Even in the internet age, it appears there is still little substitute for the personal touch when it comes to car buying. A survey by Alphera Financial Services has found that car buyers “prefer the personal approach”, with 61% saying dealerships are the primary source of information when it comes to making a decision about a car purchase.

The survey of 500 buyers also found, a quarter of car buyers choose a dealer based on referral and one in five on previous experience, while only 4 % of consumers said they would buy a new car completely online. 74 % of respondents said they would prefer to deal with a single main point of contact when making their purchase.

Kirk Franks, sales manager at Alphera Financial Services, said: “It’s clear that consumers respond well to the personal approach, favouring traditional methods of car buying.”