Are we nearly there yet?

• Two thirds of car buying Brits planning to travel this year intend to drive rather than fly
• Nearly half expect to use their car for more road trips or longer drives
• CarGurus has compiled the ten best ways to keep kids entertained on a long journey
• More than a third expect to use their car more than before the pandemic
• Over half previous users planning to avoid public transport, while 44% expect to do the same with ridesharing services

More holidaymakers than ever are opting to take a road trip rather than fly this year, according to new research by CarGurus.

As COVID-19 and confusion over air bridges continues to affect people's holiday plans, the study revealed that two thirds (66%) of car buying Brits planning to travel intend to drive, rather than fly, for one or more trips this year.

With schools breaking up for the summer holidays, cars will be the key to smaller day trips and weekend escapes too, with 42% of those included in the CarGurus study expecting to use their car for more road trips or longer drives, and over a third (38%) saying they see their car as an escape or for fun after enduring months of restricted travel.

CarGurus, the fastest growing online automotive marketplace in the UK*, surveyed 1,104 car buyers in June to help understand and track shifts in their habits and sentiments towards travelling and commuting throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

All of this extra time spent travelling by car also means that parents expecting their kids to endure long car journeys need to plan ways to keep them entertained, ensuring everyone arrives at their destination happy and relaxed. To address this, CarGurus has compiled 10 tips to keep kids entertained whilst on a long car journey. These include games to let kids' imagination run wild, making use of technology, and even a twist on the classic game of I spy. The full list can be seen here.

For those wishing to join the increasing number of people that intend to avoid air travel for the time being, but perhaps do not have a suitable vehicle, CarGurus is all you need. Aside from helping car shoppers search local car listings and quickly find great deals from top rated dealers, we’ve also compiled this handy guide to buying a used car to get you started.

It isn't just holiday plans that are changing due to the pandemic either. More than half (56%) of those who previously used public transport expect to decrease their usage or stop entirely. Of those, 64% plan use their personal vehicles more as a result.

Similarly, nearly half (44%) of those who previously used ridesharing services are expecting to decrease their use or stop using them entirely.

With more than two thirds (34%) saying they expect to use their vehicle more going forward, fears over public transport and ridesharing could be making cars even more vital to daily life.

Chris Knapman, Editor at CarGurus, commented: "As our recent study shows, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, many people are opting to travel by car rather than plane for their summer holiday this year, so the question of how to keep the kids entertained on a long journey is likely to be front of mind for many.

"To help, we've compiled our top 10 ways to keep the kids entertained on a long journey. We can't promise complete peace and quiet, but at least you'll have something prepared for when a shrill voice from the back seat pipes up with "Are we nearly there yet?". Although our list isn’t intended to keep adults entertained, some of the tips are certainly transferable to an everyday commute, such as listening to audiobooks to pass the time. We do not recommend playing I spy by yourself, however."

To learn more about changing consumer sentiment during this unprecedented time, download the full CarGurus COVID-19 Sentiment Study.

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*CarGurus is the fastest growing online automotive marketplace in the UK among its nearest competitors based on the percent change in average unique monthly visitors from Q1 2019 to Q1 2020 (Source: Comscore MMX Multi-Platform®, Custom-defined list includes CarGurus.CO.UK, Motors.CO.UK, AutorTrader.CO.UK, Gumtree.com)

For further information, please contact:
James Drake at CarGurus – UKPR@CarGurus.com / 0208 541 3434 / +44 07809 657178

How CarGurus Works:
CarGurus helps car shoppers search local car listings and quickly find great deals from top rated dealers. Every day, the company analyses millions of data points on hundreds of thousands of UK car listings to calculate each car's Instant Market Value (IMV) or fair retail price. This data is used in combination with dealership ratings from other shoppers to rank and rate available cars results based on the quality of the deal: Great, Good, Fair, High or Overpriced. The site also provides transparency on how long the car has been on the forecourt and if it's had a price drop. Consumers can contact dealers directly.

About CarGurus:
Founded in 2006 by Langley Steinert (also a co-founder of TripAdvisor), CarGurus (Nasdaq: CARG) is a global, online automotive marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of cars. The company uses proprietary technology, search algorithms and data analytics to bring trust and transparency to the automotive search experience and help users find great deals from top rated dealers. CarGurus is the most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S. (source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Automotive – Information/Resources, Total Audience, Q1 2020, U.S. (Competitive set: CarGurus.com, Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com)). CarGurus launched in the UK in 2015 and is the fastest growing online automotive marketplace in the UK among its nearest competitors based on the percent change in average unique monthly visitors from Q1 2019 to Q1 2020 (Source: Comscore MMX Multi-Platform®, Custom-defined list includes CarGurus.CO.UK, Motors.CO.UK, AutorTrader.CO.UK, Gumtree.com). In 2019, CarGurus acquired UK-based PistonHeads.com, which it operates as an independent brand. In addition to the United Kingdom and the United States, CarGurus also operates an online marketplace in Canada.

CarGurus® is a registered trademark of CarGurus, Inc. All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

To learn more about CarGurus visit www.cargurus.co.uk.

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