Research reveals most of us feel out of our depth when buying a car.

Are we made up with our motors or simply fed up with the cars we own? A study published today reveals why some of us just aren’t satisfied; a huge 70% of buyers have purchased a car even though the information they were getting from the car dealer went right over their heads.

According to fish4cars.co.uk, over half of car hunters (55%) buy a car without a full understanding of its history, functions or specifications: a symptom of the fact that 57% of us admit to feeling totally befuddled when negotiating with car dealers.

Although car-sales jargon can often be baffling, the fish4cars  report illustrates that the full scale of car buyers’ confusion stretches to common phrases and abbreviations, with car jargon blunders such as:

• “My car is more inner city than off-road” – A third of people quizzed believed that SUV stood for Standard Urban Vehicle rather than Sports Utility Vehicle.

• “Pull up the sails I’ve found a parking spot!” – 6% of those questioned thought ABS stood for a nautical-sounding Anchor Based Security rather than Anti Brake-Lock System.

• “My car was a steal” – Although nearly half (48%) of those asked knew that a hot hatch was a ‘souped-up’ hatchback, over one in 10 (12%) believed the description ‘hot hatch’ meant the car being advertised was stolen!

These mistakes may not always lead car hunters up the wrong driveway, but it’s easy to get terms confused, even for those who are very clued-up about cars. The report also demonstrates that with more advanced jargon, misinformed buyers neglect to double-check their knowledge.

For example:

• Mind your Ps and Qs – 48% of people who believed an MPV was a Multi Person Vehicle rather than a Multi Purpose Vehicle.

• Not so quick off the mark after all - A ‘high performance engine’ is one that goes from 0 to 60 mph very quickly, though over a quarter of those asked (27%) believed the term referred to efficient fuel consumption.

The report bodes badly for those of us trying to buy a more environmentally friendly vehicle. It is important for buyers to understand the full implication of mpg and g/km of CO2. Thats where the TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk comes in. All the necessary knowlegde you need can be found in our information menu on the home page.

 Faye Sunderland