Riyadh – Mubasher: Around 24% of Saudi women have applied for obtaining a driving licence after the oil-rich nation allowed females to drive cars last June, according to a recent survey.
In the same vein, about 61% of women who seek to get a driving licence are planning to purchase cars soon, Saudi Gazette reported, citing the survey.
Automakers in the kingdom expected that ending a decades-old ban on women driving cars will boost auto sales, especially in some brands.
According to survey respondents, most of Saudi women who are willing to obtain a driving licence preferred to start with small cars.
Around 16% of women chose to drive small sized sedan models, followed by 13% who opted for medium sized sedans, and 11% chose Sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Answering why they preferred small vehicles, most of respondents said that they consume low fuel, as well as they will be easy in parking in high traffic areas.
Toyota tops brands preferred by Saudi woman with 27.1%, followed by Mercedes with 26.7%, and Lexus with 24.2% since the ban was lifted, according to YouGov BrandIndex’s data.
