Britons change their cars nearly twice as frequently as European drivers, according to study

Britons change their car nearly twice as frequently as the European average, according to a recent study.

A survey of drivers across eight European countries found that three in five UK drivers (58 per cent) shop for a used car every one to three years, while 27 per cent swap their vehicle every four to six years.

By contrast, across Europe less than a third of motorists (30 per cent) buy a second-hand motor every 12 to 36 months, while 36 per cent buy a replacement ever four to six years. And only seven per cent wait seven to ten years to purchase another motor.

It means that more than half of UK drivers are likely to change their vehicle at least twice before the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030.

Britons replace their cars more frequently than European neighbours: Almost 60% of UK drivers say they change vehicles every 1-3 years, while just 30% in Europe replace them that often

The poll of 3,000 drivers across seven European nations as well as the UK has been conducted by vehicle history checker provider, CarVertical.

It found that, after the UK, drivers in Poland are the second most likely to buy their next used car within one and three years of having purchased their current motor.

Over a third of Polish drivers (35 per cent) said they change their motor every one to three years.

While fewer than one in ten Britons wait between seven and ten years to replace their current car, over a fifth of French motorists cling onto their vehicles for this period of time.

With the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars at the turn of the decade, it means the majority of Britons are likely change their vehicle on two more occasions before then.

With the rise in popularity of motor finance – particularly Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) – drivers of new cars acquired through this type of arrangement are also most likely to switch-up their vehicles every three years, which is the most common contract period for finance deals.

Vehicle leasing also tends to dictate that drivers replace their cars more often than they would if they bought a motor outright.

Fewer than one in ten Britons change their car every 7-10 years but in France over a fifth wait this long before considering replacing their current motor

Matas Buzelis, car expert at carVertical, said: ‘Britain is a nation of car lovers, and they replace their vehicles much more frequently than their European counterparts.

‘Thankfully the huge range of cars on the UK’s used car market means there are vehicles to suit any change in circumstances, whether that’s to accommodate a growing family or to swap to a greener model.

‘With UK drivers changing their cars so frequently, it is vital that people get the full picture of any car they are interested in – so they don’t end up overspending on a damaged car or getting caught out by fraudsters.’

Which used models sell faster than others? 

With Britons changing their cars so regularly, CarVertical claims there are certain models that sell much faster than others.

And it is Skodas that it believes are being snapped up quickest on the second-hand market, which it says is based on a combination of market and government data.

The Czech brand’s Kodiaq SUV is the fastest selling used car of all, with the average example taking just 19.5 days to sell, the company said. 

Skoda’s smaller Karoq SUV came in second place in the fastest seller league table collated by CarVertical.

CarVertical claims the fastest-selling used cars are both Skodas – the Kodiaq (left) and Karoq (right) SUVs

The Porsche Boxster is the mainstream car that takes the longest period to sell, the company says. However, the average of 48.4 days is likely due to the fact demand for two-seat convertibles is far lower than models like big SUVs

However, this information does conflict with exclusive data supplied to This is Money by AutoTrader – the nation’s biggest used car market place. 

Last week it told us that the model with the shortest selling time of all is BMW’s X1.

The compact SUV flies off forecourts in just a week and a half, it claimed.

The data is based on the average selling time recorded on one of the leading used car online marketplaces between June 2022 and June 2023.

It said that during this period the average time between first advertising and selling a second-hand car in the UK is just over a month (34 days).

At the opposite end of the CarVertical’s spectrum, the UK’s slowest selling used car is the Porsche Boxster, which takes more than twice as long as both Skodas to sell, taking nearly 50 days on average.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk