Automotive Industry Digest

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Franchised dealers seen as the safest place to service a car

“It is extremely encouraging to see that franchised dealers continue to be seen by consumers as the safest place to get their car serviced”, said Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) commenting on the results of the latest Autumn 2017 Consumer Attitude Survey which were released today, 10 October 2017.

The Autumn 2017 NFDA Consumer Attitude Survey revealed that 67% of consumers think franchised dealers are the safest place to service their car. Only 22% of consumers see independent garages as the safest and 11% believe high street national chains are the safest. Franchised dealers are perceived as the safest also by those who have not used a dealership for aftersales care in the past two years.

This significant perception difference demonstrates that franchised dealers are regarded as best in class for vehicle servicing. When asked why franchised dealers were viewed as safer consumers said:

The have specialist expertise for the type of work I need

They have technical equipment and systems for my type of car

In addition, consumers think that franchised dealers are more trustworthy to carry out a service across all engine types than six months ago.

The Consumer Attitude Survey was commissioned by the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers across the UK, and executed by Public Knowledge, a leading market research agency. The survey polled 1,000 consumers across the UK in a 15-minute online survey between 9-21 June 2017. Public Knowledge considers the results statistically significant with a confidence level of over 99%.  The main objectives of the survey were to explore current consumer perceptions of franchised dealers and their competitors as well as understand consumer aftersales behaviour.

Sue Robinson continued, “Our members are at the forefront of aftersales servicing with safety viewed as the number one priority across all franchised dealers in the UK. The survey has demonstrated very significant data which validates the work of the franchised dealer network over a number of years.

“The results of this issue of the Consumer Attitude Survey show that NFDA members are trusted by the consumer and, with high levels of manufacturer training and specialist tools and equipment, we believe this trend can further improve.”

Automotive Industry Digest

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