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The modern car buyer prioritises strong customer service over vehicle pricing, Regit CEO and Founder Chris Ashton-Green told Cox Automotive’s Insight Quarterly readers.
Customer service outweighs industry topics such as the rights and wrongs of the agency model.
Green said: “In our latest consumer survey, we asked our 2,000 car drivers how they see car buying in 2024 and the overarching message is clear: put quality customer service first.”
Cox Automotive’s insight director Philip Nothard added: “This new survey reveals some reassuring opinions for dealers.
“The data shows car buyers want to engage with dealers in the traditional sense – two-thirds want the option to haggle with their dealer to try and force a better price, and 67% want to give their data and business to the dealer instead of the manufacturer.
“In what will be a surprising stat to some, almost 7 in 10 (68%) said they would rather spend more on a car as long as it came with excellent customer service, as opposed to getting a great deal on a vehicle that was accompanied by a poor customer experience.”
In addition, Regit’s survey highlights an information gap regarding consumers switching to electric. Four in 10 said they don’t know enough about EVs to buy one.
Green said: “That knowledge gap could be partially closed by better online platforms that give the car buyer the information they want, such as battery health.
“But ultimately, we’re some time away from the masses wanting to make every action related to buying a non-ICE car an online one.”