A sizeable number of Irish Motorists are open to purchasing their next car online and having it delivered to their home according to the latest Motoring Report from Carzone.

The research found that younger drivers (18-24 year olds) are the most trusting when it comes to online transactions, with 60% of this group likely to purchase a car online and have it delivered to their home, compared to 29% of respondents over the age of 45. When it comes to partially paying for a car online, 45% of respondents would consider paying a deposit online and a further 46% would pay the balance of the car online (after trade-in and finance have been considered).

Despite a quarter (26%) of motorists stating that their trust in online transactions has increased over the past 12 months, there are still some doubts when it comes to purchasing a car online. The reservations highlighted in the report include preference to seeing the car in person before purchase (86%), wanting a test drive before purchase (76%), and price negotiations with the seller face to face (55%).

According to respondents, car dealerships can make buying a car online easier for motorists by providing a virtual tour of the car (86%), offering a live chat or text with customers (85%) and having access to an online car finance application (66%). A third (34%) of respondents also say they would use a virtual test drive if offered by a dealership.

Commenting on the latest report, Karl Connolly, Audience Manager Carzone said: "It's clear that there is a growing demand from consumers to purchase vehicles online, and this report outlines a number of online functions that dealers can implement to make this process easier and more appealing to consumers.

The Irish motoring industry has been forced to evolve this past year and many dealerships have already embraced this change and are offering some of these services to consumers online. It will be interesting to see if this demand continues post lockdown when we have the option of going back into dealerships"