Revealed: how buyers choose new cars

More than three-quarters of Brits do careful research before buying a new or second-hand car, claims new research.

Our car buying habits have been analysed by InsureTheGap.com in an Opinium survey and it would seem that we’re a pretty sensible bunch.

However, there are still plenty of people who are swayed by emotional factors such as how good a car looks or whether it has a new car ‘look and feel’ with almost a third of men admitting to going over budget for a car which looks good (21% women).

Overall, an impressive 78%, of the 2,000 UK drivers surveyed, do careful research before buying a new or second-hand car including checking its fuel efficiency, safety and general reliability record.

The survey also found that for a majority of car buyers practicality overrides looks, with more than two-thirds (71%) saying that finding a car that is reasonably priced, fuel-efficient, reliable and easy-to-fix is more important than how it looks.

Interestingly, almost one in 10 car buyers use a car checking service, provided by organisations like the AA and RAC, to give a used car the once over before buying (9% men v 7% women).

When it comes to second-hand versus new, a brand new car with that all-important new car ‘look and feel’ is enough to sway over a quarter (28%) of buyers, even if it costs a lot more.

Men (31%) are more likely than women (24%) to want a brand new car, as well as under 34s (35%); and regionally, Londoners (43%) and the north-east of England (37%) prefer new to second-hand.

Finally, almost a sixth (14%) of car buyers would love to have an additional ‘fun’ car, like a sports car or a classic, as well as their everyday car (17% men v 10% women).

“Buying a car is a massive investment and it pays to do some serious research by reading the trade press, looking at plenty of reviews, and researching costs beyond the simple purchase price, such as the cost of servicing and parts, as well as the potential future trade-in value of the car you’re considering,” said Ben Wooltorton of InsuretheGap.com.

“After all, not all cars depreciate at the same rate or cost the same amount to fix and it’s important to factor this into the overall cost of ownership.

“Be brutally honest with yourself too: the two-door convertible sports car may not be the best thing for a family of four with a dog, however tempting it may be.

“We can all relate to the fact that perhaps the car that meets our practical needs is not necessarily the car of our dreams.”