Automotive Insights & Regit launch vehicle-matched research

Automotive Insights has partnered with Regit to launch AutoGraphics, a research service that links survey findings to vehicles owned by UK motorists.

The product is aimed at brands, retailers and other automotive industry users that want to filter consumer research by vehicle-specific data as well as standard demographic measures. Responses can be examined by factors including fuel type, make and model, insurance group, mileage and service timing.

Automotive Insights has surveyed more than 1,000 UK motorists each month since the start of last year. Under the partnership, those responses are matched to vehicle ownership data from Regit's first-party platform.

Data approach

The service is being positioned as a way to give carmakers, dealers, agencies and retailers a more detailed picture of consumer attitudes, behaviour and purchase intent. It reflects a wider push across the automotive sector to sharpen marketing and product decisions as buyers weigh costs, ownership patterns and the shift to electric vehicles.

Richard Walker outlined how the service will be used. "This is a clear demonstration of how we are defining the future of automotive industry insights and research today. This new tool will enable clients to not only utilise demographic data to view, filter and interrogate our proprietary data but to be able to filter by motorists car features and datapoints - such as model, insurance group, vehicle mileage and even the date of next service!" said Richard Walker, Executive Director of Research and Insights, Automotive Insights.

The tie-up is intended to address a market in which broad demographic profiling is often too limited for brands trying to identify likely buyers or understand barriers to switching vehicles. The uneven pace of electric vehicle adoption has made that more important, particularly where charging access and running costs shape demand.

Chris Ashton-Green described those pressures in the context of the partnership. "Numerous brands are struggling with brand loyalty and the shift to electric, while real, is uneven. Many drivers want to make the switch but are held back by concerns around charging infrastructure and running costs, particularly those without access to a private driveway. Reaching those people with the right message requires knowing more than their age or postcode. That's exactly what AutoGraphics makes possible. Regit's data is first-party and tied directly to the vehicle each motorist owns, not modelled or self-reported, which means you can start understanding what the actual owner of a specific vehicle thinks. For OEMs, dealers and agencies, that is a genuinely different proposition." said Chris Ashton-Green, Founder and CEO, Regit.

Research market

The launch highlights how specialist data providers are trying to carve out new positions in automotive research by combining survey work with ownership and usage information. In a market shaped by pressure on household budgets, changing vehicle technologies and shifting brand loyalty, carmakers and dealers are seeking more precise customer segmentation.

Traditional automotive research often groups respondents by age, income, region or household profile. AutoGraphics instead centres analysis on the vehicle itself, which may help users distinguish between owners of petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars, as well as motorists with different usage and servicing patterns.

Automotive Insights, based in Manchester, has built its research operation around a rolling monthly survey of motorists. It has also been working with academics and PhD students from Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Greater Manchester as it develops its products.

Regit, part of Motoring.co.uk, operates a digital vehicle ownership platform used by more than four million motorists in the UK. Its services include reminders and checks related to MOT, tax, valuations and clean air zone compliance, giving it a large base of vehicle-linked user data.

Nigel Morris drew a contrast with more established methods in the sector. "This vehicle-matched approach is what sets AutoGraphics apart from conventional automotive research, where survey respondents are typically segmented by age, income or geography alone and is a further example of how we are positively disrupting automotive research" said Nigel Morris, Commercial Director, Automotive Insights.