More than half of car buyers would avoid visiting showrooms that don’t enforce Covid restrictions or have effective hygiene measures in place, new data has shown.
Research by consumer expert What Car? found that 55 per cent of motorists would not visit a showroom if it had no social distancing guidelines or mask requirements.
The survey of 1,533 in-market buyers would appear to show that concern over Covid is slowly falling.
In July, 63 per cent of those surveyed stated they would avoid visiting showrooms with no restrictions
The findings also highlight the discrepancy between actual dealer standards and the wishes of customers.
Of those who had visited a showroom in the past four weeks, 44 per cent said they had been asked to wear a mask, yet 68 per cent of respondents would like to see dealers continue to request staff and customers to wear face masks.
What Car? also asked when customers would like to see restrictions lifted, with 43 per cent stating only when the government confirms Covid is no longer an issue.
An additional 17 per cent would like to see all restrictions lifted by the end of the year.
Just 11 per cent said they would like to see restrictions removed immediately.
Though no longer enforced by law, government guidelines state businesses and venues can continue to request that customers maintain social distancing and wear masks to reduce the chances of Covid transmission.
Steve Huntingford, editor, What Car?, said: ‘As the weather turns cold and we are forced to spend more and more of our time indoors, our latest research highlights the importance of making sure customers feel safe and comfortable in showrooms.
‘Retailers should not relax their attitudes to Covid restrictions just yet, given the majority of buyers still want to see them enforced when visiting.’