Intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) are the foundation to create an intelligent transport eco-system. While the population of ICV users is gradually increasing, the motives underlying use of ICVs remain unclear. Here, we developed a scale to measure motives for ICV use. Taken the results of explorative factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis together, we suggested a four-factor model: symbolic, instrumental, affective-self, and affective-other motives. We found that ICV users with different characteristics in age, annual income and driving distance evaluated the importance of motives differently. ICV users who are richer and drive longer distances are more likely to show higher symbolic and affective-self motives. Also, users' symbolic motive grows with age. Finally, we found that symbolic and affective motives correlated highly with social norms and loyalty, while instrumental motives related to perceived control feelings toward operating the vehicle. These findings shed novel insights on how to design ICVs and make related policies.