Tyre kickers cost industry millions

CUSTOMERS who have no intention of buying a used car are costing dealers millions of pounds every year in wasted time and lost purchases.

By taking up the time of sales staff and keeping them away from genuine buyers, so called ‘tyre kickers’ soak up time touring showrooms and asking questions. Some will even take a test drive while having no intention to buy a car.

Staff in dealerships say tyre kickers can spend up to two hours every visit looking at cars and discussing a deal. In a survey by Flexed, it found 98% of car showroom sales staff had dealt with tyre kickers at some point and 80% said they wasted at least 10% of their time dealing with people who have no desire to buy a new car.

The survey also found 62% of dealers said they would still serve a customer who clearly has no plan to buy a car as they think they might be able to coax a sale out of them or keep them interested for the future. Also, 39% reckon they can spot a tyre kicker as soon as they walk into a showroom.

Flexed’s Mark Hall said: ‘It's difficult to put an exact figure on the amount of money lost through time wasted on tyre-kickers, but with some 5,000 franchised car dealers in the UK, we estimate lost productivity and sales runs easily into the millions.

‘There are even the repeat offenders who come back time and time again because they've got nothing better to do," says Hall. "A trip round the local car showrooms is a day out to some people.’

By Press Association reporters