The most popular cars for women might be considered girly cars by some but they are also some of the most practical and fuel efficient cars on the market today. Stereotypes may say that women are less informed about cars than men but sales statistics show that women tend to purchase automobiles more with their head, men more with their heart. Go figure.
According to the results of an annual study conducted by TrueCar.com, these makes and models are not the most popular with women in terms of sales volume but by the percentage of purchases by women compared to purchases by men. Using a pool of over eight million auto purchases in 2011, TrueCar.com concluded that while men easily dominate the large SUV and truck market, as well as the high-end luxury market, perfect for that midlife crisis, women want smaller, more-fuel-efficient cars on which they can rely.
Leading the pack in 2011 for car sales by women was the Volvo S40 which was purchased nearly 58% of the time by women. The Nissan Rogue, Volkswagen Eos, Volkswagen Beetle and Hyundai Tucson rounded out the top five with all of the models being purchased at least 54% of the time by females. Each are all considered for the most part practical and safe ranging on the low end from around $19,999 (the new Volkswagen Beetle) to the high end of around $34,000 (the Volkswagen Eos).
All of the leading cars purchased by women are also produced by international auto companies. In fact, it wasn’t until the ninth position on the list did an American-made car appear in the Jeep Compass. That was however the only American car in the top 20 as models from manufacturers like Toyota, Lexus, Maxda, Acura and Mitsubishi prevail over manufacturers like Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler.
These so-called girly cars may not be Porches, heavy-duty trucks or Corvettes, which by the way are purchased more than 85% more by men than women, but they are certainly not the ugliest cars in the world, not to mention better on gas mileage. Sounds like women don’t do too bad in making educated car purchases after all.
