What do new drivers want in their cars?

It’s been forever the view of older drivers that the younger generation do like their gadgets.

And that may be true, but a survey recently conducted by carsales has found that the respondents in the main place a car’s fuel efficiency ahead of any other consideration as a reason to buy that particular car.

The survey, one of two conducted in June and July, polled 3291 car buyers, of whom 588 had only recently obtained their driving licence.

Close to 70 per cent of the newly-licensed respondents rated fuel efficiency (economy) an important criterion, in varying degrees. The vehicle’s purchase price was not far behind fuel efficiency.

But the polarised opinions centred around the car’s purchase price led to a result placing fuel efficiency ahead of price for its collected ‘importance’ points. Quite a few drivers felt that the car’s price was not at all important, and that further skewed the results in favour of fuel economy, overall.

Safety was rated a relatively distant third for importance, at just over 50 per cent, followed by brand recognition (over 40 per cent), looks/styling (below 40 per cent) and in-car technology (barely 20 per cent).

The difference in perceived importance for fuel efficiency and purchase price begs an obvious question: Why?

And why is in-car technology – infotainment systems, primarily – less important to today’s new driver than the car’s presentation (looks and styling)?

A qualified answer to the first question could be related to covid-19. New drivers may already have the cash saved to buy a car, but their working budget in months to come will likely depend on fuel prices remaining low, on job security holding up, and the car costing relatively little to run and own.

Head of Customer Experience at carsales, Deb Heaphy, suggests that COVID-19 has led people to be more critical in how they assess the ongoing costs of car ownership.

“While price was still an important factor in the decision making for those newly licenced drivers, perhaps the ‘uncertain future’could be driving the focus on fuel consumption.,” she said.

Many respondents agreed or strongly agreed that coronavirus had compelled them to bring forward their licence test. Nearly 47 per cent of them felt that way. That points to some anxiety among younger members of the population, and that could be feeding into the changing criteria for deciding which car to buy.

Public transport is now seen as a mode of transport where you’re more likely to contract covid-19. With that cloud hovering over trains, trams and buses, personal transport is looking good, but the cost of car ownership can’t be discounted altogether.

As for the second question, perhaps younger buyers are so used to carrying around their camera, music, social media platforms, contacts and calendar in a phone that in-car technology is not the drawcard it once way.

It seems, however, that looks and styling never go out of fashion.