More than 9 in 10 car buyers say the test drive is a crucial part of the purchase process – but 7 in 10 say they would prefer unaccompanied test drives to continue.
Solo test drives became commonplace during the pandemic as it was not possible to reliably practice social distancing with the salesperson in the car.
But as restrictions ease, car buyers are calling for unaccompanied test drives to continue, as it allows them to concentrate on the car and not be distracted by the salesperson.
Young drivers aged 18-24 are particularly keen on solo test drives.
It also allows for longer test drives without tying up a busy sales executive: two in three car buyers say from 15 minutes to two hours is ideal – and one in five want test drives to last longer than two hours.
Track test
AX Innovation is a company that manages the vehicle tracking systems necessary to make solo test drives possible.
This includes alerting car dealers about driver behaviours and misuse, and removing disputes around speeding fines and other charges car buyers may receive during the test drive.
MD Vince Powell said: “Driving an unfamiliar car requires an extra level of concentration, particularly when you are trying to determine whether or not the car is right for you, and many buyers clearly don’t welcome the distraction of a salesperson.
“However, it’s perfectly understandable for dealerships to have concerns that some customers may mistreat vehicles without the supervision of a salesperson.
“This is where telematics devices play an important role, deterring customers from driving vehicles inappropriately.”
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