Automatic demand surging

Demand for automatic cars is soaring, with searches almost doubling in the last five years, according to research released by AA Cars, the AA’s used car website.

The proportion of searches expressly made for automatic transmission vehicles have risen from 9.9% in 2014, to 18.6% this year.

This rising demand is being met by an increasing amount of automatic used cars becoming available for sale. More automatic vehicles have been added to the AA Cars website over the same period, rising by more than a third from 23.4% of stock to 32.1%.

The growing interest in automatic cars will no doubt be bolstered by the number of them now being manufactured in the UK. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) discovered that 40% of new cars registered in 2017 featured an automatic gearbox, double the proportion in 2007.

Since 2017, the number of used automatic vehicles offered on the AA Cars platform has jumped by 19.3%, with these figures only expected to grow, boosted by the popularity of electric cars, which are mainly automatic. More automatic vehicles manufactured from 2017 are now entering the used car market.

James Fairclough, CEO of AA Cars said: “Automatic vehicles are being manufactured in greater numbers, but it is pleasing to see that drivers are responding positively to this added supply with even more of them actively searching for these cars.

“The increasing interest in electric cars is partly behind these figures, as the vast majority on sale are automatic and they are growing in popularity in the used car market.

“It is also no surprise to see that congested London is one of the best-stocked areas for automatic cars as they require much less effort to drive when someone is stuck in stop-start traffic.

“Every driver has different preferences for what they want from their car, so we would always urge people to take a car for a test drive before committing to a purchase. This can be an important step in determining if the car is in good condition, but will also help drivers decide if an automatic or manual is best for them.”