Safety features top concern for buyers while purchasing car: Survey

Car safety rating and number of airbags were the top two features driving the consumer car purchase decisions, findings of a survey has revealed.

Fuel-efficiency, one of the popular aspects while buying a car, occupied third place as per the survey commissioned by Skoda Auto India and conducted by NIQ BASES.

The study revealed a heavy inclination among customers towards the safety features of the car with 9 out of 10 customers who thought all cars in India should have a safety rating, the survey noted.

As per the findings, car's crash rating was the top driver of customer car purchase decision with an importance score of 22.3 per cent followed by number of airbags with a score of 21.6 per cent.

When it comes to crash rating for cars, maximum customer preference of 22.2 per cent was observed for a 5-star safety rating followed closely by 21.3 preference for a 4-star rating.

Crash rating of zero is the least preferred with only 6.8 per cent score, as per the survey.

Fuel efficiency emerged as the third most important driver with importance score of 15 per cent when purchasing a car, it stated.

About 67 per cent of the respondents consisted of current car owners who owned a car priced above Rs 5 lakh, it said.

Some 33 per cent of respondents did not own a car, but intended to purchase one above Rs 5 lakh within a year, it added.

The survey was conducted on individuals between 18 and 54 years of age with 80 per cent respondents being male, and 20 per cent female.

NIQ BASES Regional Director (APMEA),BASES Speciality Sales Amrita Srivastava said the survey covered 1,000 people in ten states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas noted that since 2014 his organisation has been encouraging a market shift in India for safer cars.

"We have been delighted with the positive response from consumers and the impact this has had on accelerating automaker safety design improvements," he added.

Skoda Auto India Brand Director Petr Solc said the survey reveals that the automaker is perceived as among the top- three brands having models with high safety ratings.

"With India's rapidly growing infrastructure, and the upcoming proposals for India's own crash-testing standards, it is heartening to see consumers being aware of and demanding safety. This is the right way forward," he added.