February 1st, 2023, Bhavika Bansal
A large investment, and long-term commitment for many, buying a car is often preceded by thorough online and offline research. A recent YouGov survey across 17 global markets revealed that almost a quarter of Britons (23%) check social media reviews before purchasing a car.
Data from YouGov Global Automotive Profiles also reveals that recommendations from friends and/or family is one of the top five methods of research used by Britons who intend to purchase a new, used, or certified pre-owned car over the next 12 months. Almost two-fifths of prospective car buyers in GB (38%), significantly higher than the global average (32%) consider such recommendations before picking a new set of wheels.
Evidently, recommendations can play a major role in increasing sales for carmakers in Great Britain.
And with almost a fifth of Britons (17%) intending to buy a new car, a quarter (25%) intending to buy a used car and more than a third (31%) intending to buy a certified pre-owned car over the next 12 months, an insight into which carmakers in GB have the highest consumer recommendation scores can be quite helpful.
Data from YouGov BrandIndex reveals that Volkswagen earned the highest Net Recommendation score - which tracks whether consumers would recommend a given brand to a friend or tell them to avoid it - between October 2022 and January 2023. The German auto giant- UK's best-selling car brand for the second consecutive year - scored 21.3 points during the 3-month period.
The American Ford Motor Company – manufacturer of the Puma, Kuga and Fiesta, three of Britain’s top ten most popular car models - comes in a close second with a score of 21. Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota sits at a distant number three, registering a score of 18.7 points.
In fourth place, Volkswagen-owned Audi registers a score of 17.7. The 2022 Auto Express Used Cars Awards were a winning year for the German car brand with its A4 Saloon being named the ‘Used Compact Executive Car of the Year’ and the A5 Coupe winning the ‘Used Coupe of the Year’ award.
The Swedish multinational vehicle manufacturer Volvo closes out the top ten with a score of 16 points.
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Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Recommend score is based on the question: Which of the following brands would you recommend/tell a friend to avoid and delivered as a net score between –100 and +100. The data is based on the interviews of GB adults aged 18+ between October 25, 2022 and January 24, 2023. The figures are based on a four-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.
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