Rising costs are making car ownership unaffordable for many, with 66% of car owners planning to keep their vehicles longer than intended due to financial concerns. Even among those with healthy finances, 50% share this sentiment.
The growing and ageing car fleet creates growth opportunities for the automotive aftermarket. However, financial pressures mean many car owners will scrutinise repair costs more carefully and seek better value. Support these consumers in managing ownership costs as they keep their cars longer by improving transparency around maintenance and repair costs and offering solutions to make car ownership more affordable, such as by supporting DIY maintenance or enabling customers to purchase car parts online, giving them more control over expenses.
52% of car owners responsible for car maintenance would like more car workshops to do repairs with car parts purchased online, peaking at 68% of Gen Z. This presents both opportunities and challenges for the automotive aftermarket. Online retailers need to integrate workshop services to unlock full growth potential, while workshops must adopt an omnichannel model to remain competitive.
Enable owners to maintain cars affordably by offering cost transparency and supporting DIY efforts and online purchasing, while using emotional appeal to boost product sales.
Venkatesh Modi, Research Analyst, Germany
Collapse All
-
- Key issuses covered in this Report
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook
- Opportunities
- Help car owners manage high ownership costs as they keep their cars longer
- Leverage Gen Zs’ and Millennials’ emotional bond with cars to drive appeal
- Tap into the growth potential of online retail for car parts
-
THE MARKET
- Cautious consumers plan to keep their cars longer, signalling a positive outlook for the auto aftermarket
- Graph 1: financial consumer confidence, 2022-25
- Car owners hit with rising costs at every turn
- Graph 2: consumer price index, 2018-24
- More cars on the road and an ageing vehicle fleet signal growth
- Graph 3: number of registered passenger cars as of 1 January, 2015-25
- Capitalise on the growing EV market by becoming a trusted partner
- Graph 4: type of car personally owned, 2025
-
THE CONSUMER
- Products purchased
- The age of consumers’ cars affects their car-related purchases
- Graph 5: car-related products purchased, by time of car purchase, 2025
- Gen Z and Millennial car owners are more likely to view their cars as second homes
- Tap into the idea of the car as a second home
- Graph 6: car related products purchased, by agreement with the statement “My car is my second home”, 2025
- Ways to make interior products more appealing
- Mintel expert view: address Gen Zs’ desire for wellness and personalisation in aircare
- Car fragrance concepts promoting in-car wellness
- Help Gen Zs and Younger Millennials express themselves through aftermarket products
- Graph 7: car products purchased, by generation, 2025
- BMW promotes its M division
- Purchase channels
- Car workshops are key in the car aftermarket
- Graph 8: channel of car-related product purchase, 2025
- Workshops not accepting car parts purchased online is a major barrier
- Address barriers to online car part purchasing
- Position DIY as an affordable and fun alternative to workshop installations
- Satisfaction with car maintenance/repair
- Prioritise customer service and cost transparency
- Enhance customer service to boost satisfaction
- Graph 9: satisfaction with customer service for most recent car maintenance/repair at a car dealership/workshop, by age, 2025
- Areas of customer service improvement
- Improve value perception among young customers
- Graph 10: satisfaction with transparency about cost of most recent car maintenance/repair at a car dealership/workshop, by age, 2025
- Ways to improve cost transparency
-
INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Autodoc educates customers on DIY
- Autodoc expands marketplace to Germany and Austria
- eBay allows buyers to choose workshops for fitting parts bought online
- Continental shows commitment to tyre sustainability
-
APPENDIX
- Report scope
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology – EMEA
- Key driver analysis methodology
- Germany’s generation groups
- Abbreviations
- A note on language – Germany
Mintel: Market Intelligence Made Easier
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
For further information about our research and analysis methods, visit our helpdesk.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or purchase order
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save 10% on all orders with the code INSIGHTS2026
Offer available until the end of December only
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.
Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.
Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, VML
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.
Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.
Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
