fix.

AI and operational excellence are a dynamic duo

Here’s the real truth: the cheapest ticket is the one that never existed in the first place. And the only way to achieve that is through operational excellence. AI can amplify that excellence, but if the foundation is weak, AI simply amplifies the chaos. Failed bookings, charging issues, lockouts, billing disputes, and user misunderstandings don’t disappear because an operator “installed AI”; they disappear because the underlying operational logic is clean and predictable. AI only adds value when it sits on top of disciplined processes and frictionless user flows.

The same principle applies to operational AI. The operators who extract real value measure AI through a single metric: How many hours of human intervention did this eliminate? AI for operations must reduce headcount, time on task, and mileage for field teams. If it doesn’t, it’s noise, not innovation.

Spotlight on AI damage detection and management

AI-powered damage detection follows the same rule. Its value does not lie in the model; it lies in the speed and clarity the model brings to the process: faster identification, clearer evidence, fewer disputes, and vehicles returning to service sooner. When AI accelerates money recovery and minimizes downtime, it becomes a strategic asset. When it doesn’t, it simply adds another layer of cost.

In mobility, AI doesn’t replace strong operations – it multiplies them. Operators who invest in operational excellence first and use AI to reinforce and scale that excellence will be the ones leading the industry in 2026.

2026 Mobility Trends Conclusion

The companies that lead this next phase will be those that break down silos, secure their digital ecosystems, and apply AI with precision to eliminate unnecessary human work. These operators will execute with focus, automate wisely, and treat profitability as a daily operational metric, not a distant goal.

As the market undergoes inevitable consolidation, disciplined operators won’t just withstand the shakeout; they will define the new standard for sustainable, scalable mobility in 2026 and beyond.

Ready to lead the next era of mobility? Vulog empowers mobility businesses to future-proof their operations, leading to unparalleled growth and profitability. Learn more by visiting our site or booking a call with one of our mobility experts today.