Online car buyers most likely to purchase on Monday lunchtime

More consumers buy cars online between 11am and 3pm on a Monday than at any other time during the week, according to data from BuyaCar.

Analysts at the online car supermarket crunched the numbers on the browsing habits of its customers during 2020, to determine when motorists are most likely to press the button on a purchase. 

They found that before the coronavirus lockdown began in March more people bought a car between the hours of 5pm and 6pm - when many workers were winding down for the day - than at any other time. 

But that has now changed so that the hours between 11am and 3pm have become the busiest times for sales on BuyaCar’s website. 

Christofer Lloyd, editor of BuyaCar.co.uk, said: “It looks as if people who are able to work from home are probably driving the trend toward more car purchases during working hours. 

“Previously there was a clear pattern of car buying activity coinciding most heavily with lunch breaks and the time when people are likely to be wrapping up work for the day. 

“We believe that with less need for discretion about mixing internet use for professional and personal purposes, under the watchful eyes of colleagues or managers, it seems that consumers are buying more than ever at the time that suits them.” 

“What hasn’t changed, though, is that many motorists seem to enjoy kick-starting the week by purchasing a car. Many people get to the end of the weekend with a sense of dread, but buying a car seems to have a much more uplifting effect at the start of the week.” 

The Office For National Statistics has reported that more people are ‘teleworking’ in 2020 than at any time since records began in 1998. 

In common with 2016 and 2017, when the data on the ‘hottest’ moments for online car buying was last analysed, Monday appears to remain the day when most people choose to purchase following a weekend of research, with car buying activity gradually tailing off as the week progresses. 

Analysts also found the hours between 11pm and 2am from Tuesday into Wednesday are the busiest late-night period for online buyers.

A recent survey of more than 1,000 consumers who purchased a car through carwow since the UK's first dealership reopenings confirmed a shift towards digital car retailing.

In total, 54% of recent carwow buyers in the UK surveyed by the web-based marketing platform said they would continue to do the bulk of their car buying online from now on..

The survey also found that 43% of carwow buyers in the UK purchased a new car without ever visiting a showroom and 36% of all UK buyers valued changes made by dealers to accommodate remote buying.