Consumer Reports conducted a survey recently to find out just how big the differences in vehicle types between men and women are, confirming once again that female drivers are all about safety, reliability and good fuel economy, while performance is the most important factor to male consumers.
Fuel Economy and Safety Are Top Priorities for Women
According to Consumer Reports’ latest car owner satisfaction survey, which analyzed data on over 1 million car owners, women prefer fuel-efficient cars that are also safe and reliable, with men favoring high-performance cars. This is the first Consumer Report survey with results categorized by gender, and the nonprofit product testing organization says that it is limited to the last three model years.
The survey shows that women prefer SUVs and hybrid vehicles, which could be said is the complete opposite of the sporty cars that most male drivers want. When asked if they would purchase the same vehicle if they had to, most of the female respondents said that they would opt for another Subaru Forester, Toyota Highlander or Toyota Prius. This goes to show that family-friendly vehicles, that feature a roomy interior and have excellent safety ratings remain the preferred choice for female consumers.
Men Love Sports Cars
Male drivers, for their part, mostly want high-performance cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and different Porsche models, meaning that they don’t really care about fuel economy or interior comfort, as long as they get to drive a fast, sporty car. Although the above-mentioned vehicles indicate that men and women have very different preferences when it comes to the type of car they want to drive, this survey shows that there is one car that both female and male drivers would want to own.
The Model S is Everyone’s Favorite
It’s the Tesla Model S, the luxury all-electric sedan, which was voted Most Loved Car overall. This is probably because it offers a comfortable interior with luxury features along with high performances and a series of advanced safety features, thus appealing to all consumers, regardless of their gender.
Overall, men don’t seem to like alternative fuel vehicles, other than the Model S and the Honda Accord Hybrid, which were the only plug-in cars featuring on the men’s favorite list. This is likely due to the fact that all-electric and hybrid cars are usually not associated with power and performance, which are the most significant factors affecting the male consumer’s car purchasing decision.
Perhaps the most significant finding from this survey is that women make their car-buying decision based on a vehicle’s safety and reliability ratings, given that their favorite cars have earned top scores from Consumer Reports, as the organization itself says in its report. On the other hand, according to this survey, male drivers simply enjoy driving high-end, fast cars, without paying too much attention to their reliability and safety records.