12:23 pm, August 24, 2022
New Reg Day has lost its appeal among car buyers.
According to new research for used car supermarket Motorpoint, the twice-annual festival of excitement in the UK car industry no longer has any allure among potential punters.
As the new car sector gets ready for the 72-plate on September 1, the survey found that fewer than five per cent (4.9 per cent) of possible car buyers could actually summon up any enthusiasm for the digits on their number plate.
The poll of 1,000 people found that a wide range of other factors were much more important for most of them when deciding on their next car.
The cost-of-living crisis meant top of the list for more than three-fifths (63.1 per cent) of would-be buyers was the vehicle’s fuel type: petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric.
That was closely followed by price (52.2 per cent) and running costs (47.1 per cent).
The importance of brand image was next on the list, with 27.4 per cent of those quizzed saying the cachet of the car’s badge would be the next thing they considered.
There was then a tie for the fifth most important influencer, with 20.8 per cent citing the overall look of the car and the mileage as deciding factors.
Colour, safety features, comfort, availability and onboard technology all ranked more highly than the age identifier on the registration plate as well.
Motorpoint director of stock and purchasing Dean Walker, pictured, said: ‘Many of us will remember just how big a deal the launch of a new registration plate used to be.
‘Dealerships would open at midnight, with customers queuing up to take delivery of their new car so they could be among the first on the road with the new reg.
‘Our study confirms what we suspected, though – that this is no longer a major factor in the decision-making process for car buyers.’
He added: ‘It would seem that many people are still unsure how the registration number system works so don’t realise “22” was released in March and that “72” will be launched next month.
‘Those who do understand are either not bothered that their number plate identifies their car’s age or know how easy it is to pop a personalised registration on their vehicle after buying it.
‘It seems like long lead times and the fact that new cars can depreciate in value when driven off the forecourt is impacting on the allure of the new car and driving buyers towards the nearly-new market, where cars can be driven away the same day.’
