A YouGov poll on behalf of Carsnip has revealed that 60% of used car drivers will return to trustworthy dealers.

The survey commissioned last month found that more than half of the 2,020 motorists polled feel that trust in the dealership plays a big role in purchasing a car –while 62% felt that price was the main factor in their decision.

Motorists were asked a series of multiple choice questions with answers based on likelihood.

When asked how likely they would be to purchase the same make and model of car for less money from elsewhere if they trusted their existing dealer - just 10% said ‘very likely’.

Carsnip’s chief executive Alastair Campbell (pictured) said: “We wanted to challenge that frustrating cliche that says used car salespeople can’t be trusted.

“Our research shows that they can, and in fact when it comes to the holy grail of repeat business, trust breeds loyalty. Trust takes time to develop and this is where the most digitally savvy dealers are winning by focusing on driving early stage customers to their websites as early as possible.”

The poll highlighted that online sales remains an untapped resource for dealers, with just 2% of drivers saying that having the convenience of being able to buy a car online would be their main consideration.

“These dealers are supporting drivers through their car buying journey by positioning themselves as the experts - this is the opposite of today's classified websites where dealers generally engage with customers at the end of the buying process when price is more likely to be the primary motivation.

“The big take-away for dealers is that building trust and investing in digital skills to drive early stage engagement with buyers can pay off in more sales and better margins,” said Campbell.

  • Total sample size was 2,020 UK adults, lowered to 1,433 UK adults who had previously bought a car. Fieldwork was undertaken in April. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).