What new cars are consumers looking at?

September plate change is here! Each month we see 1.3m buyers searching for their next new car on Auto Trader with plate change enticing many buyers to consider a new car now. But which cars are they looking at?  

On a positive note, new car registrations have continued to grow year-on-year, with August seeing a 24.4% uplift in transactions. However, this growth is mostly being driven by the fleet sector, with private sales actually down 8.1% in August. If we are to see sustained growth in the car sector we need to see an increase in private sales, whether this is driven by incentives or other means.  

Premium brands continue to be among the most popular new cars on our marketplace, with the top ten most viewed new cars on Auto Trader being dominated by BMW, with the German marques models appearing five times. In the first week of plate change premium brands have had 47% share of new car advert views, however, we have seen more consumers looking at volume brands (such as the Volkswagen Golf) with 49% share of new car advert views. 

The past couple of months have seen the popularity of new electric cars (EVs) decline. In fact, there have been no EVs featured in our monthly top ten most popular new EVs for several months. But plate change seems to have revived some interest. In the first week of plate change, we have seen clear interest in affordable EVs with both the MG4 and the MG ZS appearing in the top 10.  

Fuel Type 

Despite the EVs share of advert views rising, ICE continues to dominate the share of new car views with 55%. Electric only had 17% of ad views and Full/Mild hybrids was at 18%.  

Body Type 

SUVs continue to be the darling of the market with over 50% share of stock and 52% Ad views, followed by Hatchbacks which have a 24% share of Ad views. This may be as there are more SUVs on the market due to manufacturers moving away from hatchbacks with legacy models such as the Ford Fiesta being discontinued.   

Colour 

Summer is over and the barbie effect has ended, with no bright colours appearing in the most searched for colours this week. The British public are preparing for the bad weather with the top three colours being grey, black and white.  

New Vehicles Masterclass 

Our latest New Vehicles masterclass explores best practice tips and tricks for advertising brand new and pipeline stock on Auto Trader. In just 18 minutes, you'll learn how to create engaging adverts, specifically for new cars and vans. 
 
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