Consumer Reports: Are Car Buyers Willing to Pay More for Better Fuel Economy?

Wyatt Howard Interviews Consumer Reports 

 Deputy Online Automotive Editor, Jeff Bartlett

Wyatt Howard may only be 15, too young for a driver's license, however, he understands the current economy, especially when it comes to rising gasoline costs. At each race, car #72w, guzzles $95 of the gasoline tonic and then there's keeping the tanks of the truck that pulls #72w to the race. 


Racing season is in full force and as Wyatt Howard Racing loads the trailer, they're contemplating what to do with these crazy gas prices...and then there's the fact that sometime in the very near future, Wyatt is going to want a street car.


Today, Wyatt had the opportunity to sit down with  Jeff Bartlett, Deputy Online Automotive Editor at Consumer Reports to talk about the topic of “are car buyers willing to pay more for better fuel economy?” (See Wyatt Howard interview Consumer Reports Editor, Jeff Bartlett)

Even those not behind the wheel of a race car are feeling the pain of the tough economy and high gas prices. According to the latest  nationally representative Consumer Reports survey*, driving consumers are prioritizing fuel economy with their next car purchase–some 62 percent of Americans expect to choose a model with much better or somewhat better fuel economy and 58 percent said they would pay extra for a more efficient vehicle.  And to save at the pump, they are willing to compromise on purchase price, amenities, and size—but not safety.

We're becoming thrifty as a nation with the average age of a car driven by respondents increasing eight years and the significant drop in annual car sales over recent years. The survey shows the trend is the same regardless of demographics. With 23 percent of surveyed motorists driving cars from the same decade Wyatt was born (1990s), many of these vehicles are wearing out and behind in current safety standards.


The survey asked motorists "What would you do to save on fuel?" 

	New car	Used car
Pay more for fuel-efficient car	58%	49%
Compromise amenities or comfort	44	54
Compromise size or capacity	47	48
Compromise performance	27	35
Compromise safety	11	14

The study shows that consumers are willing to pay more for better fuel economy. 

 Consumer Reports will dig deeper into the survey's findings on attitudes toward car buying in upcoming blogs at www.ConsumerReports.org.

*The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted telephone surveys of 2,033 random adults comprising 1,018 men and 1,015 women 18 years of age and older. Respondents were screened for ownership by the household of one or more vehicles. The analysis is based on the 1,764 adults who said that their household owns a vehicle. Interviewing took place over April 28-May 2, 2011. The sampling error is +/- 2.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

 With more than 7 million print and online subscribers, Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union, the world's largest independent, not-for-profit, product-testing organization. It conducts the most comprehensive auto-test program of any U.S. publication or Website and owns and operates a 327-acre Auto Test Center in Connecticut. The organization's auto experts have decades of experience in driving, testing, and reporting on cars. To subscribe, consumers can call 1-800-234-1645 or visit www.ConsumerReports.org.