The majority of consumers in Canada have seen their life change in some way, shape, or form because of COVID-19. One example of this is people’s driving habits. Daily commutes have changed drastically for many and frequent trips to the store, gym, school, childcare facility, etc. are no longer the norm. Though many, if not most, will eventually return to their previous driving habits, the fact that people are staying home more and driving less has the potential to impact buying activity.
As a result, I wondered how such a significant shift in consumer behaviour might influence shoppers’ search behaviour and interest in vehicles this year. To answer this question, I analyzed used vehicle leads on CarGurus for the first half of 2020 and compared it to the used vehicle leads we saw for the same criteria in 2019.
Consistency in the marketplace
Looking over the list for Canada, one thing stood out to me: consistency. Despite the pandemic’s impact on the Canadian economy, consumers’ needs and buying behaviour have remained consistent. Dependable vehicles like the dependable Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500, and Honda Civic have remained popular from year to year. Take a look at the 2020 top used cars by lead submissions in Canada here.
While there were some changes to the top vehicles this year, many of the vehicles were the same, just in a new order. Ford has dominated so far in 2020, with at least one vehicle in the top 10 for every province. Brands like Chevrolet and Toyota were also popular with vehicles making the list in most provinces.
While many Canadian car shoppers submitted leads for big pickup trucks and reliable sedans, it seems not everyone is looking for a practical next purchase. The powerful Ford Mustang cracked the list for the Yukon Province where shoppers might be looking to escape Covid shutdowns and put the pedal to the metal on the open road. The BMW 3 Series was another sought-after, more aspirational vehicle across multiple provinces, making the list in Ontario, Quebec, and Yukon.
During a period that has been ripe with disruption, the car buying behaviour for consumers submitting leads for vehicles remains fairly consistent across many of the markets in Canada.
View the 2020 top used cars here. For the full list of 2019 top used cars by lead submissions in Canada, email pr@cargurus.com.