PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
We’re long used to waiting for buses, but the waiting list for cars is now proving just as frustrating. a perfect storm of problems — a shortage of key microprocessor chips, the effects of Covid, the war in Ukraine — has led to demand for new cars exceeding supply.
This, in turn, has seen the price of nearly new and other used cars soaring as consumers seek a new set of wheels.
research by car warranty experts Motoreasy has used department for Transport data and factory order waiting periods from car dealerships to reveal that among the UK’s
top-selling cars, nissan’s sunderlandbuilt Qashqai, priced from £25,505, has the shortest waiting time of 13 weeks.
For electric cars, that’s matched by the hyundai Ioniq, for which you’ll also wait three months.
among petrol and diesel cars, next shortest wait is for the Volkswagen T-roc (enhanced models from £25,000), and BMW 3 series (all 14 weeks); Volkswagen Polo and Kia sportage (both 20 weeks); Ford Kuga and Puma (both 22 weeks); VW Tiguan (24 weeks) and the VW Golf (25 weeks).
among electric cars, the next shortest waits are: the Tesla Model 3 (14 weeks); renault Zoe and Peugeot e-2008 (both 22 weeks). Motoreasy chief executive duncan McClure Fisher said: ‘The waiting list for cars is at an all-time high.
‘With delays caused by the ongoing global pandemic and staff absence, the semiconductor shortages, and now the crisis in Ukraine, buyers are waiting longer and longer for new vehicles to make it onto the roads.’
It comes as the latest figures from the society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (sMMT) show that UK car manufacturing declined by 32.4 per cent to 207,347 during the first three months of this year.
That means almost 100,000 fewer vehicles were made than in the same period last year. so it’s no wonder there are delays.
My advice is to get your orders in early.