Half of British drivers are concerned about the safety of connected cars
The report - commissioned by security firm Veracode and carried out by analysts at International Data Corporation (IDC) - revealed 49% of British drivers are concerned about the security of driver-aid applications, such as adaptive cruise control, self-parking, and collision avoidance systems.
The release of the research coincided with widespread media reports that a self-driving Google car was to blame for a collision with a bus on February 14.
Connecting a car to the internet makes it vulnerable to cyberattacks that could render the car unstable or dangerous, as highlighted in 2015, when a Jeep Cherokee was totally taken over by security researchers while driving at more than 70 mph on a US freeway.
Of the 1072 drivers polled equally in the UK and Germany, 87% believed all aspects of safety - including resiliency of applications to cyberattacks - rests with manufacturers, regardless of whether an in-car application was developed by a software company or the car manufacturers themselves.
All of the manufacturers that were interviewed, which included Seat, Fiat-Chrysler, and Bosch, admitted they had concerns around the security of critical systems being exposed to applications they did not develop.
To make matters worse for driverless car enthusiasts - including the UK government, which pledged £20 million to driverless car research last month - automotive manufacturers are also admitting there could be a security lag of up to three years before driverless car systems catch up with cyber threats.
"What we're seeing happen in the auto industry is a microcosm of what's happening in financial services, healthcare and virtually every other sector - applications are not created with security in mind, creating a major area of risk," said Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer of Veracode.
"Exposing a car to the internet makes it vulnerable to cyberattack due to poorly written software, which could render the car unstable or dangerous. Building a secure application development programme is a significant challenge for manufacturers, which is compounded by the need to do so under the microscope of government regulated safety standards and liability concerns."
Duncan Brown, research director, European security practice, IDC, said: "Manufacturers cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to application and overall system security within vehicles.
"The positive implication from our research is that the market for downloadable applications is large, spanning the entire market of drivers of all ages and genders. Manufacturers should increase their focus on how to secure applications that enhance car functionality, such as the many driving aids currently being developed."
IDC predicts the total market for automotive-related Internet of Things in 2016 could be worth $140.3 billion (£100 billion).