Car Usage Rising as Lockdown Restrictions Ease

JudgeService research shows car usage rising as lockdown restrictions ease, with further increases expected over the summer

12 July 2021 - 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 new 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%.

“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,” said Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.

“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.

The top three rated brands were BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover, followed by Peugeot, Audi, Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Hyundai, Skoda and Seat.

“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,” said Addley.

The JudgeService State of the Nation II report will be published online next week.

Further details and comments available from Neil Addley on 07795 665927 or neil@judgeservice.com.

About the Judge Serviced State of the Nation II survey

The second annual State of the Nation survey was conducted in May 2021 and is based on responses from 2,150 consumers who had bought a car in May or June 2018, 2019 and 2020. Copies of the report will be available next week.

About JudgeService

Launched in 2011 by Neil Addley, JudgeService is the UK's only customer review platform developed exclusively for the car retailing sector. By ensuring all reviews are verified and genuine, JudgeService builds a solid foundation of trust and respect between customers and sellers enabling car retailers to actively manage their online reputations.

JudgeService shares granular insight reports with dealers to help them identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction levels, with many achieving 100% recommendation scores.

Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, JudgeService has published over 1 million customer reviews and is used by over 1000 franchised, independent, and car supermarket sites across the UK.

Issued by Curtis Hutchinson Communications

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