Used car buyers travel further to make purchases in 2020 despite COVID-19

Pentagon Group wanted to see if there were any changes to consumer behaviours due to the pandemic; specifically relating to distance travelled to purchase a used car in 2020.

Using purchase data from August to September for both 2019 and 2020, Pentagon measured the distance and time used car buyers were willing to travel YoY, segmenting by vehicle manufacturer, gender and price.

Their findings showed that used car buyers travelled an average of 43 minutes in 2019, compared to 59 minutes in 2020, bringing the average time to just under an hour.

Customers looking for “enthusiast” car brands are willing to travel up to 500% further than general brands, according to analysis by Pentagon Group

Findings from Pentagon’s data analysis suggest that car buyers looking for a used Alfa Romeo are willing to drive the furthest distance to make a purchase; 103 miles or 122 minutes on average in 2020.

However, those after a used Ford are driving an average of 28 miles or 47 minutes.

Men travel an average of 15 miles more than women to purchase a vehicle this year, up from 10 miles in 2019

Pentagon’s data suggests that men are more likely to travel further than women to purchase their next used vehicle.

In 2019, men were willing to travel an average of 21 miles to buy their next used car. This increased significantly in 2020, with men travelling an average of 38 miles.

Women travelled an average of 21 miles in 2019 to purchase their next car. But in 2020, they’re driving an average of 33 miles; an additional 12 miles.