Style Overtakes Cost or Safety For Young Car Buyers

LONDON, December 16, 2003;

Britain's young drivers put style issues above practical concerns such as safety and cost when it comes to choosing a car, a new survey reveals today.

The 'Driving Ambitions' study by The GM Card shows that over half (51 per cent) of drivers aged 17-22 year old think the style, make and model of a car is the most important factor when it comes to buying a set of wheels - and one in twenty admitted that the colour of a car is their main consideration.

The study also reveals that just seven per cent of young drivers choose their car on the basis of safety - yet nearly half (44 per cent) admitted to worrying about having an accident while driving. This is a significantly bigger concern for the girls (52 per cent) than the guys (37 per cent), who are more concerned with the thought that their car might be stolen (42 per cent).

Unsurprisingly, safety is a substantial parental concern - almost four out of ten parents (38 per cent) say safety is the most influential factor in determining which car their child will own. And, as the findings show that four in ten parents help their kid to buy their first car, it seems safe to say that 'parent power' will keep safety on the agenda.

But parents' safety worries are compounded by the high price of Junior's independence - the survey reveals that parents shell out over GBP2,000 a year for general motoring costs such as petrol, driving lessons and insurance in their kids first year on the road - and that's before you factor in the cost of the car itself.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of parents surveyed admitted that they either blow savings or make a sacrifice of their own in order to finance their child's driving ambitions.