A recent survey of almost 6,300 car drivers in Ireland by 123.ie has revealed that despite the recent controversy surrounding Volkswagen’s emissions claims, over three quarters of VW owners have not been put off the German car brand.

78% of the motorists surveyed stated that that the scandal has not affected their likelihood of a repeat purchase.

Also, when it came to owners of other car brands, almost 54% of non-Volkswagen owners reported that the scandal would not put them off buying a VW in the future


“We’re surprised but not shocked by people’s reaction to the Volkswagen scandal,” said Padraig O’Neill, Head of marketing, 123.ie.

“According to SIMI (Society of Irish Motor Industry), there was more new VW’s registered in Ireland in 2015 than any other passenger vehicle at 15,369 or 12.3% of the market. And whilst Toyota outperformed VW in Ireland in December 2015, it still captured over 10% of the new car market and was the number two slot for new car registrations.

So whilst the company’s share price and reputation have certainly taken a battering, this hasn’t translated into a decline in sales in Ireland and VW owners appear to be very brand loyal.”  
 
Of those who are planning to buy a car in the next 12 months, nearly two thirds (62%) say they would stick with their current car brand. 

The Great Irish Car Review, also reports on motoring topics from motoring fines and penalty points for the wealthy, to desirable brands and the new car buying habits, as well as a review of brands by car owners. Keep posted for these results in the coming weeks.

Brand loyalty increases with experience and age - 72% of over 65s saying they would buy the same brand versus 60% of under 25s. The newer your car the more likely you are to stick with that brand with 77% of owners of cars under 6 years old saying they would stick with their brand versus just half ( 50% ) of owners of cars 15 years or older.
And your recent outlay on repairs will test your brand loyalty, only half, 49%, of those who spend €2,000 or more on car repairs in the last year are likely to be brand loyal against 71% who spent less than €100.

Mercedes, Skoda and Toyota come out on top brands that owners are likely to stay with.

The 123.ie Great Irish Car Review was carried out online in December 2015 amongst 6,255 car owners in Ireland.