What’s driving car buying in 2022?
YouGov surveyed more than 19,000 consumers in 18 global markets to better understand past and future car purchase behaviors, measure the impact of digital disruptors on where and how people shop, and gauge the appetite for electrification in the global auto market.
The newly released YouGov Global Auto Whitepaper 2022, “The road ahead for future car buying”, shows that future car buyers from around the world say getting the best possible price is the most important factor when it comes to deciding where to buy their next vehicle (61%).
Against the backdrop of rising inflation affecting many parts of the world, it’s no surprise that price ranks highest on this list of purchase drivers. This is especially apparent among future car buyers in the US (70%), Canada (70%), Singapore (67%), Australia 67%) and Great Britain (65%) where more than two-thirds are focused most on price.
Being able to experience how a vehicle drives in-person is the second most influential factor, with more than half (57%) of future car buyers saying they would test drive before buying.
More than a third (35%) of global car buyers also consider the ability to trade in their current vehicle as an important factor when it comes to where they would buy their next vehicle. Nearly as important are factors such as receiving excellent post-purchase customer service (30%), as well as the opportunity to interact with a live sales associate (29%). It’s worth noting, however, that 8% want to avoid interacting with a real-life person when it comes to buying a car.
And considering rising consumer prices, a fifth of future car buyers say the ability to make a financial arrangement with the car company they’re buying from will play an important role in the company they decide to buy their next vehicle from.
This aspect of car buying is of particular interest to future car buyers in Mexico (33%), Singapore (31%), India (31%) the UAE (28%) Indonesia (27%) and Canada (26%).
Roughly a fifth of future car buyers are also interested in being able to browse their options from home (19%).
Near the bottom of the list of what will influence car buyers’ decision to buy from one place and not another is being able to get the vehicle delivered (13%), avoiding price negotiations (11%) and, of course, avoiding those interactions with a salesperson (8%).
Download YouGov’s new Auto Report 2022 to explore insights into 18 international markets, including:
- The rise of digital purchasing options
- Who is receptive to buying vehicles online
- Car purchase drivers
- The E-volution and the barriers facing the EV market
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