Utility vehicles top online search among used cars: Google

Online queries for used cars grew 30 per cent in 2014 and has jumped 20 times in the last six years, with utility vehicles being the most sought after among used ones, technology giant Google said here today.

"The number of queries related to used cars on Google Search has grown 20 times in the past six years and a 30 per cent annual growth in 2014," the US-based company said in a statement.

It said eight out of 10 buyers are undecided on which vehicle to buy and generally their searches are centred around budget, brands, fuel type and ownership.
"Only 16 per cent of the used-car searches are for specific brands and 84 per cent queries are generic queries," the report said.

The company did a study along with automaker Mahindra's used car business, Mahindra FirstChoice, which also suggested that there is a growing preference for cars running on diesel because of the price advantage.

Utility vehicles are the most sought after by the used car buyers with a 47 per cent share in the searches, it said, adding hatchbacks (20 per cent) and sedans and luxury segment follows this.

Honda is the most searched used car brand on Google with its popular model City taking the top slot, it said.

Maharashtra tops on the origin of the searches, followed by South India, Bengal, NCR-Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. According to Mahindra FirstChoice data, the proportion of first-time buyers has declined but the "multiple car in the family" segment has grown, it said, adding the former continues to remain the biggest category.