Midday on Mondays is most popular time to buy a car
Data from BuyaCar shows that people like to buy cars between late morning and mid-afternoon on Mondays
The most popular time to purchase a car online is between late morning and early afternoon on a Monday, according to new data.
Analysts from BuyaCar - an online motor retailer and former sister title of Auto Express - have discovered that, since coronavirus hit the UK, the peak time for customers to click the purchase button has moved from between 5pm and 6pm to between 11am and 3pm.
The most likely reason for this is the number of people now working from home - according to the Office for National Statistics, more people are doing this in 2020 than since records began in 1998.
Further analysis suggests these Monday car purchases follow a weekend of research, after which car-buying gradually slows down for the rest of the week.
Interestingly, the most popular late night period for people to buy cars online is between 11pm and 2am from Tuesday into Wednesday, while the second-most popular is the same period from Saturday into Sunday.
It’s thought the reason a weeknight is now the most popular night time car buying slot could be the fact employees working from home don’t have to get up as early as they normally do in order to commute. This means they’re happy to stay up later browsing and buying cars.
BuyaCar editor Christofer Lloyd said: “It looks as if people who are able to work from home are probably driving the trend toward more car purchases during working hours. Previously there was a clear pattern of car buying activity coinciding most heavily with lunch breaks and the time when people are likely to be wrapping up work for the day.
“We believe that with less need for discretion about mixing internet use for professional and personal purposes, under the watchful eyes of colleagues or managers, it seems that consumers are buying more than ever at the time that suits them.
“What hasn’t changed, though, is that many motorists seem to enjoy kick-starting the week by purchasing a car. Many people get to the end of the weekend with a sense of dread, but buying a car seems to have a much more uplifting effect at the start of the week.”
Check out the best-selling cars in 2020 so far here...
