Two thirds of car buyers now contact a dealer after accessing the website via smartphone or tablet, according to Motors.co.uk.

The trend indicates a unique approach from automotive consumers, with customers using online retail platforms in other retail sectors completing a purchase from an online shopping basket via their desktop.

In the first half of 2016, 66 per cent of leads for Motors.co.uk dealers were generated by consumers on a smartphone or a tablet, the business said.

Motors.co.uk also saw a 5% rise in visitors using a mobile device in H1 2016, with 65% looking for their next car on a smartphone or tablet, compared to 60% during the same period in 2015.

Dermot Kelleher, director of marketing and business intelligence at Motors.co.uk, said: “We are delighted that our website offers the right functionality that allows visitors to contact dealers directly from their smartphone or tablet.

“The market cannot ignore that more than two-thirds of consumers use mobile devices when looking for their next vehicle and we fully expect this to rise as data costs come down in price and 4G coverage increases.

“We will continue to update our mobile services to ensure visitors are given an engaging and fluid user experience and we encourage dealers to think the same when reviewing their own websites.”