Somewhat patronisingly, women are seen by many in the press to consider the look of a vehicle to be the most important consideration (see here for an example), at the expense of practicality and economy.
Will closer inspection of the top 10 car purchases by women show this casual sexism to be justified? Let’s take a look…
The top 10 car purchases by women are as follows:
10. Jeep Compass (tie): 52.7%
10. Nissan Juke (tie): 52.7%
8. Toyota RAV4: 53%
7. Honda CR-V: 53.4%
6. Hyundai Tucson: 54%
5. Toyota Matrix: 54.1%
4. Volkswagen Beetle: 54.6%
3. Volkswagen EOS: 56.4%
2. Nissan Rogue: 56.9%
1. Volvo S40: 57.9%
Aesthetics
While looks are obviously a consideration for women – the VW Beetle never fails to raise a smile – the presence of the Nissan Juke seems bizarre as it has been criticised by many reviewers for its odd stylings.
Economy
It is clear price is an important consideration, with the average price of all but one of the cars on the list being under £20,000, the Volkswagen EOS being the exception at £26,050. And all of the cars on the list also have a high MPG.
Safety
This is definitely an important consideration to women when they make their car buying decisions – all of the cars on the list are well-made and generally score well in reviewers’ safety tests. The VW Beetle, for example, scored 5 out of 5 stars for safety, with 6 airbags and an electronic stability control as standard.
Conclusion
The list of women’s favourite cars shows that women tend to go for cars with a broad appeal and unlike men tend to avoid high-powered sports cars.
While aesthetics are a consideration, safety and economy seem to be higher on the list of women’s priorities.
There are some surprises on this list, though – the Ford Econetic could have been on the list, due to its compact size and fuel efficiency.
This car is certainly a car that you should consider for these reasons, and it isn’t necessary to buy new either – you can buy a used Ford at VCARS.co.uk, for example.