CAR owners are back on the roads in increasing numbers with mileages set to increase over the course of the summer as foreign holidays are put on hold, according to consumer research by JudgeService.
The report found car owners are using their vehicles more frequently than during the 2020 lockdowns with 44% now using their car every day, compared to just 27% a year ago.
JudgeService’s forthcoming State of the Nation II report, polled the views of 2,150 car owners to reveal usage and buying trends as the UK comes out of Covid restrictions.
With workplaces gradually reopening, more owners are using their cars to travel to work, a year-on-year increase from 32.4% to 47.4%. Shopping remains the primary reason people use their cars, accounting for 60% of usage, although this is down from 70% year ago, while leisure has doubled from 22% to 44%.
Neil Addley, Managing Director of JudgeService, said: “We’re seeing significant changes in car usage following the easing of lockdown restrictions, people are spending less time working from home and returning to their commute and with foreign holidays on hold for many, we are seeing a jump in leisure usage.
“We believe this change in usage has contributed to the boost in enquiries for car sales and will continue to do so especially among people wishing to avoid sharing their personal space when commuting.
“With over a third of owners saying they do not plan to travel on public transport for the foreseeable future, car usage will undoubtedly increase as a result, which presents dealers with a welcome opportunity to grow their new and used sales, providing they can source stock, as well as aftersales for servicing and repair work.”
The research shows car usage is likely to increase over the course of the summer with only 10% of respondents saying they had booked a holiday abroad, while a quarter have booked one in the UK.
With owners returning to the roads, the report asked how much they enjoy their driving experiences and if their brand of choice made them feel successful.
In total over 80% of owners agreed to some extent that they love to drive and like to feel successful, the report analysed these responses to show how they correlated with the brands chosen by owners.
Neil Addley
The top three rated brands were BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover, followed by Peugeot, Audi, Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Hyundai, Skoda and Seat.
Addley said: “For the first time we have explored the emotional attitudes towards driving and the association of feeling successful. It’s easy to make the assumption that people who are successful in life are more likely to own a high-performance car and therefore feel happier when driving. However, our findings show this is not the case with a good mix of premium and mainstream brands ticking the boxes for their owners.
“What we’re seeing is the results of PCPs making premium cars more accessible, while volume brands have made their cars more desirable and enjoyable to drive. The key here is for dealers to recognise that owners’ attitudes towards driving and success reveal an important element of emotion involved when buying a car, it is not just about getting from A to B.”
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