Chances are you know someone who only buys American car brands, like Ford, Dodge and Tesla, or alternatively, someone who strictly prefers to drive vehicles made by non-American automakers like Hyundai, Toyota and Honda. A new comparison published by YouGov looks at the differences of those two groups of buyers. Researchers say it finds not only demographic gaps between the two groups, but also fundamental differences in not just in what they drive, but in who they are and what they believe.
Here's a look at the highlights:
- Demographic Divide
- 51% of American-brand car owners are aged 55+ vs. 44% of non-American brand owners.
- Non-American car owners skew younger: 25% are 18–34 vs. only 18% for American brands.
- Lower income is more common among American-brand drivers (38% vs. 31%).
- Higher income is slightly more common among non-American brand owners (11% vs. 9%).
- Politics & Values
- 33% of American-brand drivers identify as conservative or very conservative vs. 26% for non-American.
- 14% of non-American car drivers identify as very liberal—compared to just 8% of American-brand owners.
- Loyalty to domestic carmakers may reflect broader traditionalist values and national pride.
- Attitudes Toward Driving & Cars
- 60% of American-brand drivers value a powerful engine vs. 50% of non-American car drivers.
- More American-brand drivers prefer to wash their own car (53% vs. 46%) and say they can fix it without a mechanic (21% vs. 17%).
- 44% of American-brand drivers say public transportation is “gross,” compared to 38% of non-American drivers.
- Sustainability & EV Enthusiasm
- 51% of non-American car brand owners believe EVs are the future of the industry vs. 39% of American brand owners.
- 55% of non-American car brand owners say we should all drive less for the environment (vs. 47% of American drivers).
- 52% of non-American car brand owners say car ownership is too expensive (vs. 44%), and 25% don’t want to be locked into ownership due to changing needs (vs. 19%).
- Car Shopping Behavior
- Non-American car drivers rely more on online reviews (54% vs. 48%) and consumer reports (45% vs. 41%).
- They also use comparison websites (36% vs. 32%) and manufacturer sites (27% vs. 24%) more often.
- American-brand owners are more active on used car sites (20% vs. 16%) and auto shows (6% vs. 4%).
You can see the rest of the YouGov study here.
Photo Credit: K-FK/Shutterstock.com.