The British car buyer is nothing if not traditional and a new survey has found that the older the buyer, the more likely they are to stick to old school purchasing methods.

Research from InsuretheGap has found that more than half of car buyers continue to use old school purchasing methods to buy their new car, with 55 per cent prefering to visit a showroom rather than an internet search. And for those over 55 that preference rises to 64 per cent, however younger car buyers, particularly those under 34, are happier to go online, with only 38 per cent saying they prefer to visit a showroom.

The key reasons that buyers still prefer the showroom is that they might want to part-exchange their vehicle (36 per cent), or want a warranty (33 per cent), while many consider that they may have stronger consumer rights. It’s worth noting that buying a car online with CarSupermarket.com gives you both a warranty and strong consumer rights.

However, buying a car in a showroom isn’t for everybody and many don’t enjoy the experience as they don’t like to haggle (21 per cent), or they think they can get a better deal online (14 per cent). Meanwhile, there are a growing number of buyers who are confident to purchase a car without seeing it (7 per cent), although this group tend to be under 55. One in ten would purchase a car without a test drive.

“Car showrooms continue to dominate the car industry but it’s clear that the long-term trend is moving away from them. Consumers are becoming used to new ways of buying cars, including online marketplaces, so the showrooms need to adapt to make it worth a driver’s while to purchase from them,” said Ben Woolerton, from InsuretheGap.

“Many dealerships offer GAP insurance for cars if they’re written off or stolen, which covers the difference between the market value of a car and what was originally paid for it, but considerable savings may often be made if you shop around, and consider standalone insurance providers like InsuretheGap.com.”

Sell or part ex your car today