Experiential approaches to technology create opportunities for facilitating a wider range of in-car user experiences, however holistic knowledge regarding experiences that car users find enjoyable is lacking. We present the experiencethemes of the car as a caretaker, the car as a space for relatedness, the car as a space for stimulation, and the car as a space for transition, collected through a holistic study of 16 drivers, using contextual interviews, reflexive photography and the UX curve method. The use of the themes is exemplified through a design example. The experience themes can help designers empathize with users and create design solutions that can support positive in-car experiences, while the methodology used, serves as an example of how user’s experiences with technology can be studied. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.