Minivans and hybrids shopped by men and women equally

Sat, Jan 25 2014

Men love fast, exotic cars, and women want something safe and practical – at least that is the way conventional thinking goes. But a new study challenges these old beliefs. According to the auto information aggregators at iSeeCars, both sexes shop for minivans and hybrids equally.

The study also dug deeper into the different browsing habits between genders. For instance, women are twice as likely to shop for Kia and 67 percent more likely to shop for Hyundai. Men are seven percent more likely to buy American cars. Both sexes shop the German brands equally.

It seems that men might be slightly greener in their shopping because they are twice as likely to browse electric cars and two and a half times more likely to look at diesels.

Still, the old stereotype of men wanting a more performance-oriented car is not entirely false. They also are more likely to look at cars that cost over $45,000, and men are still more likely to buy a sports car.

"Men like fast, flashy cars. They are performance oriented, even if they have to shell out more money," Phong Ly, cofounder and CEO of iSeeCars, said in an interview with CBS MoneyWatch. "Women are looking for the best value."

The iSeeCars study got its data directly from dealers and online sellers like eBay Motors, then determined sex based on first name and excluded gender-neutral names. What it shows is that even if men might like browsing for fast cars, practicality and economy win out in the end. It's still fun to look, though.

News Source: iSeeCars via CBS News MoneyWatch
Image Credit: Shutterstock / Deklofenak

Hyundai
Kia
Car Buying
Minivan/Van
Electric
Hybrid

By Chris Bruce