Just over a third of Welsh drivers would consider buying a new car, some way behind the national average.
They are also less likely to look at a second hand car than the average and more likely to put up with their present model.
But the gap is narrowing and with sales incentives in showrooms the car sales market is hotting up between new and used.
In Wales, 43% said they would consider a new car and 35% preferred a used model.
According to the Britain Under the Bonnet report from Close Brothers Motor Finance, nationally, 41% of consumers will opt for a second-hand car as their next vehicle purchase, while 42% intend on buying a new one. Around one in five (17%) say they are undecided on what to purchase next.
When comparing these findings to 2017, the number of people who intend on purchasing a new car is down by 5%. Those who plan on buying a used car has jumped by 21%. This is reflected in the latest used car statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which showed that the used car market had a strong second quarter, with over 2 million used cars sold.
Sean Kemple, Director of Sales, Close Brothers Motor Finance, said, “While new and used cars are neck and neck, used cars have the slight edge highlighting that the desire for new vehicles still exists – but only just. This is something that had been widely predicted to happen. Earlier this year we saw the UK’s six-year ‘golden period’ of new car sales coming to an end as it hit an inflection point, resulting in a gradual consumer shift from new to old vehicles.
“With five years of consecutive year on-year growth, and a record number of new cars on the road, a natural consequence was the greater availability of ‘nearly- new’-used vehicles. If the decline in new car sales is expected to continue in the months ahead, it would seem only natural that many consumers would flock instead to the excess of “nearly-new” used vehicles available on the market.”