Car dealers ‘ready, willing and able’ as showrooms in England and Wales reopen

Car dealers in England and Wales are ready to ‘welcome customers back into showrooms’ after several months of lockdown-related closures.

That’s according to Mike Hawes, chief executive of trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), who said that while click-and-collect services – which have allowed drivers to purchase a car online and either take delivery of it at home or collect it – has ‘helped the sector to survive, it cannot replace the experience of choosing and test driving a new car in person’.

He said: “Consumers returning to showrooms will notice some changes, not just in the updated Covid safety measures, but also in the increasing choice of new car technologies and there are now more “green” choices than ever before. With 150 models of battery electric, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell and hybrid electric vehicles on sale, that’s one in three models capable of zero emission motoring.”

Analysis by the SMMT has also shown that buyers are now able to choose from a wide choice of vehicles, with 462 individual car models available in around 4,650 standard specifications.

Along with all retail, car dealers have been forced to close their doors in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus in the UK. However, as rates have reduced and lockdown measures have been eased, they have been allowed to open once more.

Prior to the opening, dealers have been permitted to operate via ‘click and collect’ and with home deliveries, though no face-to-face visits inside the showroom itself have been allowed. There has been much discussion surrounding whether test drives could operate, too.

Buyers will now be able to return to showrooms once more, though Covid-19 protocols and social distancing measures must be maintained.