With almost half of motorists (47%) looking to change their car in 2025, Motorpoint wanted to understand whether car buyers’ preferences are changing.
To do this, we dug into our extensive part-exchange data and surveyed 2,022 UK car owners to see what factors were most important to motorists when changing their cars and how likely car buyers were to opt for something familiar.
This is what we found:
Do motorists want a brand-new car?
Our research revealed that well over half (57%) of car owners would look to buy a used car – this was up 3% compared when we asked the same question back in February 2023.
Digging deeper, we found that two-thirds (66%) of motorists looking to buy a used car wanted something nearly new. These newer cars often come with low mileage and still have manufacturer warranty coverage making them an attractive choice. When we crunched the numbers, we found that car buyers could expect to save as much as £15,000 on list price by opting for a nearly new car.1
With 91% of motorists clear about the type of car they would buy, this is how brand-new, nearly new and used ranked in terms of popularity:
- 38% of car buyers are looking for a nearly new car
- 34% of motorists will buy a brand-new car
- 19% are looking for an older used car
How important is familiarity when it comes to car buying?
We wanted to understand if past driving experiences and familiarity with specific makes, models or fuel types would impact motorists' car buying habits.
According to our research, 71% of respondents agreed that ‘familiarity’ was important in the car buying process, with over a quarter (26%) looking to buy something similar to what they already drive and 11% interested in buying an updated version of their current car.
Just 6% of motorists reported wanting something completely different to what they drive currently – suggesting that car owners tend to remain loyal to one or more aspects of their current vehicle when upgrading what they drive.
What would motorists most like to keep the same when changing their car?
We looked at our trade-in data for the last five years and found that fuel type was the biggest aspect that motorists wanted to stay the same.
While 64% of motorists opted to stick with the same fuel type, we found that car owners were less tied to other factors:
- Less than a quarter (23%) of motorists stuck with the same brand when changing their car
- Just a fifth (20%) bought a car in the same colour as they had part-exchanged
With our part-exchange data only able to tell us so much, we asked motorists what was most important to them when shopping for their next car and to share three things that would be top of their list.
According to our survey data, running costs (54%), fuel type (50%) and list price (35%) have the biggest impact on car buyer’s decision making, closely followed by brand (32%). Nearer the bottom of motorists’ priorities were body-type (13%) and car colour (11%).
Is there a fuel type motorists stick with?
Our part-exchange data shows that car buyers are most likely to repurchase a petrol vehicle, with 82% of petrol owners sticking with the same fuel type when changing cars.
| Current vehicle’s fuel type | % sticking with the same fuel type |
| Petrol | 82.4% |
| Electric | 41.1% |
| Diesel | 38.2% |
| Hybrid | 27.3% |
| Plug-in Hybrid | 23.1% |
Beyond personal preference, it’s worth pointing out that the volume of petrol vehicles available on the used car market outweighs other fuel types and they tend to be more affordable than their diesel counterparts – meaning motorists can get a larger or higher spec car for the same price.
Although petrol is still the preferred fuel type for many UK motorists, we spotted something else worth calling out within the data.
Over the last five years, we’ve seen the number of motorists repurchasing diesel cars fall by 39%, likely due to car buyers becoming more willing to move away from diesel following the fallout of the 2015 emissions scandal.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| % repurchasing diesel | 55.1% | 39.2% | 37.4% | 37.3% | 28.3% | 21.6% |
While still a hugely popular fuel type, the production of diesel vehicles has slowed as manufacturers prioritise the production of petrol and hybrid vehicles. This has a knock-on effect on the used car market, with motorists finding there are fewer diesel models for them to choose from.
With used diesel cars tending to be more expensive than their petrol counterparts and limited choice, it’s unsurprising that almost four-fifths of diesel drivers opted for a different fuel type when trading in their car at Motorpoint in 2024.
What car manufacturers are motorists most loyal to?
On average, just under a quarter of motorists (23%) bought a car from the same brand as the one they were part-exchanging.
Our part-exchange data revealed that BMW drivers were most likely to repurchase a car from the same brand – suggesting motorists are unwilling to move away from the luxurious German manufacturer.
In fact, last year 43% of BMW drivers stayed with the brand when changing their car – the highest retention rate of any brand we tracked as part of this study.
You can find the 10 brands car buyers were most loyal to, according to our part-exchange data, below:
- BMW – 34.2%
- Ford – 31.4%
- Audi – 25.9%
- Mercedes – 25.8%
- Volkswagen – 25.5%
- Skoda – 23%
- Hyundai –22.7%
- Vauxhall – 22.3%
- Nissan – 21.7%
- Citroen – 21.5%
It was unsurprising that the 'big three’ premium German brands featured close to the top of the list. They offer top-of-the-range features, a luxurious driving experience and when purchased nearly new can be incredibly well-priced.
With premium brands featuring so highly on our list, we wanted to understand to what extent motorists view their cars as a status symbol and whether this influences their decision-making when changing their vehicles.
Our research revealed that motorists in London were most concerned about the perception of what they were driving, with:
- 27% consider their car a status symbol – compared with 12% nationally
- 15% would choose a car they knew would impress their neighbours – double the national average
While the top 10 list was dominated by established brands, we wanted to understand if motorists would be willing to buy their next car from a less well-known brand, if it met their needs.
According to our research, a fifth of motorists (18%) said they would be willing to seriously consider alternative brands, with older drivers (those aged 65+) the most likely to consider these challenger brands when shopping for their next car.
Does car colour impact motorists' decision making?
Black and white were most popular, with motorists more likely to repurchase these colours when buying a car.
However, it doesn’t appear that car colour would be a deciding factor for many with 79% opting for a car in a different colour to the one they were part-exchanging.
When it came to the colours motorists were most loyal to, Motorpoint’s top five were:
- Black – 27%
- White – 26%
- Grey – 24%
- Blue – 19%
- Red – 13%
While car colour wouldn’t be a deciding factor for the majority of motorists, a third (34%) admitted they would be reluctant to consider buying a car if they didn’t like the colour and a fifth (19%) said they would be willing to pay extra for a car in a colour they wanted.
So, what did we learn?
From our research, it’s clear that familiarity plays a role in motorists' car buying decisions – but it’s far from the only factor important to car buyers.
With the cost of driving continuing to place pressure on motorists, it’s unsurprising that most motorists cited running costs as a top factor influencing their decision making when changing their car.
While the used car market has stabilised to some extent, we’re still navigating the impact of the pandemic with budgets not stretching as far as they have done historically. With many motorists having waited longer to change their car, they might be surprised by what they can afford within their budget.
As car buyers look to make their money stretch further, it’s unsurprising that nearly new vehicles are such a popular option. They offer motorists all the benefits of buying brand-new without the price-tag and are a great way for buyers to shield themselves from the rapid depreciation common with brand-new cars.
It’s likely that petrol vehicles will continue to be a popular choice with motorists choosing to stick with the fuel type when changing their car.
While it was reassuring to see that a significant number of drivers are making the permanent move to electric vehicles, more Government support is needed to encourage motorists to make the initial move away from more traditional fuel types.
As the car buyers' champion, we’re excited to see what 2025 brings and can’t wait to help motorists find their perfect car.
Methodology
To understand the impact of familiarity on motorists’ car buying habits, Motorpoint looked at its part-exchange data from the past 5 years (January 2019 – September 2024) to understand how ‘loyal’ motorists were to car brand, fuel type and vehicle colour.
Motorpoint manually reviewed the dataset removing anything that would distort results and cause inaccuracies.
Data collected and analysed in December 2024.
Research conducted by SurveyGoo on behalf of Motorpoint with a sample of 2,022 UK car owners. Data was collected in December 2024. All statistics and findings have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
SurveyGoo is a full member of the Market Research Society and the Independent Consultants Group. A full data set is available on request.
- Up to £15,000 off cars based on the difference (savings) between the Motorpoint retail price and the manufacturer list price of 23, 73, 24, 74 car registration plates. Savings have been based on Motorpoint retail prices in (26th November 2024). More information can be found here: https://www.motorpoint.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/price-promise