INSIGHTS

Women tend to prefer cars that are affordable and have good fuel economy and these tend to be mostly manufactured by Korean automakers such as Kia and Hyundai, and the Japanese automakers Nissan and Mitsubishi.
Factors that affect the choice of some women in Europe to purchase a particular car include the costs of maintenance, low purchase prices, fuel consumption, and attractiveness, among others.

Detailed research reveals that some factors which prompt women to buy a car across Europe include their age, the desire to be respected and to be in control, while factors that affect their choice of the purchased car include the costs of maintenance, low purchase prices, fuel consumption, and attractiveness. Women tend to prefer cars that are affordable and have good fuel economy and these tend to be mostly manufactured by Korean automakers such as Kia and Hyundai, and the Japanese automakers Nissan and Mitsubishi. A description of the methodology we used to arrive at these trends, and a detailed look at identified important trends is as follows.

To gain qualitative and quantitative insights into factors that influence women's choices when buying a car in Europe, we researched through the databases of car manufacturers, statistical databases, European archives, among other sources looking for vital statistics for the whole of Europe. Unfortunately, the European statistics on factors that influence women's decisions when purchasing a car were not publicly available.

We changed strategies and searched for publicly available information on factors that influenced women's choices when buying a car for individual countries in Europe. This strategy returned vital, but limited, country-specific information. A few sources outside the two-year range were considered because they had in-depth information on the required subject compared to more recent sources. For the trends, we gathered all the points that were recurring in the sources presented from 2016 to present. We performed a cross-reference analysis and the common recurring points were considered as the trends over the past five years. While we tried to focus on European data some vital data found was global (excluding that from the US) hence the same has been included and no US-specific data was presented.

1. WHAT ARE THEIR TOP CONSIDERATIONS?
In Germany, 31 % of female buyers considered a used car. However, in the United Kingdom for about 43%, of women, the primary concerns include how economical it gets when running the car and 35% consider the ease/simplicity of getting in and out and the safety options. Additionally, within the United Kingdom women aged in their thirties are mostly the ones that consider buying a car.

2. CAR FEATURES WOMEN ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO
For females in the United Kingdom, more practical aspects of cars are the most attractive, and things like the lower costs and fuel consumption are the most critical aspects of any prospective vehicle. Things like the costs of maintenance, as well as the expense of keeping a car fueled, are 20% more important to women than men. In Britain, statistics have shown that price is often the primary factor for everyone when it comes to purchasing a car. Women in the United Kingdom rank ease of operation, safety, running costs and environmental impact higher when opting for a new vehicle – making electric cars a good fit for their specification.

3. WHAT DRIVES THEM?
In the United Kingdom, it’s not just practicality that drives decision-making for women, and aesthetics do matter, however, the color of the car is about 14 times more important to women and it drives them towards purchasing one. In Australia, most importantly, women want to feel respected and in control when making a purchasing decision. Additionally, Australian women want to feel empowered and this drives them to purchase a car. For the United Kingdom, having children was the factor that most influenced women’s car buying choices (21% vs. 13% of men).

4. HOW THEY COME TO A DECISION
Women were slightly less inclined in Germany to seek out information on their next used vehicle online as opposed to offline, and they prefer consulting colleagues and friends as the most important source. Still, in Germany, financing plays a significant role in decision-making, and 42 % of all women who bought a new car in 2015 financed it through their dealer or the manufacturers’ bank. In the United Kingdom Women are more likely to turn to a loved one compared to male motorists, with nearly half (48% vs. 21%) turning to their partner and a fifth (18% vs. 10%) turning to their parents to decide on a purchase. In Australia, women tend to reach out to their family, friends, colleagues and social influencers more than motoring experts when deciding on purchasing a new car, seeking independent voices rather than invested ones. In Britain, women feel that the ability to attract and retain more female marketers, decision makers, and salespeople does not only help drive innovation and creativity across automotive sector, but it will be vital their car purchase decision.

5. TRENDS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS IN WOMEN'S CAR PURCHASING HABITS
German women rated a low purchase price, low taxes and insurance costs, environmental friendliness and vehicle fuel consumption as more important than men did. With used-car purchasers, German women were considerably less brand loyal. Germany women show significantly higher interest in pure-electric vehicles. While in the United Kingdom, women are less comfortable with the high-pressure sales environment which can typify a trip to any car showroom. In Britain, sales of classic cars are rising among females, and are set to escalate even further during the course as the number of female entrepreneurs in Britain keeps growing, there was an increase in the number of women buying business vehicles during 2017.

In Britain, the corporate-like Chevrolet Volt is one particular model that may see significant sales from women entrepreneurs in the coming year as the "Scion iA" is another car that may do well with women buyers over the next 12 months. In the United Kingdom, women drive fewer kilometers per day, so the range is less of a real problem. Statistics indicate that in Britain, a further 94% of women do not trust car dealers, and about 37% believe this would be improved by allowing more women in the industry.