Ireland is set to experience its busiest day for new car shopping, as revealed by Carzone.ie. This prediction is rooted in a study of search activity over several years and includes insights from Carzone’s website and app traffic.
As the long awaited January payday for many draws near, the data forecasts tomorrow (Thursday, 18th January) as the most popular day of the year when it comes to searching for new cars, with buyers inching closer to their final decision. It might be, but it might not be tomorrow, and does it really matter?
Additionally, Carzone says that its research sheds light on the most sought-after vehicles. So far in 2024, the Hyundai Kona has emerged as the top searched 241 electric car on Carzone, closely followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi Q4 e-Tron. The most searched model overall was the Volkswagen Golf, with the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson following.
It adds that searches for electric vehicles have overtaken searches for petrol models so far this year, with diesel still the most popular filter when it comes to specifying a fuel type.
Meanwhile, the SUV is still the most searched vehicle body type to date in 2024, followed by the hatchback and saloon.
The most searched car makes for 241 on Carzone so far in 2024 are:
- Volkswagen
- Audi
- BMW
- Mercedes-Benz
- Hyundai
Sinead McCann of Carzone observes that the inclination towards new vehicles is on the rise, with many utilising the festive period to research and decide on their future cars.
McCann notes: “In today’s market, consumers increasingly want to make well-informed decisions regarding their next vehicle. This trend, coupled with the desire for a fresh start in the new year, makes January a particularly busy month for car purchases.”
However, the recent high profile publicity about poor residual values for electric car trade-ins will undoubtably have an impact on new and used electric car purchases in the short-term.
