Parking skills not up to scratch?

MEDIA RELEASE
Parking skills not up to scratch?

Auckland, 22 September 2016 – The crown for New Zealand’s best parallel parkers goes to drivers in the Bay of Plenty with the wooden spoon going to Wellingtonians.

Jose George, General Manager Canstar Blue New Zealand says that in a recent survey, nearly 40% of us have ‘fessed up’ to scratching our wheel rims when parking.

“Men and women have almost equal skills when it comes to parallel parking, (36% and 37% respectively have scratched their rims) but the big differences are across the regions. Bay of Plenty drivers are the least likely (26%) while Wellingtonians are the worst offenders with 49% admitting to scratching their rims.”

When it comes to buying car tyres, over half of New Zealanders (58%) do no research and just 42% checked out prices before buying. Men (49%) were more likely than women (35%) to invest time into pre-purchase research.

“Like any purchase where there is a range of choices, taking a few minutes to check out the options could save you money and make your ride more comfortable.” Says George.

“Buy the best tyres that you can afford and look after them as they are a major factor in the running costs and safety of your car. The most important features to look for are good wet grip braking and fuel efficiency (sometimes called ‘low rolling resistance’). “

While Kiwis might not be that keen on researching tyres, there’s more confidence displayed in knowing where to buy. Just 27% visited their local providers because they don’t know where else to go. Women (32%) were more likely to take the path of least resistance and shop locally compared to 23% of men.

For the survey respondents, handling is the most important factor when choosing car tyres, accounting for 44% of the drivers of satisfaction (22% for wet weather handling and 22% for dry weather handling). Stopping ability came in third at 21%, followed by price (18%) and the life of the tyre (17%).

To make sure you get the best from your tyres you should always:

• Check the pressure regularly. Having your tyres inflated to the correct pressure improves handling, fuel economy and the life of your tyres
• Make sure all of your tyres, including your spare, are the same. Mis-matched tyres can inhibit the handling and safety of your car.
• Check your tread. Minimum legal tred in New Zealand is 1.5mm but the more tred you have, the more grip on the road you get.
Canstar Blue measured customer satisfaction across six variables for this car tyre survey:
1. Dry weather handling
2. Wet weather handling
3. Stopping ability
4. Value for money
5. Life of tyre
6. Overall satisfaction

Dunlop received this year’s Canstar Blue award for overall satisfaction, from a field that included Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin, Firestone and Hankook.

George says: “Dunlop recorded five star ratings in every category across the board.”

“The brand has a long association with New Zealand, opening its first office here in 1897. Congratulations to Dunlop on being 2016 winners of the Canstar Blue Car Tyres overall satisfaction award.”
Car Tyres

Standout car tyre habits by region:

Waikato: Least likely to shop locally (25%).

Bay of Plenty: Least likely to scratch wheel rims when parallel parking (26%).

Wellington: Most likely to scratch wheel rims when parallel parking (49%). Most likely to research tyre prices and shop around for the best price (49%).

Otago: Lease likely to research tyre prices and shop around for the best price (30%). Most likely to not know where to buy so just shops locally (37%).

About the survey
Canstar Blue commissions respected professional market research agency Colmar Brunton Australia, to undertake research on our behalf using SSI NZ panel.

The outcomes reported here are the results from a survey of Kiwis who have purchased car tyres (not retreads) in the last 18 months. In this case there were 791 people surveyed.

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