Visiting dealerships and car search websites are the most popular destinations for buyers seeking advice, according to the latest Consumer Insight Panel research by Motors which polled 2,000 car buyers.
In person visits to dealers remains the most popular for 52% of buyers, up from 45% when last asked in 2022. These were closely followed by car search websites which increased their popularity from 39% to 42%.
Lucy Tugby, marketing director of MOTORS, said: “Building confidence is a crucial part of the car buying decision making process with our latest Consumer Insight Panel highlighting once again the high value buyers place on visiting dealerships in person, while also identifying the increased importance of car search websites in driving buyers to visit dealers.”
Car review websites were in third place (from 46% down to 41%), followed by advice from family and friends (39%) and carmaker websites (32%).
Other trusted sources included dealer websites, an increase 26% to 30%, while social media saw the biggest gain jumping from just 7% to 20%.
Nearly one in five (17%) car buyers said apps were their preferred online search tool while 35% of decision makers have either already used AI to search for a car or expect to use it to help find their next one.
Tugby added: “Mobile apps and AI usage among car buyers are playing increasingly important roles in car searches, which is why we have already committed to major investments in both across our platforms.”
