Research hints at mass car driving future

The vast majority of people have said they will continue to use their car after lockdown finishes rather than using public transport.

The figures, produced by online car website Buyacar.com, reveals that a 86.4% say they intend to use their own vehicle after lockdown, with just 4.4% taking other transport modes and 9.2% undecided.

The data, which is supported by similar research last year, signals to large-scale demand for car dealerships and the vehicle industry once travel can resume.

BuyaCar experts believe demand for used cars in particular will be boosted by the unusually low mileages on thousands of 2020 cars, which have been parked for much of the past 12 months, making them more desirable, especially in contrast with new cars. 

Christofer Lloyd, editor of BuyaCar.co.uk, said: “Last year we saw the release of massive pent-up demand at the end of the first lockdown but our latest research suggests that demand will be even higher this year. 

“This is because many people are now explicitly stating that they would prefer to use their cars when restrictions are eased, rather than other modes of travel, as the simplest way to ensure effective social distancing. 

“More car use is guaranteed to spur more demand for cars, in our view, helped by a strong supply of attractively low mileage models in particular. With such a wide choice of barely used 2020 models, choosing a nearly new model over a much more expensive brand new car has never made more sense than it does now.”

  • image from Shutterstock

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