DealerRater conducted market research of luxury and mass-market automotive consumers in August for Fixed Ops Journal on why people pick the collision repair centers they will use.
The survey was conducted Aug. 17-23 among almost 15,000 consumers who visited new-vehicle dealerships.
It works out, being close to home matters most to both segments when it comes to selecting a collision repair center. Among all consumers, 22.1 percent said Proximity to Home or Office was the main reason. Mass-market consumers chose close proximity No. 1 at a 23.34 percent clip while 19.89 percent of luxury car drivers said exactly the same.
Coming in second as a reason behind selecting a collision repair center was Online Reviews/Word-of-Mouth at 16.31 percent overall, divided almost evenly among the segments.
The third main concern was Provides Warranty for Work at 16.29 percent which was additionally a somewhat even blend between mass-market and luxury customers.
| Q: When it comes to which repair shop to have your car repaired at, what's the most important factor in your decision? Figures indicate percentage of consumers who cited that factor his or her main reason. | |||
| All consumers | Mass- market | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proximity to home or office | 22.61 | 23.34 | 19.89 |
| Online reviews/word-of-mouth | 16.31 | 16.6 | 14.57 |
| Provides warranty for work | 16.29 | 16.77 | 14.46 |
| Affiliated with franchised dealership | 14.92 | 13.77 | 19.82 |
| Has the correct certifications | 14.9 | 14.01 | 18.31 |
| Gives estimated cost of work | 8.03 | 8.18 | 7.35 |
| Recommendation of insurance company | 6.95 | 7.33 | 5.5 |
| Source: DealerRater survey conducted Aug. 17-23 of 14,866 consumers who visited new-vehicle dealerships | |||
Affiliated with Franchised Dealership, at 14.92 percent, placed fourth. Luxury owners actually rated this second on their list at 19.82 % while mass-market customers picked it in a 13.77 percent rate.
Gives Estimated Price of Work was next at 8.03 percent using the segments again closely matching.
The last category was Recommendation of Insurance Company with 6.95 %. Mass-market consumers favored this a good little more at 7.33 percent than did luxury drivers .
A much-smaller similar survey released in early 2022 by Fix Auto USA that did not differentiate between consumer types had quite different results.
According to that particular study – which relied on 300-plus consumers who had their vehicles serviced in a collision repair shop in the previous six months – an astonishing 48.8 percent chose themselves shop because of Person to person Recommendations.
Internet Search came in second at 20.Five percent, Referred by Insurance Company was next at 17.Five percent along with other registered 13.2 percent of responses.
But when given a choice of eight specific options, the Auto Fix USA poll results came nearer to the DealerRater one. Estimated Pricing was the top vote getter there at 25.4 percent, however it was followed by Proximity for your Location at 17.3 %. In third were Reviews/Testimonials at 15.5 percent and Reputation of Brand was fourth at 14.3 percent. No other category reached double digits.
However, when Auto Fix USA asked if consumers would travel further to a different repair shop if they had “great online reviews,” 61.7 percent of responders said they'd.
