25 June 2025 | See disclaimer
Are Aussies conservative when it comes to car ownership? It seems so—right down to choosing a more practical colour of car than the favourite car colour.
Budget Direct surveyed more than 950 Australians aged over 18 on the key insights into car purchasing habits, attitudes and the factors influencing car ownership.
Quick Stats
Nearly 45% of survey respondents clean the inside of their car at least once a month.
When it comes to the battle between which state is the cleanest, respondents in New South Wales and South Australia were the squeakiest with 13% cleaning the outside of their car every week.
More than 70% of survey respondents know how to do a basic oil and water check on their car engine.
Survey respondents in Queensland took out the top spot for having the most personalised number plates on the road (27%).
White coloured cars are more common on our roads with 30% of those surveyed currently owning a white car.
It may be the maroon state, but red was not a popular car colour for Queenslanders (7%).
No one likes a messy car
How often do you clean inside your car?
Australia
No one likes a messy car, and that certainly rings true for most Aussies—45% of survey respondents clean the inside of their car at least once a month, with another 15% cleaning every week.
Just over a third of survey respondents clean their car a few times a year, with a mere 4% once a year.
Only 3% of respondents clean their car only after a long road trip / long drive.
How often do you clean the outside of your car?
Australia
Based on the similar data above, it’s safe to assume survey respondents seem to like cleaning both the inside and outside of their cars at the same time.
Nearly 44% of survey respondents clean the outside of their car at least once a month, with another 12% every week devoting time to clean the outside of their car.
Over a third (33%) of respondents clean the inside of their car a few times a year, and only 4% of respondents clean their car once a year. Shockingly, 1% of respondents never clean their car!
Almost 2% of survey respondents clean the inside of their car after a long road trip / long drive.
When it comes to the battle of cleanliness between the states, respondents in New South Wales and South Australia were the most squeaky clean with 13% cleaning the outside of their car every week. South Australians also cleaned the outside of their car at least once a month (49%).
Queenslanders topped the class for being the messiest, with 2% of survey respondents ‘never’ cleaning the outside of their car. At least Queensland respondents cleaned after a long road trip / long drive, taking out the top spot of the states with 3%.
Letting our cars speak for themselves!
Do you have any bumper stickers on your car?
Australia
Just over 85% of survey respondents do not have a bumper sticker on their car.
Victorian drivers surveyed were more likely to have a bumper sticker on their car (19%), with Queensland drivers coming in next at 15% and Western Australians at 14%.
South Australian drivers surveyed were least likely to have a bumper sticker on their car, coming in at 90%.
Do you have personalised number plates?
Australia
Similar to bumper stickers, most Aussies surveyed do not have a personalised number plate, with 83% of respondents choosing not to personalise their plate.
Almost 17% of car owner respondents surveyed had a personalised number plate.
Survey respondents in Queensland took out the top spot for having the most personalised number plates on the road (27%), with New South Wales coming in next at 18% and Western Australian drivers at 15%.
South Australians drivers surveyed were also least likely to own personalised number plates, with a whopping 90% choosing to not personalise their plate.
New cars are the go—second-hand cars are firmly in second place
Do you prefer buying a second-hand car or a new car?
Australia
It seems Aussies are not opting for second-hand cars, with more than 40% surveyed preferring to buy a brand new car as opposed to second-hand (20%).
Nearly 21% of survey respondents preferred to buy cars within their budget—no matter if it was new or second-hand.
Just over 15% of those surveyed did not have a preference between purchasing either a second-hand or new car.
New South Wales respondents took the top spot for preferring to buy brand-new cars (48%), with Queensland drivers coming in a close second at 47%.
South Australians surveyed preferred to buy second-hand cars the most out of the states (25%).
Almost a quarter of Victorian respondents preferred to buy cars within their budget (new or second-hand). 22% of South Australian drivers also did not have a preference between purchasing between the two options.
Where did you buy your most recent car from?
Australia
Nearly 80% of survey respondents bought their most recent car from a car dealership.
Over 7% bought their most recent car from Facebook Marketplace, and 6% from a family member.
Victorians were most likely to buy their car from a car dealership with 83% of survey respondents stating they bought their most recent car from a car dealership. Queensland drivers came next at 80%.
Western Australian survey respondents bought their most recent car from Facebook Marketplace (10%)—the most out of any of the other states surveyed.
Those surveyed in New South Wales bought their most recent car from a family member (9%), with 4% of Queensland and South Australian drivers buying off a friend.
Unsurprisingly, Gen Z’s (aged 18-27) survey respondents bought their most recent car from Facebook Marketplace (20%)—the most out of any of the other age groups surveyed.
Gen Z’s were also the age group lowest for purchasing their most recent car from a car dealership than any other age group.
This trend for Gen Z’s continued also to purchasing their most recent car from a family member (12%), with Millennial’s (aged 28-37) coming in next at 6%.
Aussies are still undecided about dashcams
Do you have a dashcam in your car?
Australia
Aussies are undecided about dashcams—nearly 60% of respondents do not have a dashcam in their car.
Only 26% of survey respondents have a dashcam in their car, with a further 15% looking to buy one.
Breaking it down by state, New South Wales respondents were the clear winners—31% of those surveyed in the state had a dashcam in their car. Queensland car owners surveyed came in next at 26% and Victorians at 25%.
South Australians are the most reserved, as 74% of those surveyed did not have a dashcam and a mere 11% were looking to buy one, which was the lowest score out of the states.
White is the most common and favourite car colour
What colour is your current car?
Australia
White coloured cars are more common on our roads with 30% of those surveyed currently owning a white car.
Black was the next most common car colour at 16%, and Silver close behind at 15%.
Blue (13%), grey (12%) and red (10%) tailed behind.
Queensland survey respondents owned the most white (34%) and blue cars (18%). It may be the maroon state, but red was not a popular car colour for Queenslanders (7%).
South Australian drivers owned more black cars than any other state surveyed (21%), and also owned more red cars (15%). Grey coloured cars were the least favourite, with only 7% of those surveyed currently owning one in the colour.
New South Wales drivers owned the most silver (17%) and grey (14%) cars than any other state surveyed. Red was the least favourite car colour (10%).
Western Australians owned the least amount of black cars (8%). White coloured cars were the favourite by a mile with 32% of Western Australians surveyed currently owning a white car.
What is your favourite car colour?
Australia
White coloured cars may be more common on our roads, but they aren’t necessarily the favourite.
Black coloured cars were neck and neck with white coloured cars as the favourite colour for those surveyed, both at 21%.
Blue coloured cars were the second favourite car colour for respondents surveyed, at 18%.
All three—red, grey and silver—came in as the third favourite car colours, with 11% of survey respondents choosing these colours as their favourite.
For those with different colour preferences, 8% of respondents had ‘other’ as their favourite car colour… is it pink?
Myth busting: Aussies don’t believe red cars are faster
Which of the following statements do you believe is true?
Australia
*select all that apply - total may be more than 100%
Aussies overwhelmingly don’t believe that red cars are faster—only 6% of those surveyed believe they are.
Nearly 11% of those surveyed believe that silver cars have better resale value, and 34% believe that black cars are hotter.
More than 50% of those surveyed don’t believe any of the above statements are true.
Just over 11% of those surveyed from South Australia believe that red cars are faster, which is the highest percentage of any other state.
Western Australians respondents surveyed believe that black cars are hotter (41%) with South Australians close behind at 40%.
Around 13% of Victorians surveyed believe that silver cars have better resale value, with New South Wales and South Australia both coming in next at 11%.
Almost 60% of Victorians surveyed did not believe any of the above statements were true.
Aussies are an informed and practical bunch when it comes to car maintenance
Do you know how to change a flat tyre?
Australia
Aussies really are a practical bunch—62% of those surveyed know how to change a flat tyre.
An impressive 82% of males and 44% of females surveyed know how to change a flat tyre.
Those surveyed aged 48-57 and 58-65 were the most prepared, with 68% and 70% respectively knowing how to change a tyre.
Despite coming in as the age group least likely to know how to change a tyre, more than 55% of Millennial respondents (aged 28-37) surveyed know how to change a flat tyre, along with 57.04% of Gen Z (aged 18-27).
Do you know how to do a basic oil and water checks on your engine?
Australia
More than 70% of survey respondents know how to do a basic oil and water check on their car engine.
Those surveyed aged 58-65 can be crowned as the most knowledgeable about their car, with 84% knowing how to do a basic oil and water check on their car engine.
Millennial respondents (aged 28-37) were the age group who did not know how to do a basic oil and water check on their car engine (35%).
A car is simply to get from A to B!
Do you use your car for additional storage?
Male |
Female |
Australia |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Yes, I keep an extra wardrobe, gym gear, and shoe items in the boot of my car |
10.0% |
6.2% |
8.3% |
Yes, I keep extra blankets and/or first aid gear in my car |
17.8% |
19.8% |
18.9% |
Yes, I keep extra makeup or personal hygiene items in my car |
3.2% |
5.24% |
4.3% |
Yes, I keep stationery items in my car |
5.0% |
4.3% |
4.6% |
Yes, I keep extra camping and/or household/kitchen items in my car |
3.0% |
2.9% |
2.9% |
No, I do not keep any additional items in my car / it only has the essentials (logbook) |
61.1% |
60.9% |
61.0% |
A car is not for extra storage and personal items—it is to simply get from A to B!
A whopping 61% of survey respondents do not use their car as extra storage or keep any additional items in their car (other than the essentials such as logbook).
Almost 20% of survey respondents keep extra blankets and/or first aid gear in their car.
Just over 8% of respondents keep an extra wardrobe, gym gear, and shoe items in the boot of their car.
Only 5% keep stationery items in the car and 4% keep extra makeup or personal hygiene items in their car.
A mere 3% keep extra camping and/or household/kitchen items in their car.
