France Consumer Car Wash Survey

Datamonitor has surveyed motorists regarding their car washing behaviour, preferences and service satisfaction. Specifically the study reveals how frequently motorists wash their car, the channels used and the popularity of each. It also assesses what is important to motorists when they are selecting how to wash their car and measures how different wash types perform in meeting their expectations.

Scope

• Frequency of car washing by different methods including service station auto washes, standalone washes, hand car washing at home or by a third party.
• The relative importance of different car wash features such as location, value for money, speed, wash quality and care of vehicle exterior.
• An assessment of customer car washing behaviour and preferences segmented by gender, income, age, distance travelled and region.
• Insight into the car washing methods and most popular brands used as well as the performance of different types of wash against customer expectations.

Highlights

Motorists are more inclined to use a car wash at a service station than a standalone wash. Around 10% more motorists in France have used a service station branded automatic wash, such as Total, than have used an independent brand of car wash, such as Elephant Blue.

Motorists that mostly commonly use standalone automatic washes cover greater distances than those who use other types of car wash services. The group who use this wash method more than any other exceed 300km per week.

Respondents were asked to rate the relative importance of different car wash competencies when selecting which method to use. Motorists are least concerned with the time taken over the car wash and the level of personal effort invested. This is why hand car washing at home continues to be a popular method of washing.

Reasons to Purchase

• Make informed car wash and marketing investments by identifying what is most important to motorists when selecting how to wash their vehicle
• Improve customer targeting by uncovering the characteristics of those that elect to use different car washing methods
• Measure the relative performance of your type of car wash installation in meeting the expectations of motorists