The long-awaited April 12th re-start has finally arrived. In addition to restaurants, pubs, salons and other non-essential shops, we are super excited to see the re-opening of car dealerships. Not only does this mean that we can freely peruse the showrooms (with Covid-safety measures in place, of course) to check out the newest models that boast the latest and greatest features, we’re now able to carry out test drives, too.
An Auto Trader survey has shown us that there is nearly £18bn of household savings ready to be splashed about. While it’s reasonable to assume that not all of this will be put towards a new car purchase it does highlight that the pandemic has resulted in families sitting on excess cash to spend. Start your engines!
And yet while we can celebrate the opening of car dealerships, the reality is that never before has buying a new (or used) car been more confusing. We’ve all heard and read that we are undergoing a massive upheaval in the automotive space with electric vehicles to replace all sales of new petrol and diesel engine cars by 2030 (really??). This has undoubtedly led to a high level of confusion – and dare I say it, inertia – amongst potential new car buyers. Not only is the choice of vehicle today overwhelming, but cars haven’t gotten any cheaper, either. Buyers today have to consider whether electric vehicles are indeed suitable for their lifestyles, whether or not they should be moving away from the uber-popular SUV style (gasp!) to something smaller (read here for more thoughts!), and whether your old car needs replacing at all in light of the upcoming expansion of the ULEZ in London…the process of buying a car is indeed fraught with complications. It is for this reason that before you make any decision (which has the potential of being a very costly decision should it be the wrong one), get in touch with Car Sleuth to ensure you make the right choice for your next car.
As always, keep calm and drive on.
