Research into consumers’ new car buying habits reveals that most will visit three or more dealerships before making a purchase.
The industry regularly cites figures from Google that suggested dealer visits had fallen from an average 2.2 visits in 2012 to 1.7 in 2015.
And separate research by Auto Trader in 2015 said the figure was 2.2 dealerships.
But, according to consumer research by Buyacar.co.uk a third of consumers visit three dealerships and nearly the same number (33.4%), four or more. The total percentage of those visiting at least three is 67%.
It also looked at two age groups: 54 and under and 55 and over. Buyacar found that the younger demographic were keener on dealership visits – 66% visited three or more dealerships.
And across both age groups, dealerships remain the favourite source of information in the car buying journey for 70.7% of respondents. The next favourite source is online reviews (67.8%), proving more popular than online customer reviews (49.7%).
| Total | 54 & under | 55 & over | |
| 1 | 12.5% | 12.2% | 12.6% |
| 2 | 20.4% | 20.7% | 20.2% |
| 3 | 33.5% | 33.0% | 33.7% |
| 4 | 11.2% | 10.3% | 11.7% |
| 5 or more | 22.2% | 23.5% | 21.6% |
| Information source | Total | 54 & under | 55 & over |
| Visit dealership | 70.7% | 66% | 73% |
| Online expert reviews | 67.8% | 77% | 63% |
| Online customer reviews | 49.7% | 59% | 45% |
| Magazine reviews | 62.2% | 67% | 60% |
| TV reviews | 8.9% | 16% | 5% |
| Other | 6.4% | 8% | 6% |
Austin Collins, Buyacar.co.uk founder, said: “This research shows just how thoroughly people research their next car purchase, with more than half citing magazine opinions and online expert reviews as an important source of information.
“But dealers are clearly still the go-to source when motorists are researching their next car, topping the list of all information sources mentioned in our survey.
“We know from countless studies and stories that many consumers are uncomfortable with the traditional car buying process.
“We also know that people conduct more research online than ever before and are increasingly prepared to complete the purchase online.
“However, it seems buyers remain keen to try - or at least see - before they buy.
“These findings demonstrate that dealers need a multi-channel route to market to make the most of the increasingly diverse ways that people approach car buying today.”
A total of 500 consumers were surveyed.
Jeremy has been a journalist for 30 years, 20 of which have been in business-to-business automotive. He was a writer and news editor on AM-sister brand Fleet News for three years before setting up the AM website. For the last five years he has been Bauer B2B’s head of digital helping to manage the digital assets of AM, together with Fleet News, Commercial Fleet, Rail and Smart Transport.
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