What do female buyers prioritise in purchasing a new car?

As we take the time to commemorate and honour women’s accomplishments, raise awareness about gender disparities and discrimination, as well as promote global support for women in conjunction with International Women’s Day, it’s equally paramount that the annual theme is expounded upon and acknowledged.

For 2023, it takes a step into the digital age under the theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” The aim is to highlight the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality.

Women’s contribution to technology goes back decades and spans a wide spectrum of fields with many of their pioneering discoveries/inventions paving the way towards the development of modern features in vehicles that we've come to take for granted.

For instance, Hollywood siren Hedy Lamarr might be recognised for her roles in the Oscar-nominated films ‘Algiers’ and ‘Sampson and Delilah’ but her technical mind was her greatest contribution to society as she patented frequency-hopping technology in 1941; the precursor to secure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Navigation has become a staple in modern cars as well and we can thank Gladys West for that. The STEM trailblazer programmed a computer to account for gravity, tides and other forces that act on the Earth's surface to precisely calculate the orbits of satellites that enables Global Positioning System (GPS) to function.

Flipping the page on the book of key features in the modern car, understanding the female psyche has become a prerequisite in the development of cars. The reasoning is simple, a study by J.D. Power a few years ago made clear that women carry a 59 percent weightage when it comes to deciding which car to buy.

Also Read: The car was co-invented by a woman, Bertha Benz but patent laws wouldn't recognize her work

“Women are more complicated than skirts, purses and nails,” said Brigid O’Kane, a design professor and coordinator of the Transportation Design Track programme at the University of Cincinnati in the survey.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean automakers design “women’s cars” and “men’s cars.” Although some cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle Convertible are primarily purchased by women, the study discovered that women possess a more stringent checklist across a broader range in selecting the right car.

Simply put, a deeper understanding of what women prioritise in a car will generally make it appealing to men as well… but not vice versa.

Also Read: Volvo Car's new women's bag is made of recycled plastic bottles

“There’s a significant amount of overlap between what women and men want in car design. What I’ve noticed in our market research, however, is that women tend to not only see the big picture but pay close attention to the details as well,” explained Tim Greig, interior design manager for General Motors Global Design.

Greig further dived into the topic, clarifying the overlap. For instance, both sides might have a shortlist of 10 features for their new car but concentrating on items 6-10 on the women’s list would more often than not mean more appeal to men as well.

With that in mind, WapCar spoke to a number of female car owners to understand the key features or aspects that ushered them towards the particular model they currently own.

1. Elevated seating position

This one’s a no-brainer really, which is one of the key reasons women prefer SUV body styles. It offers a feeling of security and better overview of the road. Furthermore, an elevated seat generally means more skirt-friendly ingress and egress, like in the Proton X50.

2. Practical storage spaces

Yes, plenty of places to stash your stuff is godsent but they also must be large enough to be useful and safe. It should at the very least be hidden to accommodate a SmartTAG or keep a handbag out of a snatch thief's reach, like in a Perodua Myvi. That said, a wide centre console box, cubby holes, handbag hooks and cupholders do sway things a little for women.

3. Handsfree powered tailgates with height adjustment

When both your hands are occupied carrying things that need to go in the boot, fumbling with your key fob to pop the boot lid will either lead to things meeting the ground or a rise in blood pressure. Being able to activate the powered tailgate hands-free is a blessing and most prefer swinging their feet under the bumper to activate it. The ability to adjust the maximum height of the boot lid is also welcome by more petite users.

4. Safety tech, ADAS

Apart from the alphabet soup of driving nannies, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have begun to trickle down towards more affordable cars, even the flagship trim of the humble Perodua Axia is equipped with it. This one’s for all drivers, the safer the better of course, but women do prioritise these more in the purchase of a new car.

5. Connectivity

Music soothes the savage beast and navigation gets it there faster. Therefore, ease of connectivity is essential on the road and women have acknowledged that it influences their purchase decision. Similarly, to advanced safety tech, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have reaped the benefits of trickle-down economics to be made available in more affordable cars.

6. Stylish design

Women are more fashionable and aware of vogue trends. Most admitted that design or a catchy colour held some weight in the decision making but it should be noted they place it’s ranking at the bottom of the list. The J.D. Power study also noted that women leaned towards cars from Asian automakers that tend to carry “much gentler, less aggressive” styling.

7. Features of convenience

We apologise for the vague categorisation but most of the women we spoke to highlighted the importance of non-safety-related tech. Top of the list was the feature that only unlocks the driver’s door with one press of the key fob, with a double press unlocking all doors. The fear of carjacking and theft had almost all the women bring this up. Other features included a 360-degree camera (or at least a rear camera / front parking sensor) and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

8. Straightforward purchase/ownership experience

CARSOME has revolutionised the used car buying experience and subsequently, the maintenance of said cars once the factory warranty has lapsed, with the CARSOME Service Center.

The all-in-one fixed pricing with no hidden charges applies to their entire inventory of affordable and refurbished used cars that are CARSOME Certified, meaning they've all undergone a 175-point inspection, come with a 1-year warranty and a 5-day money-back guarantee.

Furthermore, the transparent fees for maintenance packages/repairs at the CARSOME Service Center alleviates the maintenance process and makes it impossible to be taken for a ride… except in your new ride.

Special promotion for female customers only (8-31 March 2023): 

In keeping with the celebration of women for the month, CARSOME will be going the extra mile for ladies by extending some of its key services to better their car ownership experience.

Up until 31 March 2023, members of the fairer sex will be privy to a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee on any car purchased from CARSOME. If a customer changes their mind about the car, they can return it within 30 days for a full refund.

Next up, the ladies can also look forward to a FREE 1-month premium on a Fi Life Term Life insurance policy. Customers must book a test drive appointment OR book an inspection appointment and can automatically receive a promo code in their CARSOME app. Just click on the 'My Vouchers' tab to copy the promo code and apply it upon checkout when purchasing the insurance policy on Fi Life’s website to get the first month’s premium off.

Furthermore, CARSOME will be supporting underprivileged women by hosting a Kechara Soup Kitchen Society booth from 18-19 March 2023 at the CARSOME Autofair. The society will be selling homemade cookies baked by the women to boost their income.

Starting 17 March 2023, CARSOME will prepare dedicated women-only parking for your convenience at CARSOME PJ Automall, Kepong and Setiawangsa.

If you’re bringing your little one along to help check out the car you’re interested in, rest assured there’ll be a children’s play area at the PJ Automall that opens on 17 March 2023.

Lastly, female customers that drop by the PJ Automall, Kepong or Setiawangsa centres will get a special goodie bag to take home.