The test drive can be a stressful part of the car shopping experience. You have to make a major purchase decision in strange surroundings. You have to decide whether you want to buy something while someone not objective on the matter tries to talk you into wanting it. And you start and end the drive in a strange place.
It’s not a great way to make a decision that will affect your financial freedom for, on average, the next 12 years.
Pandemic Introduced Home Test Drives
But during the height of 2020’s COVID-19-related lockdowns, dealerships learned new lessons about car shoppers. Perhaps the biggest one was that shoppers were happiest when they interacted with dealerships least.
Automakers and dealerships developed touch-free ways to teach buyers about new cars. They conducted price negotiations online, where buyers could take their time and walk away as often as they needed to feel comfortable. They facilitated touchless test drives, where dealerships would drop off a car at a customer’s home and pick it up later. That gave shoppers time to take a low-stress test drive on their own. And shoppers liked the experience.
Many of the innovations that shaped the car shopping experience through the first year of the pandemic came from dealerships. But, increasingly, automakers are formalizing them, spreading them across their entire dealership networks.
Kia’s Comes with a Walkaround
Kia is the latest to make the shift. The Korean automaker is launching a new touchless test drive experience it calls Kia@Home. The system starts with just two models – the popular new 2022 Kia Carnival minivan and the 2021 Kia Niro EV.
Shoppers, Kia says, can “visit Kia.com and select between the specific Carnival MPV or Niro EV model of interest and schedule delivery.”
Then, dealers will deliver the car to the customer’s home or another location of their choosing. The entire experience takes about an hour and “includes a detailed vehicle walkaround from a Kia@Home Drive Specialist.”
Some Rivals Offer Complete Online Shopping
Kia@Home is still a bit behind what some other automakers offer. “Ultimately, customers interested in buying a Carnival MPV or Niro EV will work with a local Kia dealer to purchase a vehicle,” the company says.
Competing programs like Toyota’s SmartPath and Mini’s MiniAnywhere allow shoppers to complete the entire buying experience online.
Limited to Certain Cities
Kia@Home is also available in a limited number of cities at first. Kia dealers in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City Metro, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington D.C will offer the experience for both models. Dealers in Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, and Tampa will offer it for the Carnival, but not the Niro.
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