- Showrooms in England, Scotland, Wales and NI have reopened
- Most dealers will operate an appointment-only system for showroom visits
- Click and Collect will continue
With the easing of restrictions as part of the government's roadmap back to a normal way of life, what does that mean for those looking to buy a new car?
Our dealer partners are working hard to make sure you can still get hold of your perfect set of wheels, but it goes without saying that your safety, as well as the safety of our dealer partners and employees, is our number one priority. This means that despite these easing of COVID-19 restrictions, many dealers are choosing to continue to observe COVD-19 safety measures. Let's take a look at what that means if you're ready to walk into a car showroom and buy a car.
This article was last updated on 22 July 2021.
Are car showrooms safe to visit?
While the rules around public spaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have been relaxed (please check the latest Government advice for your local area first though), don't expect things to be back to normal at a dealership just yet. You'll still be able to view a car, take a test drive, make a deposit etc, but there will still be some safety measures in place.
Test drives are likely to be unaccompanied and carried out by customers on their own. Social distancing measures will also be maintained to keep both staff and customers safe. These include in-store signage, floor stickers, desk screens and hand sanitiser stations.
There will likely still be a limit on how many people can enter a showroom at any one time, while its preferred and recommended that a face covering be worn, and gloves will likely need to be worn if you want to enter one of the demonstration cars. We're also expecting most dealers to run on an appointment system to keep the number of people onsite low, so beware that you might need to book beforehand rather than just turn up. This will give you a chance to check a head of your visit to see what measures are in place.
Will Click and Collect and Home Delivery continue?
Buying a car remotely is here to stay - you can even buy a car online with heycar if you like, while dealers will continue to offer a Click and Collect service to buy a car.
In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland you can still buy from many dealers with home delivery or COVID-secure collection, too.
What is Click and Collect exactly?
Many dealerships are continuing to offer Click and Collect car buying services. This means you buy the car remotely (either online or over the phone) and then can collect the car outside of the dealership with a COVID secure handover - including sanitation of the car. If you’d like to do this, let the dealer know when you speak to them.
Will a dealer deliver a car to my home?
Many of our trusted dealers are currently offering home delivery of cars. This means you buy the car remotely (either online or over the phone) and then the dealer will arrange delivery, with a COVID secure handover. If you’re interested in doing this, let the dealer know when you speak to them.
What are video viewings?
Many dealers are offering video tours. To request this, just let the dealer know when you contact them. Even more of our listings now already have videos included, too - you can simply filter by ‘Listings with videos’.
I have more COVID-19 car buying questions...
As always if you have any other questions, get in touch - you can email us, message us on Live Chat or give us a call during our opening hours on 020 3936 1257.
For more coronavirus car buying advice click here.
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