DRIVING SNOW: SEARCHES OF 4X4S INCREASE AS ICY CONDITIONS SET IN ON BRITAIN'S ROADS

• Snow has increased searches of 4x4s by nearly 20% across the country
• Highest increase of 25% in the West Midlands, one of the areas most affected by snow
• Searches for the Jeep Cherokee (+296%), Range Rovers (+189%) and Suzuki Jimny (+87.5%) have increased the most

Wednesday 13 December - With the snow playing havoc on Britain's roads over the past few days, drivers have been searching for vehicles to help them better deal with the sometimes-treacherous conditions. CarGurus, the leading automotive shopping platform, has revealed that searches for 4x4 style vehicles increased by 17% week to week.

Region / % change in search for 4x4s
East Midlands / 19%
East of England / 14%
London / 1%
North East / -5%
North West / 13%
South East / 14%
South West / 15%
West Midlands / 25%
Yorkshire and The Humber / 12%
National Average / 17%

Searches increased the most in regions most affected by the snow fall, with the East and West Midlands seeing searches increase by 19% and 25% respectively. London on the other hand, which was relatively unaffected by the snow, saw searches increase by less than one percentage point (0.6%).

Commenting on the figures, James Drake, a spokesman for CarGurus said;
"These figures demonstrate that the cold snap has had a severe impact on driving conditions. For Britain's car shopping habits to alter so significantly from one week to the next, shows that people must have been snowed in, had issues with drifts or felt at risk on the roads. So much so, that that drivers are looking for new vehicles that can better cope with the conditions. This particular cold snap has seen a marked increase in searches, but what is particularly noticeable is how these searches are concentrated in areas that were most affected by the snow."

The most searched for 4x4 vehicles were the Jeep Cherokee and the Range Rover which saw searches increase by 296% and 189% respectively.

Make and Model / Search Uplift
Jeep Cherokee / 296%
Land Rover Range Rover / 189%
Suzuki Jimny / 88%
Nissan Qashqai / 66%
Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class / 54%
Kia Sportage / 46%
Nissan Pathfinder / 42%
Suzuki Vitara / 42%
Jeep Renegade / 29%
BMW X4 / 27%

About CarGurus
Founded in 2006, CarGurus (NASDAQ:CARG) is a global, online automotive marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of new and used cars. The company uses proprietary technology, search algorithms and data analytics to bring trust and transparency to the automotive search experience and help users find great deals from top-rated dealers. The operates online marketplaces in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany. To learn more about CarGurus, visit www.cargurus.co.uk.