The adoption of transportation innovations can be driven by a variety of motivations, including functional, symbolic and societal considerations. We compare these motives regarding consumer choice of electric and shared mobility, using survey data from a sample of Canadian adopters and non-adopters of electric vehicles, car-sharing and shared ride-hailing (n = 529). Our framework includes four perception categories: private-functional (e.g., costs and convenience), private-symbolic (e.g., making good impressions), societal-functional (e.g., protecting the environment) and societal-symbolic (e.g., spreading inspiration). We apply two data analytic approaches, finding that positive private-functional perceptions are consistently associated with adoption across all three innovations, especially convenience and compatibility. Other patterns vary by innovation. Most notably, positive private-symbolic considerations are significantly associated with electric vehicle adoption. Results suggest that while functional considerations are important, symbolic motives can also be important but with more nuance.