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19 March 2024

UAE car buyers: What brand they really want?

Most top motor brands also offer one-year free insurance, service contracts and warranty. (Shutterstock)

Published
By Staff

A new survey has revealed the purchasing habits of car buyers in the UAE which shows that 92 per cent of car buyers in the country don’t know what brand they want to buy at the beginning of the search process and look to the web to make a decision.

Conducted by Google for the first time in the UAE, the survey says that 70 per cent of those who do know what brand they want end up changing their minds after they search online.

“Purchasing habits of car buyers are fast changing. The internet plays a key role in strengthening their knowledge about the product and in shaping their purchase decisions,” says Marie de Ducla, Head of the Automotive industry at Google in Mena.

“They are turning to the web to know more and visit car dealerships when they are better informed. Auto companies are missing out on a great opportunity by not being present throughout the online search process, a time when users need them the most.”

The study indicates that 97 per cent of all auto buyers go online to gather information, 70 per cent of those with initial brand favourites change their mind and 30 per cent even buy brands they discover during the search.

More than two-thirds of respondents use their mobile devices to search and that includes looking up prices and finding car dealerships (compared to 37 per cent in the US and 36 per cent in the UK).

When asked why they search online, 64 per cent respondents said that the web helped them make better decisions than any other source. In addition, 72 per cent said to have even considered buying a car online because it’s easier and more convenient.

Survey found that more than three out of four car buyers watch online videos during their search. More than three quarters (77 per cent) of buyers visit online video platforms (compared to 37 per cent in the US and 36 per cent in the UK) like YouTube to search for videos on a particular model, evaluate offers in car commercials and to read comments and reviews from other users.

The study shows that car buyers visit the dealership at a much later stage in the search process and closer to the time of purchase.

Around 87 per cent of these users head to the showroom after they searched extensively online and gathered enough knowledge on the car. Nearly two in three buyers contact dealers online through email, webform or social media; however, 72 per cent of those that expressed dissatisfaction with the speed and accuracy of responses, reported to have changed brands as a result.

(Image via Shutterstock)