When asked for the first thing they look for in a vehicle, just 1% considered low carbon emissions of uppermost importance when making their selection, and even among this group, two thirds favoured cars with lower emissions because of money-saving considerations, such as cheaper road tax and lower fuel consumption.
A remarkable 52% of drivers also said they wouldn't buy a car even if it was only slightly above their budget, with price emerging rather unsurprisingly as the top concern of drivers buying a new vehicle, followed closely by number of seats and fuel economy.
What is perhaps most startling is the extent to which concerns about carbon emissions have failed to penetrate drivers' thinking at the crucial stage when there is a chance to make a fresh start and buy a new, possibly less polluting vehicle.
It turns out that for new car buyers, quick acceleration and optional extras are far more important than low CO2 emissions. Of the tiny 1% of respondents who claimed CO2 emissions would be the first thing they looked at, just 11% of this group were concerned purely for environmental reasons - leaving the green worriers languishing at 1 in a 1000.
Founder of carbuzz, James Hind explains, 'We wanted to discover what the first thing is that people look for in a vehicle, due to the fact that a large part of our newly launched website is devoted to finding the perfect car based on drivers' personal requirements.
'Though we weren't hugely surprised by the results, it's still shocking that people are more concerned about optional extras such as air-con and cup holders than low CO2 emissions. Many people are still only just coming around to the 'green is good' idea, and aside from the money-saving aspect people just don't seem to see the benefits.'
Cup Holders Beat Low CO2 for New Car Buyers
