Women still feel shut out of car showrooms, finds Citroen

Nearly half of women say the car-buying experience is still a boys’ club, according to a new Citroën UK study.

The survey of 7,457 drivers revealed that 48% of women feel the car retail experience is biased toward men, with only a quarter feeling comfortable asking for help in a showroom.

And when they do, they’re four times more likely to look for a female member of staff over a male.

The discomfort runs deepest among younger women: one in five aged 17–24 say they’ve felt awkward just asking for help, and a striking 59% believe the entire process is skewed toward male customers with 44% of female drivers saying they’ve felt patronised by male retail staff.

Citroën’s research also pointed to a clear call for better representation. 77% of women want more diversity on car brand websites, while 64% want to see people like them featured in advertising.