Which? reveals top ten car-buying regrets

  • New Which? research reveals around a third (31%) of drivers bought a car they later regretted.
  • The top complaints in our survey found almost a third of people (30%) had purchased a faulty vehicle and over one in ten (16%) found the car they’d bought cost more to run than they expected.
  • Our survey also revealed 13% admitted they hadn’t done enough research.
  • To avoid a car-buying regret, the Which? Car Survey is the UK’s largest survey of car reliability and owner satisfaction. Covering 47,716 individual cars, it offers a realistic picture of how rival cars compare and what their most common faults are.

 

A Which? spokesperson said:

“A car is one of the most expensive things many of us will buy so our advice is to do your homework to avoid ending up with an unreliable vehicle that could leave you out of pocket. Drivers should check out Which?’s independent survey to compare car makes and models. The basic details of any potential purchase, like MOT status, can also be verified on the DVLA website.”

 

Notes to editors

1.  Which?, surveyed 1,388 Which? members in December 2012 to find out if they had ever regretted buying a car.

2.  According to our survey, the top ten car-buying regrets are:

1.    Faulty – 30%

2.    Car cost more to run than expected – 16%

3.    Buyer admitted they didn’t do enough research – 13%

4.    Lost money due to depreciation – 10%

5.    Didn’t trust gut instinct when buying the car – 9%

6.    Didn’t check for mechanical problems/worn tyres – 8%

7.    Should have haggled – 7%

=10.  Didn’t check service history/Bad deal on trade-in deal/Didn’t take car for test-drive – 6% 

(Total adds up to more than 100% as survey respondents could nominate more than one car-buying regret)

 

3.   Which?’s latest Car Survey can be found at www.which.co.uk/surveycar

4. Advice on your rights on faulty second-hand cars can be found at www.which.co.uk/consumerrights

5.  DVLA website can be accessed through www.gov.uk

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