Third of buyers regret car pick

Photo / Thinkstock

One in three car buyers in Britain admits to choosing the "wrong" new car, a revealing hiccup in sales of more than $20 billion a year, says a survey.

The new "11" registration plate is due out next week and the study shows that three out of every 10 new-vehicle buyers will later regret their choice of vehicle.

Website CarBuyer.co.uk polled 1000 drivers to find out if they were happy with the car they bought last year. And 304 admitted they made a mistake.

They were then asked what they should have bought. Their responses:

* The same car with a different engine - 29 per cent.

* The same car with a different specification - 19 per cent.

* A different car from a different carmaker - 18 per cent.

* A similar car from a different carmaker - 15 per cent.

* The same car in a different colour - 11 per cent.

* A different car from the same carmaker - 6 per cent.

* The same car in a different body (sedan or wagon) style - 2 per cent.

Mat Watson from CarBuyer.co.uk said: "On average our respondents spent just over £20,000 ($43,000) on their new car, so it's worrying that so many believe they didn't make the right choice."

But it's not surprising buyers slip up. Research company JATO Dynamics says there are 4427 separate model derivatives on sale in Britain.

"The choice is quite mind-boggling," said Watson. "That's why anyone planning on buying a new car should ... do plenty of research before they even set foot in a dealer's."