What do car buyers really want?

The Great British summer is well and truly upon us and, in time honoured tradition, it comes with great unpredictability (its 33C at the time of writing, 10C the next day with rain on the way). There’s no way of knowing what this summer has in store so if often the case that plans may be scuppered by freak rain and heat.

The same is true for the automotive retail space. Yes, this is a tenuous analogy but, much like our summers, it is often difficult to know what’s next in the automotive space. This is particularly true when we look at what buyers want from their next car. We know that buyer’s wants and needs are constantly shifting. Knowing what buyers want is fundamental to business success but how can we know what car buyers are looking for from their next car?

Fortunately, each year we survey UK car owners to answer just this question. This year over 225,000 car owners completed our survey, which also determines the winners of our Drivers’ Choice Awards, telling us exactly what they think of their current car and what they are looking for from their next car and we can share those findings with you here.

What do owners really think of their cars

Our survey analysed owners perceptions of all aspects of their vehicle from how safe they feel behind the wheel, to the driving enjoyment and how it fists their needs. 

The Kia EV3 was the highest rated of any car in our survey, taking the Car of the Year Award at the Autotrader Drivers’ Choice Awards 2025.

The good news is that owners are generally happy with their cars, with the overall average score being a 4.2 out of 5 for owners ratings of their car.

So it seems that the current crop of vehicles on the market are on the whole meeting the needs of UK drivers. But there are of course nuances in the data when we dig a bit deeper.

Here are just a few highlights from what models and brands scored in our survey.

• Tesla drivers are more happy with the acceleration of their car than Porsche drivers 

• But Tesla interiors were rated 22nd for quality. Renault and Nissan, as the OG electric brands came out ahead 

• The worst rated car for acceleration was the Toyota AygoX – not a problem, of course, when you’re one of the easiest to park and in the top third for running costs  

• The Range Rover Evoque’s running and servicing costs were not greatly scored, but probably forgiven as it’s considered one of the best looking cars 

• The car with the best features? Renault Scenic E-Tech 

• Safest feeling? Kia EV3 

• And the most powerful car was a very quiet three-way shootout between the Tesla Model 3, Volvo EX30 and the BMW i4.

The EV vs ICE buyer

This year’s survey was the best yet for electric vehicles, with more EVs than ever before taking awards at the Drivers’ Choice Awards 2025, being more highly rated than ever before.

With EVs the future of our industry, and indeed with more than ever on our roads, it is encouraging to see that owners are engaged with the product.

But, there are key differences between what ICE and EV buyers are looking for from their car. The top four considerations for ICE buyers were how it meets lifestyle needs (35%), running costs (23%) , the brand (13%) and then the upfront cost (11%).

For EV, the top four is different with running costs (32%) the top priority followed by how it meets lifestyle needs (22%) ,the environmental impact (18%, rising to 22% for women) and the tech available (12%) – for EV buyers, the brand was only half as important as it was for ICE buyers.

So there are crucial differences between what buyers are looking for between these two fuel types and those brands and retailers would do well to target their messaging based on these priorities.

The age of brand loyalty is on the decline

This year’s survey also uncovered a continuation of the erosion of brand loyalty we have seen as a result of the shift to electric.

Only 22% of EV owners repurchased from the same brand, compared to 44% of petrol car owners.  

This means that brands can no longer rely on loyalty to ensure repeat business. EV owners are more willing than any other buyer to try new brands, concerning for some but an opportunity for those looking to grow their market share with products that meet the needs of EV buyers.

This is just a snapshot of what we uncovered in this year’s survey and your Autotrader representative will be able to share more detail as we help you to understand what buyers are looking for. But we are sorry to say we won’t be able to assist with predicting the summer weather.