Majority of car buyers from showrooms over 55, research finds

Most car owners (55%) still buy their car from a showroom, increasing to 64% of over 55s, research by InsuretheGap.com has found.

The survey of 2,000 UK drivers found that more than a third (36%) buy from showrooms (men 38% and women 34%) so they can part-exchange their vehicle, get a warranty (33%) and because they feel they have better consumer rights (27%).

However, one-in-five (21%) find negotiating in a car showroom stressful (men 18% and women 22%), and one-in-10 (10%) prefer to buy cars online or privately (18% of under 34s) with 14% saying they can get a better deal not buying from a car showroom (18% of under 34s).

Ben Wooltorton at InsuretheGap.com said: “Car showrooms continue to dominate the car industry but it’s clear that the long-term trend is moving away from them.

“Consumers are becoming used to new ways of buying cars, including online marketplaces, so the showrooms need to adapt to make it worth a driver’s while to purchase from them.”

According to InsuretheGap.com data, 18% of car buyers purchase their vehicle from the website of a car manufacturer or car dealership, while 11% will go to a private seller, 6% will visit a car supermarket in person, 3% will visit an online retailer (3%), 3% an online marketplace (3%), while ‘other’ (making up 4% of respondents) may hacve recieved their car as a gift from family members.

One-in-20 drivers (7%) said they are happy to buy a car online without seeing it, rising to 10% of under 55s, but only 5% of over 55s; and one-in-10 (11%) would also buy a car without a test drive (men 13% and women 10%).

Recent increases in fuel prices have caused 37.94% of drivers previously not in the market for an electric car to consider one as their next vehicle, research by WhatCar? has recently revealed.

More than a third of in-market car buyers have decided to delay their purchase due to rising living costs.