Differences in how men and women car shop

When it comes to buying a car, men tend to shop longer and spend more than women, according to a recent study by CarGurus. The study examined gender differences in car-shopping behavior and found the average price of the cars for which male shoppers submitted purchase inquiries was higher than for female shoppers. Male shoppers also spent on average more time shopping at CarGurus.com than female shoppers.

Review the study’s findings.

Price

Male shoppers inquired about cars priced on average 13.1% higher (average price of $17,518) than female shoppers (average price of $15,485).

Models

Men showed a greater propensity to shop for high-performance, premium brand cars than women: Models that skewed most heavily to male shoppers included the Ford Shelby GT500, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Audi S4 and Porsche 911. Models including the Volkswagen Beetle, Jeep Compass, Mazda CX-7, Nissan Rogue and Nissan Cube ranked highest among the models that skewed heavily to female shoppers.

Body Style

Men were more likely to inquire about pickup trucks, vans and coupes, while women were more likely than men to inquire about minivans, hatchbacks and crossovers.

Time Spent Shopping

Men spent on average 5.4 days shopping at www.CarGurus.com compared to women’s average 4.5 days.

Transmissions

Male car shoppers were twice as likely to inquire about cars with manual transmissions as were female shoppers.

Fuel Economy

Male and female shoppers were more closely aligned when it comes to fuel efficiency: The average mileage for cars that female shoppers inquired about was 20.9, while for men it was 19.7.