What Car? uncovers showroom sexism

Women are charged an average of £534 more than men to buy the same car, undercover research by What Car? reveals.

Using hidden video cameras and microphones, What Car? sent single men, single women and couples into 45 dealerships in the North, Midlands and South of England.

Researchers shopped for five new cars – a BMW 320i, Ford Focus 1.6, Nissan
X-Trail 2.2 dCi, Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 and Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet 1.6.

What Car?’s researchers found that:

Women were quoted up to £1800 more than men (£534 on average).
Nearly half the dealers refused to offer a discount to women.
Couples were usually offered better deals than women on their own, even when women took the lead in negotiations.

The 1500 minutes of startling footage show how women are charged more and pressured harder to buy on the spot when shopping for cars. It also exposes how many dealers fall back on sharp practices and misleading information when discussing finance terms with all customers.

When it came to discussing finance terms, sales staff hid behind new Financial Services Authority regulations while many business managers deliberately played on the complexities of interest rates and loans. More than half the female shoppers and couples felt finance packages had not been fully explained, compared with 27% of men.

What Car?’s editor, David Motton, said: ‘Women are getting a raw deal when buying a new car. They pay more and feel under more pressure to buy than men.’