Aucklanders hire cars of Jafa dreams

NZ Herald

12 Feb, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

A survey of 467 people who have hired cars in the past 12 months found 21 per cent of those polled in Auckland admitted always picking those they had dreamed of owning. Photo / Simon Baker

Image-conscious Aucklanders appear far more likely to hire cars of their dreams than residents of other regions, according to a new survey.

So are young drivers, although they are far more wary than their elders of driving rental cars, research firm Canstar Blue has found.

"It could be meeting the stereotype of the Flash Harry Aucklander who likes to be seen in the right kind of car," Canstar New Zealand general manager Derek Bonnar said of the former finding.

"Maybe it reinforces that stereotype of Aucklanders needing to have the image."

The survey of 467 people who have hired cars in the past 12 months found 21 per cent of those polled in Auckland admitted always picking those they had dreamed of owning.

Just 3 per cent of those from the Waikato and 7 per cent from Wellington and Canterbury chased their dreams.

Generation Y drivers, whom the researchers defined as aged 18 to 29, appeared to be even more image conscious - with 24 per cent choosing their dream car every time.

That compared with 17 per cent of Generation X drivers, aged 30 to 44, and just six per cent in the older Baby Boomer bracket.

But hiring flasher cars may not signal any greater confidence among youth.

For 57 per cent said they felt anxious when driving a rental car, compared with 42 per cent of the middle group and six per cent of those aged 45 and older.

"I think it's quite a positive sign that Generation Y are cautious when they're hiring cars," Mr Bonnar said.

"It probably goes against the stereotype of Generation Ys being free and easy, and not caring.

"It could be that they're hiring vehicles of substantially higher quality than what they're used to driving."

Although 43 per cent of women were nervous about hiring cars, compared with 29 per cent of men, only eight per cent of females said they had crashed or dented a rental.

That compared with 13 per cent of men, and 14 per cent of members of both Generations Y and X. "I guess most women would argue it's because they're better drivers - as men we hear that fairly regularly," Mr Bonnar acknowledged.

Women were also more likely to read the fine print of rental agreements before hiring cars - 65 per cent compared with 57 per cent of men.

But Mr Bonnar said both figures were pleasingly high, suggesting Kiwis were "a savvy bunch" of hirers.

Those surveyed also gave scores to rental car companies according to six factors such as overall satisfaction, value for money and customer service.

They gave Apex Car Rentals the highest scores across the categories, with Avis coming a close second and scoring first equal for overall satisfaction.

They were followed, in order of scores, by Jucy, Thrifty, Budget and Hertz.

Mr Bonnar believed the fact none of the companies was rated below six out of 10 in any category portrayed an industry that was "performing quite well".