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Nearly a third of owners planning driving holidays this year expect to buy more suitable cars, finds eBay Motors Group

Car owners planning to upgrade their vehicles this year, ahead of staycations and driving holidays in Europe, could prompt additional sales opportunities for dealers, according to research by eBay Motors Group.

Data from the latest Consumer Insight Panel study, of 2,000 in-market buyers, found almost a third (29%) expecting to use their cars on holiday plan to buy a more suitable car, rising to nearly half (47%) planning European vacations.

Overall, just over half (52%) of all buyers expect to take their cars on holiday in the UK or Europe at some point this year.

Those buyers most likely to upgrade their cars are parents of young children attending playschool (62%) and primary school (66%). The requirement of parents with secondary school children is also strong (59%).

“Our research has identified a need among some owners to upgrade their cars, which we expect will rise in the period leading up to the summer holidays,” said Lucy Tugby, Marketing Director of eBay Motors Group.

“Parents in particular will not just be looking for cars offering more space and flexibility; greater reliability will also be important, especially for those trading-out of older cars, as well as better fuel economy.

“Staycations and European driving holidays present opportunities for sales teams to engage with customers and find out what their family requirements are and match them to the most appropriate vehicles.

“For dealers this will mean an opportunity to consider sourcing family-sized cars and actively promote their holiday-friendly credentials online and in-store,” she said.

eBay Motors Group’s Consumer Insight Panel survey, independently researched by Insight Advantage, polled the views of 2,000 car buyers in March.