- May 31, 2019
- 2 min read

1 in 3 Irish Millennials will buy their next car online.

That’s according to new data released by DoneDeal, who surveyed nearly 1,500 users on their car buying opinions and experiences.

The results show a clear shift in consumer preference from retail to e-commerce with over 30% of all millennials surveyed indicating they would prefer to buy their next car online compared with just under 20% of all other respondents.

Of particular interest was that 90% of Millennials said they only shop for cars on their phones. Just 8% would opt to view cars in person.

When came to extra features, infotainment systems and integrated smartphone features ranked as the most crucial for Millennials. Among older age groups, Adaptive Cruise Control and Park Assist were the most desirable.

Martin Clancy from DoneDeal said: “What this research highlights is that convenience and connectivity are paramount in how Millennials approach shopping for and selecting cars. On DoneDeal, our goal is to make the car buying journey as convenient as possible for users and over the last number of months we have introduced new search filters such as price per month while also offering users the opportunity to seek Car Finance approval through our site.

Indeed, amongst Millennials, we have seen a strong appetite for Car Finance on DoneDeal. Since the start of the year, we have processed over 2,000 car finance applications for a combined total of €24 million. 45% of those applicants are Millennials.”

Key Findings from the Survey:

One in five Irish people are considering a Hybrid/Electric vehicle as their next purchase
Diesel remains the clear engine preference with 55% of us still in the market for a Diesel engine
75% of consumers would opt for a high-spec mid-range vehicle
20% would consider buying a self-driving vehicle within the next five years

Features Irish car buyers will pay a premium for: