This year’s edition of the “Poles’ Wallets Under Inspection” study, commissioned by Volkswagen Financial Services, brought many surprises. Among them is a significant increase in people planning to buy a car – in 2024, 42% of respondents declared such intention (compared to 36% a year earlier). Poles are willing to reach deeper into their wallets for a new car (most preferably one valued at 100-150 thousand PLN). This is several times more than the amount they are willing to allocate for a used vehicle. Petrol will continue to be the dominant fuel on Polish roads. The biggest surprise in the study are electric-powered cars.
“The beginning of a new year traditionally marks the time when we publish the conclusions from the recurrent “Poles’ Wallets Under Inspection” study. On one hand, we can see better moods among the surveyed than a year ago, when inflation effectively stopped their plans. On the other hand, although Poles plan to purchase a car in 2024 with greater optimism, they take a closer look at their spending. This is confirmed by the growing number of those interested in buying used cars compared to those from the showroom,” assesses Dariusz Brodnicki, Director of Marketing and Brand Management at Volkswagen Financial Services.
As shown by the fourth edition of the “Poles’ Wallets Under Inspection” study, 42% of the respondents plan to buy a car in 2024. This marks an increase from the 36% noted in the third edition. Almost half (48%) plan to buy a new car in the first half of 2024, slightly less (40%) estimate that they will do it in the period from July to December. Every other respondent (51%) indicates they will choose a petrol vehicle – the popularity of this type of engine remains consistently at this level in all editions of the “Poles’ Wallets Under Inspection” study.
Interestingly, respondents declare they can afford increasingly expensive cars. Almost half (49%) stated they are planning to buy a new vehicle in the price range of 100-150 thousand PLN (44% in the last edition). One in three (31%) plans to drive to the showroom for a car costing up to 100 thousand PLN (40% in the last edition). A growing group of wealthy clients (16% – an increase of 5 p.p.) can allocate funds above 200 thousand PLN for a new vehicle.
A big surprise in the study was electric cars. Despite growing awareness, only 5% of the respondents would choose electric propulsion in 2024. Drivers cite serious obstacles to using electric vehicles – 71% point to their high price, and 57% mention the small availability of charging points.
“Results of the “Poles’ Wallets Under Inspection” study show that Poland is still on its way to electromobility. We have a lot of work ahead in this field, especially when it comes to building trust in the technology used in electric vehicles,” commented Krzysztof Leszczyński, expert on electromobility at Volkswagen Financial Services.
The “Poles’ Wallets Under Inspection” study was carried out by ARC Rynek i Opinia at the end of November of the previous year on a representative group of 1101 adult Poles with a driving license.
