CarGurus partners with automotive charity Ben to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing challenges in the automotive industry
- CarGurus Driving Difference resource centre now hosts health and wellbeing advice provided by Ben
- CarGurus conduct a new survey in collaboration with Ben to better understand impact of pandemic on automotive industry
- Financial pressure, stress and anxiety among list of struggles for dealers during COVID-19 crisis
CarGurus, the fastest growing online automotive marketplace in the UK*, has announced a partnership with Ben, the charity dedicated to supporting the people of the automotive industry, providing support for life for them and their family dependents.
At the heart of this new partnership is a desire to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing challenges in the automotive industry, and to provide resources to help people navigate through the trying times the industry faces in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new survey, created with the help of Ben’s in-house experts, has been conducted to understand the impact of the pandemic on the automotive industry. With many dealerships having been closed since the lockdown in March and only starting to re-open this week, concerns about personal finances topped the list of challenges for dealership staff; 41% of respondents saying they were struggling with financial pressures.**
The snapshot study suggests that the pandemic is affecting far more than financial worries, though, with anxiety (24%) and stress (21%) among the other major issues raised by respondents. Over 50% of people who turn to Ben need help with their mental health, and with issues like stress and anxiety clearly an increasing concern, the charity expects this to rise as the impact of COVID-19 continues.
In response to this growing issue, CarGurus’ Driving Difference resource centre has been expanded to place information about specific areas of mental health and wellbeing within easy reach of dealers that may be affected as a result of the current situation. These tips, provided by Ben, cover a range of topics such as stress, working from home and loneliness, as well as providing information on how to get further assistance from Ben should the situation require it.
Wendy Harris, VP of European Sales at CarGurus, commented: “The industry is going through an extremely challenging period that is affecting people as well as businesses. Now more than ever it’s vital for us to be supporting our dealer partners in any way we can.
“We’re proud to be working with Ben to provide important resources to help our dealer partners and their staff that might be struggling with stress and anxiety. Raising awareness of the amazing work that Ben does to support the people working in the automotive industry is also critical, and we’ll be announcing further developments and news of how others can get involved to help such a worthy cause in due course.”
Matt Wigginton, Fundraising Director at Ben, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with CarGurus on such an important initiative, with the aim of providing much-needed support to dealers during challenging times.
“Our industry has been hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic and automotive people need our support, now more than ever, when faced with money worries, stress and mental health issues. We want everyone in our industry to know that we’re here for them and we can provide the personal support they need.”
For anyone who needs help right away, call Ben on 08081 311 333 or click here
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* Among its nearest competitors based on the percent change in average unique monthly visitors from Q4 2018 to Q4 2019 (Source: Comscore MMX Multi-Platform®, Custom-defined list includes CarGurus.CO.UK, Motors.CO.UK, AutorTrader.CO.UK, PistonHeads.com, Gumtree.com)
** CarGurus and Ben Automotive Industry Wellbeing Survey, May 2020.
For further information, please contact:
James Drake at CarGurus – UKPR@CarGurus.com / 0208 541 3434 / +44 07809 657178
How CarGurus Works:
CarGurus helps car shoppers search local car listings and quickly find great deals from top rated dealers. Every day, the company analyses millions of data points on hundreds of thousands of UK car listings to calculate each car’s Instant Market Value (IMV) or fair retail price. This data is used in combination with dealership ratings from other shoppers to rank and rate available cars results based on the quality of the deal: Great, Good, Fair, High or Overpriced. The site also provides transparency on how long the car has been on the forecourt and if it’s had a price drop. Consumers can contact dealers directly.
About CarGurus:
Founded in 2006 by Langley Steinert (also a co-founder of TripAdvisor), CarGurus (Nasdaq: CARG) is a global, online automotive marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of cars. The company uses proprietary technology, search algorithms and data analytics to bring trust and transparency to the automotive search experience and help users find great deals from top rated dealers. CarGurus is the most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S. (source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Automotive – Information/Resources, Total Audience, Q1 2020, U.S. (Competitive set: CarGurus.com, Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com)). CarGurus launched in the UK in 2015 and is the fastest growing auto shopping site in the UK among its nearest competitors based on the percent change in average unique monthly visitors from Q4 2018 to Q4 2019 (source: Comscore MMX Multi-Platform®, Custom-defined list includes CarGurus.CO.UK, Motors.CO.UK, AutorTrader.CO.UK, PistonHeads.com, and Gumtree.com). In 2019, CarGurus acquired UK-based PistonHeads.com, which it operates as an independent brand. In addition to the United Kingdom and the United States, CarGurus also operates an online marketplace in Canada.
CarGurus® is a registered trademark of CarGurus, Inc. All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
To learn more about CarGurus visit www.cargurus.co.uk.
© 2020 CarGurus, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
About Ben:
Ben is the charity dedicated to supporting the people of the automotive industry, providing support for life for them and their family dependents.
Ben supports individuals to navigate through life’s challenges, empowering them to make positive, lasting change. Ben works with people to improve their lives by enhancing their health and wellbeing through its free and confidential online self-help, helpline and support services.
Ben also operates continuing care and support for those in later life, which isn’t dependent on an automotive industry connection, via its residential care centres, day centre and retirement village. www.ben.org.uk.
For further information, please contact:
Leila Moss-Kelly
Corporate Communications Manager, Ben
leila.moss-kelly@ben.org.uk
Direct dial: 01344 298 126