Auto insurance has become the biggest speed bump in the car-buying journey—Polly’s latest study shows buyers are spending hours comparing policies, with many delaying their purchase altogether as premiums climb, especially younger shoppers. In this episode of The Culture Lane, Polly’s vice president of distribution, Christopher Pres, breaks down what’s driving the crunch, how dealers and embedded insurance tech are stepping in, and what it all means for the future of buying a car.

Car buyers are rewriting the rules—rethinking what they’ll pay, how loyal they feel to brands, what they expect from in-car tech, and which powertrains they’ll consider next. Deloitte’s 2026 Global Automotive Consumer Study brings those shifts into focus. In this episode of The Culture Lane, we talk with Lisa Walker, vice chair and U.S. automotive sector leader at Deloitte, about how changing consumer expectations are reshaping the way automakers show up in the market.

ChargePoint has spent nearly two decades at the forefront of EV charging, powering billions of electric miles through a vast network of public and private ports and a growing ecosystem of software, hardware, and services. In this episode of The Culture Lane, we talk with Rob Newton, senior director of marketing at ChargePoint, about how the shifting EV landscape is shaping the company’s business—and what it reveals about the future of electric vehicles and charging.