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Faster growth predicted for internet car sales, as motorists who are reluctant to buy cars online shrink to a minority 

FEWER motorists than ever before rule out buying a car entirely online, while those who are comfortable with the approach have reached a majority for the first time.

That’s according to new data released by the online car supermarket BuyaCar.co.uk, confirming a trend reported over the past 12 months by independent researchers as well as BuyaCar’s competitors.

The latest figures show that only 12.9% of car buyers now rule out the option of researching a car purchase and paying for it online without seeing the car first – the lowest figure since BuyaCar began measuring attitudes to online car buying in 2016.

BuyaCar.co.uk questioned 422 consumers* and found that, for the first time more than half – at 62.9% – view the prospect of buying a car entirely online with no negative feelings.

Analysts believe that a combination of headline-grabbing competitor launches, such as Cazoo and Cinch, together with the demonstrable benefits of buying cars remotely during the coronavirus crisis, have swung consumer sentiment strongly in favour of internet car sales.

And last week saw the publication of research unconnected with BuyaCar, revealing that one in five people expect online car sales to overtake those in showrooms by 2025.**

One in 10 car buyers now say they ‘strongly agree’ that they are happy to order a car for delivery to their home in an entirely online process, while a further 24.1% say they agree. Combined with all respondents who report no reluctance to buy online, the total figure for those who would consider buying online reaches 62.9%. This is the first time those who say they are uncomfortable with the idea have slipped into a minority.

Christofer Lloyd, Editor of BuyaCar.co.uk, said: “The online motor retail industry really came of age last year, when drivers realised just how convenient it can be to buy a car online for home delivery, even as traditional showrooms were forced to close due to the coronavirus crisis.

“And rarely a month goes by without a new business launching into our market, or reporting spectacular sales growth, so it is clear that enthusiasm for online car purchasing is growing all the time.

“But this is the first time we have seen evidence that those who remain reluctant to buy from an online car supermarket have slipped into a minority. It suggests that a corner has now been turned and that buying cars online is moving even faster into the mainstream.

“All the evidence we see from BuyaCar, its competitors and independent research, suggests that growth in the online car buying market is increasing all the time, driven at least partly by the rapid scaling up of the industry along with the advantages of a contactless order and delivery system during the pandemic.”

*Article Source www.buyacar.co.uk

Automotive Industry Digest

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