Fact #378: June 27, 2005
Trends in Vehicle Attribute Preference
A survey question asked, "Which of the following attributes would be the most important to you in your choice of your next vehicle?" Dependability was chosen most often in every survey. Fuel economy was rated "most important" by 22% of survey respondents in May 2004 when gasoline prices were about $1.88/gallon, but only 11% of survey respondents felt fuel economy was most important in May 2005 with gasoline prices at about $2.11/gallon.
Supporting Information
| Question: Which one of the following attributes would be most important in your choice of your next vehicle? (Share of respondents) | |||||
| Year | Fuel Economy | Dependability | Low Price | Quality | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 42% | 31% | 14% | 4% | 9% |
| 1981 | 20% | 40% | 21% | 7% | 12% |
| 1983 | 13% | 38% | 30% | 11% | 9% |
| 1985 | 8% | 41% | 29% | 12% | 10% |
| 1987 | 4% | 44% | 31% | 8% | 14% |
| 1996 | 7% | 34% | 11% | 19% | 29% |
| 1998 | 4% | 36% | 5% | 20% | 34% |
| 2000 | 11% | 33% | 11% | 22% | 24% |
| 2001 | 11% | 30% | 8% | 22% | 30% |
| 2004 | 22% | 26% | 10% | 19% | 23% |
| 2005 | 12% | 33% | 7% | 21% | 28% |
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