Motorists continue to buy cars during lockdown 2

 

One day into the latest lockdown and research suggests that motorists looking for a new car are still planning to make their purchases. Of those who are looking to buy in the next three months, over half of them (58%) said they will buy a car within the next two weeks.

Auto Trader surveyed over 1,000 car buyers this week. When asked if the government’s announcement had affected their decision to buy a car, 55% said it had made no impact, and 7% said it made them want to purchase a car even quicker. Just 14% said it had made them delay their purchase.

Boris Johnson’s latest action on beating the spread of coronavirus has meant car dealerships across England must close their forecourts, however they can still operate home delivery and click & collect services.

Research by Auto Trader shows over 50% of car buyers are willing to buy via Click & Collect or a Home Delivery service during the lockdown period, signalling a clear intention to not let the pandemic halt their plans. This is a marked change in their behaviour, as buying a car fully online was not the norm before 2020.

This comes as no surprise given Brits will want to see friends and family over Christmas and are looking at ways to travel while avoiding public transport. Car ownership is an obvious option to do so and has resulted in car buyers determined to go ahead with their purchases before Christmas.

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. While 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.”