Online option still lagging behind
Around one-in-10 buyers are considering buying their next car entirely online, according to the latest research by car buying platform What Car?.
Its weekly industry research of 1,181 in-market buyers found 48.87% of respondents stated they would be comfortable buying their next car entirely online, though just 9.31% are planning to do so.
The majority (72.82%) are planning to purchase via a mix of online research and direct shopping with dealers.
However, most buyers believe online retailers do not offer better deals over traditional forecourts, as 48.69% of respondents said they believe they could get the same deal on a car whether buying in person or online, while 29.21% believe buying direct from a retailer would result in a better deal.
Steve Huntingford, editor, What Car?, said: “The difference between the share of buyers comfortable buying a car online and those actually doing so shows the market potential for online retail. Interestingly, most buyers don’t see significant cost advantages from buying online, suggesting the reasons are more based on the convenience of removing some of the traditionally less enjoyable aspects of buying a car.”
