BOY RACERS BUY SAFEST

'BOY RACERS' BUY SAFEST AND GREENEST NEW CARS

201/05 17 October 2005

Young men aged 18 – 25 are the most safety conscious and environmentally aware car buyers in the UK, new research from Black Horse Motor Finance reveals. The age group most associated with ‘boy racers’ and high insurance premiums are in fact the ones most likely to snap up new cars with the highest safety ratings (NCAP 4 and 5) and the best emissions rating (Euro 4).

The research, based on car buying decisions made by over 70,000 motorists, shows that cars with the highest safety ratings account for 93 per cent of new car sales to young men, who actively shun cars with a low safety rating. This contrasts sharply with men aged over 66, almost a quarter (22 per cent) of whom will happily settle for a less safe model (NCAP ....cont/

rating 3).

NCAP safety ratings judge the performance of a car in a crash, looking at both front and side impact. The highest safety rating is 5, which would give safety conscious drivers the best protection. However these only appeal to just over one in ten (14 per cent) of all new car buyers and plummets to just two per cent amongst young women (aged 18 – 25).

As well as being safety conscious, 18 to 25 year old men are also showing sound green credentials by being ahead of the pack when it comes to buying the ‘cleanest’ cars – those reaching the Euro 4 standard in emissions testing. Almost four in ten of their purchases (38 per cent) achieve the highest standard – more than any other sector of the car buying public. On the whole though men are not quite so environmentally aware, women pip ....cont/

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them to the post in buying the cleanest cars (35 per cent compared to 31 per cent).

Phil Stones, managing director of Black Horse Motor Finance, says: “Our data challenges the preconceptions people have over young male drivers, showing them to be aware of the importance of car safety and caring for the environment. Their green credentials may have been boosted though by the tax benefits of buying a clean car. The lower the emissions, the lower the tax – making a significant impact on a motorist’s budget. Young men may simply have been quicker than other motorists to grasp the financial implications.”

Other key findings:

• Car buyers in Northern Ireland are the most safety conscious – 90 per cent of their new cars are rated NCAP 4 and 5, closely followed by the Welsh with 88...cont/

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per cent.

• Londoners buy more NCAP 5 rated cars (27 per cent) than any other region.

• People from the South West buy the least safe cars – 22 per cent of their new cars are rated as NCAP 3.

Black Horse Motor Finance is part of the Asset Finance Division of Lloyds TSB. Black Horse has been a specialist in car finance for over 50 years, currently having almost one million customers and £6 billion of lending on its books. Black Horse accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the motor finance market.

Black Horse Motor Finance is only offered through approved motor dealers.

For more information:

Jo Ganly

Lloyds TSB Press Office.