British drivers believe that the Porsche 911 (pictured) is the most eye-catching car in the world, according to data from a new eye-tracking study.
A study, conducted by Auto Trader, a UK-based online car marketplace, used eye-tracking tech to show the a group of consumers the best-selling cars to find out which motors are the best at catching the eye.
The storied Porsche 911 beat out the likes of the Lexus LC500 and Ferrari F40, as well as the Taycan, another Porsche model, to be crowned the most eye-catching car.
A study group of 32 people were shown a series of images depicting the aforementioned vehicles and by using eye-tracking software, participants’ eye movements were tracked and recorded to show the average time it took to fixate on each car image, as well as the average time spent looking at each image.
These times were combined using an equal weighting formula to assign a score out of 100 for each car, allowing them to be ranked according to which ones participants’ eyes were drawn to the fastest, and which ones held their gazes for the longest. The resulting scores have been used to determine which car design is deemed the most ‘eye-catching’.
The results, while perhaps not surprising, do demonstrate the value in a car’s design. The unremarkable Toyota Yaris, for example, had the quickest “average time to first fixation” at 1.89 seconds. The vastly more expensive Audi R8, meanwhile, had an average time of 3.08 seconds, for instace.
Erin Baker, editorial director from Auto Trader said: “While you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it’s long been clear that how our car looks on the outside is just as important as what’s inside it. We know that a car’s design is a huge factor for people in their car-buying journey, and using eye-tracking technology is a fantastic and really exciting way to discover which current motor designs are really grabbing our attention.
“We are thrilled to see much-loved bestsellers like the BMW 3 Series and Volvo XC40 ranking alongside the luxury supercars in the study, and hats off to Porsche for designing the most eye-catching supercar and EV car!
“This study is a great reminder of just how important a car’s exterior is to a potential buyer, so be sure to show off the car you’re selling at its best – from getting the chassis polished and gleaming to taking flattering photographs for your listing.”
