New car buyers remain undeterred by second lockdown, says survey

Though the second lockdown period in England has forced dealers to close their doors, a recent survey has found that car buyers remain keen to get their hands on a new vehicle.

A poll of 1,000 people by Auto Trader found that of those buyers who were looking to purchase a new car in the next three months, more than half said that they will buy a car within the next two weeks.

When asked whether the lockdown measures had affected their decision to buy a car, 55 per cent of those polled said it made no impact, while seven per cent said that it had made them want to purchase a car even quicker.

Just 14 per cent of respondents said that it had made them put off their purchase.

An Auto Trader spokesperson said: “This lockdown is different to last time and there’s a job to do to ensure all car buyers know this. Whilst they can’t go and visit dealers on their forecourts during lockdown, they can still buy a car from the comfort of their own home.

“Under the new restrictions, dealerships can still operate home delivery and click & collect, so people can absolutely go ahead with buying their next car during this period.”

The first lockdown in the spring saw car dealers adapt, implementing new measures which allowed people to purchase a car online and have it delivered to their driveway. In addition, dealers are permitted to operate click and collect services during this second lockdown period.

In fact, research by Auto Trader found that 50 per cent of car buyers are now willing to purchase their next car via click and collect or home delivery services during the lockdown period, reflecting a real change in car buyer habits. Prior to 2020, buying a car completely online was not a service offered by many retailers.

Advertisement