Nearly half of automobile buyers expect to make a purchase order before the tip of the yr, while most prefer to sell their existing automobile to a dealer and are willing to travel as much as 50 miles to seek out the suitable automobile.
These are among the many findings of the most recent Motors Consumer Insight Panel, independently researched by Insight Advantage, which has polled the views of two,000 automobile buying decision makers.
The study found 47% want to buy inside the subsequent 12 months, a rise on the 40% who planned to accomplish that when last asked in September, with an extra 17% currently searching or planning to purchase before the tip of March.
Over 1 / 4 (27%) expect to purchase inside the first half of the yr.
Long term buying plans are also in place with 24% expecting to purchase in 2026 and 12% in 2027.
Buyers most probably to buy a automobile inside 12 months are men (52%), 25-34 year-olds (58%) and people with household incomes over £60,000 (52%).
Most buyers (52%) say they like to sell their existing automobile to a dealer, followed by private sales (23%) and specialist automobile buying services (12%).
The Consumer Insight Panel also identified that on average buyers are prepared to travel between 40 and 50 miles to seek out the suitable automobile at the suitable price.
Men usually tend to travel further (47 miles) than women (40 miles).
Buyers living in Scotland and the south west of England are prepared to travel the furthest at 50 miles.
With regards to selecting makes and models, buyers are mostly influenced by recommendations from family and friends (39%) and automobile search web sites (38%).
Lucy Tugby, marketing director of Motors, said: “Our first Consumer Insight Panel of 2025 reveals the appetite amongst decision makers to purchase their next automobile inside 12 months is stronger than it was last yr.
“Whether this reflects increased consumer confidence stays to be seen, but following an prolonged period of economic uncertainty, that is positive news for dealers making stocking decisions.
“The research also highlights the importance of pricing to market as buyers are prepared to travel a mean of 44 miles to buy a automobile they’ve seen online at a price they’re prepared to pay.
“Dealers play a key role within the buying and selling process, remaining the primary port of call for owners when selling their existing cars, highlighting the importance of offering competitive trade-in values to secure purchases and access used automobile stock.”
This Article First Appeared At www.am-online.com