Studiu Reveal Marketing Research
In the context in which new car registrations in Romania increased, in February 2023, by 44.49% compared to the same period last year, and the interest in hybrid or electric cars is increasing, the latest Reveal Marketing Research study set out to evaluate the attitudes and behaviors of Romanians regarding their cars and how they have evolved compared to the perceptions measured in the study conducted in February 2021.
- 5 out of 10 Romanians (48%) intend to change their current car within 1-3 years
- 4 out of 10 Romanians intend to purchase their next car by accessing the Rabla program
- 73% of Romanians consider making the transition to a hybrid or electric motorization in the future, but inadequate infrastructure is a strong barrier
How long have Romanians bought their current car?
Most of the Romanians declare that they own the current car for less than 2 years (34%), to a significantly greater extent young people aged between 18-24 (62%) and those between 25-35 (44%) , age categories in which the chances of the purchase of the current car synchronizing with obtaining the driver’s license being higher.
As buying a car has become more affordable and people need more mobility, we see that 42% of those in rural areas say they have owned their current car for less than 2 years (vs. 32% in urban areas).
In the same vein, 27% of Romanians declare that they own the current car for 3-5 years, while 21% mention a period of 5-10 years, and 18% have the car for more than 10 years. Mature people over 55 are the most attached to their current cars, with 35% of them owning them for more than 10 years.
Half of Romanians (48%) intend to change their current car within 1-3 years
If we take a look at the intention to change the car, it is highlighted that most intend to change it in the near future, 48% mentioning an interval of 1-3 years, and 16% the period of the current year. 17% of Romanians have plans to change their car over an average period of 3-5 years.
For mature people over 55, changing their car is not a priority, with 33% of them saying they plan to change their car in 5 years or more (vs. 20% total sample).
6 out of 10 Romanians think that a hybrid or electric car suits their lifestyle
According to the APIA Statistical Bulletin from the end of 2022, of the total number of new cars registered during the year, petrol cars still dominate the top (64.5%), the percentage of diesel cars decreases by 5% compared to 2021, reaching 13.8 %, and the electric and full-hybrid ones gain an increasing share of the market, reaching 21.7% (vs. 15.5% at the end of 2021).
According to the Reveal Marketing Research study, the majority of Romanians are of the opinion that Motoring hybrid is the most reliability currently (43%), this being followed by gasoline (25%), diesel (19%) and full-electric (13%).
Pursuing the degree of attractiveness and preferences for different types of cars, 45% think that a hybrid car would best suit their lifestyle, especially people over 55 (54%) and rather those in urban areas (47% vs. 36% in rural areas).
23% describe the car with a conventional petrol engine as the most suitable, while 19% say they prefer a diesel car (especially young people between 18-34 years – 29%), and 13% a full-electric car.
73% of Romanians consider switching to a hybrid or electric car in the future
49% of Romanians are considering buying a car hybridwhile 24% would choose a the electric caragain 27% I do not consider to change petrol/diesel engine.
The percentages that measure the desire to make the transition to a hybrid or full-electric model in the future register small percentage decreases (of 2% and 4% respectively) compared to the study carried out in February 2021, but the desire to purchase these types of cars continues to be dominant.
The representatives of generation Z (18-24 years old) are attracted to the extremes, being more excited either by the idea of purchasing a full-electric car (29%), or by the conventional petrol/diesel engine (33%), the hybrid car being preferred in a significantly lower measure compared to the total sample (38%).
Among the 73% of Romanians interested in making the transition to hybrid/electric motorization, 60% plan to do so in the next 3 years or 5 yearsthe time horizon associated with the change not registering significant changes compared to February 2021 (58%).
On the other hand, 14% intend to make the change in the next year, while 18% mention a period of more than 5 years, and 8% a period of more than 10 years.
Our country is still unprepared as an infrastructure for electric cars, half of Romanians (52%) think
One of the potential reasons for some drivers not wanting to give up conventional fuel cars is the lack of infrastructure. The data shows us that half of Romanians (52%) believes that Romania is not ready as an infrastructure for electric cars, and on a closer look, we notice that drivers over 55 are the most vehement in this belief (62%).
At the same time, 37% of respondents declare themselves undecided, while 11% believe that Romania has a suitable infrastructure at present. The percentage of those who believe that our country is sufficiently prepared for this kind of sustainable approach is increasing compared to 2021 when a score of only 5% was recorded.
The level of pessimism is decreasing if we report Romania’s ability to take measures in the next 3 years to improve the infrastructure for electric cars, with 41% expressing pessimism, 44% declaring themselves undecided, and 16% optimistic.
Reducing pollution continues to be the main perceived benefit of electric cars, mentioned by 54% among Romanians (down 19 percentage points vs. February 2021), followed by greater cost efficiency (23%) and the modern and innovative character of the car (16%). Considering that the popularity of electric cars is constantly increasing, their modern and innovative character takes on greater importance compared to the evaluation two years ago, when it registered a score of 9%.
4 out of 10 Romanians intend to purchase their next car through the Rabla program
The top of the most frequently used ways to pay for a car owned to date consists of: accessing personal savings (52%), money received from family/friends (24%), credit for personal needs (23%) and the Rabla program (15%). As expected, young people between 18-24 years relied on the help received from family/friends to a significantly higher extent than the total sample (33%).
Taking a look at the future prospects regarding the purchase of the next car, we notice that Romanians mostly intend to access their personal savings (48%), the Rabla program (37%) or a loan for personal needs (19%).
Both the increased interest in hybrid or electric cars and the popularity of subsidies offered by the state for their purchase exponentially increase the chances that Romanians will opt for such a motorization in the future.
Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online during 15-17.02.2023 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, from urban and rural areas, internet users. The sample size was 1008 respondents and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level.