Car Purchases – Safety in Second Place

• Price the major factor
• Safety more important to women than to men
• One in two people attempt to negotiate a discount

For Germans, safety only comes second when buying a car, with their wallet the major factor. Price and cost are the deciding factors for around one in three (34%), with safety a key issue only for one in four (27%) and quality in third place (15%), according to the result of a recent survey of 1,200 car drivers by the expert organization DEKRA.

For 7% of those surveyed, comfort and interior design are the decisive factors in the purchase of a car, while for 6%, it's the car's environmental impact and for 5%, the brand image and visual appearance. Only 4% of drivers consider a car's handling and performance to be the key purchasing factors, and only 2% the dealer. Women attach significantly more importance to safety while men are more likely to favor quality.

And how do drivers save money on their car purchase? Most look for a used car instead of a new one (58%). One in two attempt to negotiate a discount, and one in three (32%) look for low maintenance costs. 19% save on fittings and accessories, 14% choose a discontinued model and 12% make do with a smaller model. Only 5% don't economize when purchasing a car (multiple responses).

One in two drivers (49%) make the decision on which car to buy themselves. 43% of respondents make the decision with their partner. In 6.3% of cases, the whole family makes the decision. Only 2% let their partner decide.

1,200 people who came to a DEKRA branch office for a general inspection took part in the survey.