Safety concerns, fuel efficiency and a good track record are all important elements when Aussies are choosing what make of car to buy next. However, we shouldn’t factor out the importance of emotions when automotive hunting, says research giant Roy Morgan.

And of the research company’s latest insights, Toyota tops the list of car brands by people looking to buy a new car.

The research states as of March this year some 36. 5 per cent of new car intenders say Toyota is a brand they like, “a slight increase on the same time last year (35.1 per cent)”.

BMW made it to second place, liked by 28.8 per cent of new car intenders, followed by Mercedes Benz (27.8 per cent).

“How consumers perceive a brand can make or break its success in the marketplace. Cautious consumers are unlikely to buy products from a brand they don’t like, especially when that purchase is something as substantial as a new car,” said Jordan Pakes, industry director of automotive at Roy Morgan Research.

“Fortunately for many of the automotive brands we measure, our latest findings show that the proportions of new car intenders who ‘like’ them have either grown or remained stable.

“With a comfortable lead over its rivals, the country’s top-selling brand Toyota continues to be most-liked, despite the pending closure of its Australian manufacturing operations in 2017. Conversely, Ford and Holden have not fared as well, both losing ground in the past 12 months.

“Of course, liking a brand doesn’t necessarily lead to a purchase. High-end makes BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi may be widely liked by many new-car intenders, but are still out of reach in terms of affordability…”