Midday Monday is the most popular time to buy a car

Midday Monday is now the most popular time to buy a car online, as home working has shifted buying habits.

Analysis by online marketplace Buyacar.co.uk shows that buying trends have shifted from late afternoons and evenings to earlier in the day, which has coincided with the lockdown in the UK.

Before lockdown measures were implemented, most buyers reserved a car and placed a deposit between 5pm and 6pm, likely after the working day was over, but now the site is most likely to see deals done between 11am and 3pm.

Monday continues to be the most popular day to buy a car, likely because consumers spend the weekend researching which model to get.

However, late night purchases are most likely to take place between 11pm and 2am from Tuesday into Wednesday, beating Saturday nights. Buyacar.co.uk believes this could be because fewer people have to get up early for commuting, so are more likely to stay up late looking at cars.

Christofer Lloyd, editor of BuyaCar.co.uk, said: “It looks as if people who are able to work from home are probably driving the trend toward more car purchases during working hours.

“Previously there was a clear pattern of car buying activity coinciding most heavily with lunch breaks and the time when people are likely to be wrapping up work for the day.

“We believe that with less need for discretion about mixing internet use for professional and personal purposes, under the watchful eyes of colleagues or managers, it seems that consumers are buying more than ever at the time that suits them.”

“What hasn’t changed, though, is that many motorists seem to enjoy kick-starting the week by purchasing a car. Many people get to the end of the weekend with a sense of dread, but buying a car seems to have a much more uplifting effect at the start of the week.”