60% of GCC car buyers prefer to buy online than visit a showroom amid Covid-19 – The National

60% of GCC car buyers prefer to buy online than visit a showroom amid Covid-19 – The National

Eight in 10 are willing to test drive a car at home as long as the vehicle has been sanitised, new study finds. Six in 10 GCC residents would consider buying a car online rather than visiting a showroom, according to a new study that analyses how the Covid-19 outbreak has affected the industry and changed car purchasing habits.. Sixty per cent of respondents now prefer making the purchase virtually, according to the Covid-19 Effects on Car Buyers' Purchasing Decision report from UAE car classifieds site YallaMotor, which analysed the responses of 1,200 car buyers across the GCC.. Fifty-six per cent of car buyers also said they would not visit a showroom to check out a vehicle, the YallaMotor study found, with 82 per cent willing to test drive a car at home as long as the vehicle has been sanitised.. Buying a new or second-hand car has been difficult for UAE residents in recent weeks as the country observes strict stay-at-home directives to contain the virus that has seen schools, shopping malls, beaches and car showrooms closed.. The virus outbreak is also changing consumers' buying habits.. About 39 per cent of car buyers say they would now take up