Nearly half of car buyers expect to make a purchase before the end of the year, while most prefer to sell their existing car to a dealer and are willing to travel up to 50 miles to find the right car.
These are among the findings of the latest Motors Consumer Insight Panel, independently researched by Insight Advantage, which has polled the views of 2,000 car buying decision makers.
The study found 47% are looking to buy within the next 12 months, an increase on the 40% who planned to do so when last asked in September, with a further 17% currently searching or planning to buy before the end of March.
Over a quarter (27%) expect to buy within the first half of the year.
Longer term buying plans are also in place with 24% expecting to buy in 2026 and 12% in 2027.
Buyers most likely to purchase a car within 12 months are men (52%), 25-34 year-olds (58%) and those with household incomes over £60,000 (52%).
Most buyers (52%) say they prefer to sell their existing car to a dealer, followed by private sales (23%) and specialist car buying services (12%).
The Consumer Insight Panel also identified that on average buyers are prepared to travel between 40 and 50 miles to find the right car at the right price.
Men are more likely to travel further (47 miles) than women (40 miles).
Buyers living in Scotland and the south west of England are prepared to travel the furthest at 50 miles.
When it comes to choosing makes and models, buyers are mostly influenced by recommendations from family and friends (39%) and car search websites (38%).
Lucy Tugby, marketing director of Motors, said: “Our first Consumer Insight Panel of 2025 reveals the appetite among decision makers to buy their next car within 12 months is stronger than it was last year.
“Whether this reflects increased consumer confidence remains to be seen, but following an extended period of economic uncertainty, this is positive news for dealers making stocking decisions.
“The research also highlights the importance of pricing to market as buyers are prepared to travel an average of 44 miles to purchase a car they have seen online at a price they are prepared to pay.
“Dealers play a key role in the buying and selling process, remaining the first port of call for owners when selling their existing cars, highlighting the importance of offering competitive trade-in values to secure purchases and access used car stock.”