DEALERS have an opportunity to play a greater role in providing advice to customers choosing to take rising motoring costs on the chin, rather than consider electric alternatives.
JudgeService has identified a mix of stoicism and indecision among some car buyers when it comes to taking practical steps to mitigate the cost of living crisis.
When asked whether pump prices, which spiralled to record highs this summer, affected their current motoring habits, 40% said they were driving less, while nearly a third (31%) admitted they were choosing to absorb the costs.
JudgeService’s forthcoming State of the Nation III annual report analyses the views of over 3,000 car buyers who purchased within the last three years.
Buyers were similarly divided when asked whether the fuel hikes were prompting them to think about electric alternatives to ICE.
Half said the rises had made them more likely to consider an EV, while over a quarter (27.5%) maintained the rises will not have an impact and 22.5% were undecided.
Neil Addley, Managing Director of JudgeService, said: “Despite car buyers facing the challenges of balancing household and motoring budgets, as the cost of living crisis deepens, we’ve identified a strong feeling of stoicism with many prepared to take the extra financial hits on the chin.
“What this demonstrates is the increasing opportunity for dealers to provide even greater online and in-store advice for car buyers to help them weigh up the alternatives.
“BEVs, PHEVs or hybrids now make more economic and practical sense than ICE cars for some car buyers. For many dealers it’s no longer sufficient to have one or two electric specialists, who can talk knowledgeably about transitioning from ICE; everyone in the sales team needs to be trained to talk about all things electric.”
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