Study: Women Value Price, Practicality Over Performance, Prestige
Setting aside any debate over the validity — or perhaps lack thereof — of gender roles in society, men and women by some measures have been shown to value different attributes while car shopping. Men prize performance and prestige, while women prefer price and practicality.
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That’s according to a new study from the automotive researchers at iSeeCars.com, which concluded that when women shop for cars, they commonly seek out affordable models overwhelmingly from Korean automakers like Kia and Hyundai. The results are based on an analysis of 54 million car sales and half a million online customer inquiries during a nearly three-year period.
“Both the car segments and the brands in the top 10 vehicles are associated with affordability and fuel economy, rather than luxury and performance,” iSeeCars said of women’s top choices. “Six of the 10 cars women shop for most are small cars and the other four are small crossovers.”
The average price of the top 10 most-sought-after models by women was less than $15,000. Contrast that with the men’s top 10, for which the average price was more than three times that with choices focusing on traditionally masculine segments like sports cars and pickup trucks.
The top 10 cars women want, followed by the average price, according to iSeeCars, are:
1. Hyundai Tucson SUV, $16,722
2. Nissan Versa subcompact sedan, $12,144
3. Volkswagen Beetle subcompact, $18,179
4. Kia Forte compact car, $13,730
5. Ford Fiesta subcompact, $13,237
6. Kia Sorento SUV, $18,668
7. Jeep Patriot SUV, $15,615
8. Mitsubishi Outlander SUV, $15,173
9. Kia Rio subcompact, $10,800
10. Kia Soul hatchback, $14,431
The top 10 cars men want are:
1. Nissan GT-R sport coupe, $80,450
2. BMW M3 sport sedan, $35,763
3. Porsche Cayman luxury sport coupe, $43,303
4. Porsche 911 luxury sports car, $65,081
5. Lexus GS 350 sport sedan, $33,004
6. Bentley Continental GTC luxury convertible, $113,666
7. Chevrolet Express cargo van, $16,433
8. Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup truck, $28,870
9. Cadillac CTS-V sport sedan, $44,555
10. GMC Sierra 2500 HD pickup truck, $31,109
