HONEST

INSIGHTS
10M MONTHLY PAGEVIEWS

HonestJohn.co.uk continues supersonic growth

DESKTOP, MOBILE OR TABLET?

Discover which platform our users prefer

BUILDING NEW PARTNERSHIPS

HonestJohn Vans teams up with Hamerville Media

GIRL POWER
Find out why our female audience has almost doubled

HONEST JOHN
AWARDS 2015

Whos been shortlisted for this

years Honest John Awards?

02

Girl Power

The Nissan Juke:

Most popular car amongst

HonestJohn.co.uk: female users up 75%

he last two years has

seen significant growth on
HonestJohn.co.uk, with female
car buyers driving much of that
demand. We have seen a 75
per cent increase in female users across all
devices, but its mobile which has been most
impressive with more than 250,000 women
over 25 years old visiting the site via a phone
or tablet. And the vast majority of these users
are coming to us for buying advice via our in
depth reviews.
As a brand, HonestJohn.co.uk has
focussed on making reviews easy to
understand and accessible for all. That
means cutting out the jargon and keeping
things simple - in other words giving users
the important information they need. So
as well as those in the know, we hope
that our reviews are still useful for the non
car-enthusiast or those that just want some
straightforward car buying advice.
Women now account for about 4 in 10
registered keepers of private cars, according
to the DVLA and that number has increased
by 72 per cent since 1994.
Latest market research shows that women
are increasingly dominating the car buying
process, with 80 per cent of car buying

decisions influenced by women. And while

UK driving licence applications by men are
declining, those by women have grown by
2.5 per cent over the past three years.
But perhaps more interesting is
that the same market research
shows that half of women
globally are not happy
with their vehicles while
three quarters feel they
are misunderstood by
car manufacturers.
We find that
status and associated
values such as brand,
colour and comfort plays
a greater part in the car
buying process for women than
it does for men, says Dan Harrison,
editor of HonestJohn.co.uk.
Female buyers are more inclined to
consider a premium manufacturer over a
volume one and branding is key, which is
why fashion associations such as Citroen
DS3 with Orla Kiely and Benefit and SEAT
Mii with Mango will be a growing trend in the
coming year.
The feedback weve received from female
users about the site has been very positive,

our female audience

as reflected in the traffic figures. Desktop still
reigns supreme and its the 25-34 year-old
demographic which accounts for the biggest
majority of these users.
So the big question is what are
these users looking at? Well its
no surprise to find that within
reviews, its the compact
crossover which seems to
be finding favour. Theres
been a huge increase in
this market over the past
few years and our female
users have obviously
been impressed.
Its easy to see the
appeal. With dimensions
similar to a standard small
hatchback, they are easy to drive and
park, yet have a raised driving position and
more practicality than a hatch. The most
popular among our female audience is the
design driven Nissan Juke, closely followed
by the Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008,
while we have had lots of interest around the
soon to be launched Honda HR-V. With more
new small crossovers due this year the
Mazda CX-3 among them were expecting
these figures to grow even more.

Half of
women are
not happy
with their
vehicles

TOP 5 CROSSOVERS/COMPACT SUVS FOR Q1 2015

The compact SUV sector is booming but which models are our readers most interested in?

Nissan Qashqai

Honda HR-V

Skoda Yeti

Jeep Renegade

Ford Kuga

SEC

Site Statistics

03

DESKTOP VS
MOBILE VS
TABLET

THE SITE IN
NUMBERS Q1

28,323,822
PAGEVIEWS

Our recently re-launched industry-leading

mobile platform will further help our
audience who want to view the site on the
move. Its now easier to navigate than ever
and presents our content in a way which
is more appropriate for mobile browsing.
Plus it gives us the flexibility to develop
more mobile-friendly features, which will
come in 2015

5,235,796
USERS

8,052,349
SESSIONS

7,306,050

CAR REVIEWS VIEWS

14,242

VISITS VIA SOCIAL

2,659,415

MOBILE

MOBILE USAGE

TABLET

DESKTOP

710,400

SITE SEARCHES
Q1: 01/01/15 - 31/03/15

USER
STATISTICS

96,820

FORUM THREADS

Q1 2013

Q1 2014

Q1 2015

115,699

REGISTERED USERS

59,948

QUESTIONS ASKED

27,442

SECTION GROWTH (USERS)

NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIPTIONS

4811

GOOD GARAGE REVIEWS

3885

OWNERS REVIEWS

Classics up by 41%

Vans up by 43%

Read more on page 6

Read more on page 7

Cars up by 18%

Totals to Date

YEAR-BY-YEAR COMPARISON
HonestJohn.co.uk continues to grow with the first quarter of 2015 showing
increases across the board. Weve seen a big rise in our total number of users
driven in part by our unique used car pricing section, the ever expanding vans
site, owners reviews and Ask HJ.
New sections like product reviews are showing huge increases in traffic. With
even more coming from us in the next three months were expecting to see this
growth continue to increase.
One of our most exciting new features will be a car choosing tool, which will
help our users narrow down their choice of car by selecting different tags so
whether theyre after a family friendly car with a five star Euro NCAP rating and
room for a buggy, or a comfortable motorway cruiser with plenty of rear legroom
and an economical engine, the choosing tool will help.

Jan - Mar 2015

Jan - Mar 2014

04

Honest John Awards 2015

The Honest John Awards are back, to honour the manufacturers of the
most popular cars of 2015.
This year, the overall winners of 17 categories will be announced in
Bedford, at Honest Johns for-one-night-only pop-up pub The Hat &
Horn where we will celebrate with a good old-fashioned knees-up and
plenty of local ale!
Were delighted to see HonestJohn.co.uk continue to grow and grow.
Were now approaching two million users a month, so our Awards have
never been so exciting and important.

Citroen DS3
Dacia Sandero
Ford Fiesta
Toyota Yaris
Volkswagen Polo

Read on to discover which models have made the shortlist, based on

the most-viewed reviews from 1st April 2014 to 1st April 2015...

SHORTLIST
JOIN US!

BMW 2 Series A
ctive Tourer
Citroen Grand C4
Picasso
Ford B-MAX
Ford C-MAX
Volkswagen Gol
f SV

Invites have gone out, but if you would like to join us at the 2015 Honest John
Awards, email [email protected] with your name, company and job
title and we will get back to you.

Ford Mondeo
Peugot 508
Skoda Octavia
Vauxhall Insignia
ssat
Volkswagen Pa

Hyundai ix35

Nissan Qashqai
Nissan X-Trail

Renault Captur
ds

HonestJohn Awar

ole lot of fun ...

2014: we had a wh

Skoda Yeti

Shortlist

05

Hyundai i10

ack
Audi A3 Spor tb
us
Citroen C4 Cact
Mazda3
SEAT Leon
f
Volkswagen Gol

SEAT Mii
Skoda Citigo
Toyota Aygo
Volkswagen Up

Audi A4
BMW 3 Series
BMW 4 Series G
ran Co

upe
Lexus IS
Mercedes-Benz
C-Class

t
Audi A3 Cabriole
BMW Z4
Mazda MX-5 RC

SLK
Mercedes-Benz
f Cabriolet
Volkswagen Gol

Audi A7 Spor tb
ack
BMW 6 Series G
ran Coupe
Land Rover Rang
e Rover
Mercedes-Benz
CLS
Mercedes-Benz
S-Class

om
Ford Transit Cust
ect
Ford Transit Conn

Isuzu D-Max
ddy
Volkswagen Ca
spor ter
Volkswagen Tran

Audi A6
BMW 5 Series
Jaguar XF
Lexus GS
Class
ercedes-Benz E-

BMW X5
Hyundai Santa

Fe

Land Rover Disc

overy
Lexus RX450h

Volkswagen Toua

reg

Alfa Romeo 4C
Audi R8
BMW i8
Porsche Cayman
Toyota GT86

BMW 3 Series E3
6
Mercedes-Benz
W124
Mercedes-Benz
SL R107
Porsche 944
Triumph Stag

HonestJohn Classics

06

Classic Cars Star at Geneva Show

Among all the shiny new metal at this years Geneva motor show was some shiny old metal. And thats because car makers know that
for a new vehicle to be successful, its important to remind potential buyers how good the old ones were, too.

ord boasted the biggest heritage

collection on its stand as the
company outlined its ambitions
to launch 12 new performance
models over the next five years. Its
stand featured a classic GT40, Escort Mexico
and Sierra RS Cosworth.
Land Rover also drew deeply on its
heritage. As it prepared to wave goodbye
to the long-serving Defender, it unveiled the
retro-styled Heritage 90. A pleasant mix of old
and new, it was great to see the old badge
back on the grille this is a sure fire classic in
the making.
Over on the DS stand was a stunning DS
21 Pallas. There to help reinforce the creation
of DS as a brand in its own right, the groundbreaking French car was also celebrating its

60th birthday. Legend has it that Citroen took

743 orders for the DS in the first 15 minutes
after it was unveiled at the Paris motor
show in 1955.
Alfa Romeo used a stunning
1900 Spider to support the
launch of its new 4C Spider.
The 1900 was one of just
two cars made and boasted
Bertone styling and a
1997cc 138bhp four-cylinder
doesnt sound like much, but
its plenty in a body that weighs
just 900kg.
Meanwhile Brabus, a company perhaps
best known for tuning Mercedes-Benz and
Smart cars, was also keen to show off the
skills and craftsmanship of its workforce.

MOST-WANTED CLASSICS
Fords once again proved to be the most wanted
motors on HonestJohn Classics, with the Escort
and Capri taking the top spots in our list of the
most searched for classics.
Classics from the late-1970s and 1980s are still
the most popular cars on the site, but there was

Thats because, like Jaguar, Brabus has

turned its hand to restoring older cars for its
clients.
Finally, long-dead German
carmaker Borgward announced
its return to car making at the
show. How? By reminding
us exactly what weve
been missing out on with a
gorgeous Isabella coupe on
its stand.
As the new car market
becomes increasingly competitive,
and the competition ever keener,
manufacturers know that the battle for sales
is as much a battle for the heart as for the
wallet. And car makers with plenty of history
know one very simple fact: heritage sells.

also plenty of space for more traditional

classics.
The Citroen DS, Triumph TR6 and Spitfire,
plus the Ford Cortina and Austin Seven all
featured in our top ten proving what a
wide audience HonestJohn Classics has.

CLASSICS IN
NUMBERS Q1

2,131,605
PAGEVIEWS

352,094
USERS

531,976
SESSIONS

25%/52%/23%

MOBILE VS DESKTOP VS
TABLETS

367

CLASSIC GOOD GARAGE

REVIEWS
Q1: 01/01/15 - 31/03/15

Hon

As a

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of m
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HonestJohn Vans

07
MOST POPULAR VAN REVIEWS

Ford Transit Custom

Ford Transit Connect

Volkswagen Caddy

Mercedes-Benz Vito

Vauxhall Vivaro

Editorial Partnership with Hamerville Media

HonestJohn Vans has teamed up with Hamerville Media to produce editorial content for Britains biggest publication for tradespeople.
As a result, content from HonestJohn Vans will now appear in Professional Builder Magazine, helping tradesmen and tradeswomen

make the most informed decision on buying their next van or pick-up.
rofessional Builder has been a
regular on the trade counters of the
UKs leading builders merchants
for over 35 years and has an
ABC audition circulation
of more than 120,000, which
means it reaches more
tradespeople than all
of its rival publications
combined.
The editorial partnership
heralds an exciting time
for HonestJohn Vans,
which is an important part
of HonestJohn.co.uk. For
the first quarter of 2015, users
are up 43% year-on year, while
pageviews have increased by 17% yearon-year. HonestJohn Vans has also expanded its
editorial mandate in 2015, with used van buying
guides and first model drives added to its content
lists.

Yet, despite the strong growth, HonestJohn

Vans is not resting on its laurels and the new
Hamerville Media partnership will see the
HonestJohn brand reaching out and engaging
with new readers.
The editorial partnership has
already produced results, with
Professional Builder publicising
a number of key HonestJohn
campaigns, including Real
MPG, the MoT Files and the
Vehicle Crime Census. This
means HonestJohn Vans has
helped Hamerville Media satisfy
its readers needs by providing
real life comparative data that allow
van owners to see how much on-theroad fuel their commercial vehicle really uses.
Likewise, the inclusion of the MoT Files and the
Crime Census has helped readers ensure their
vans are safe and secure when on the road or
parked up for the night.

Helping
traders make
informed
decisions

NEW SECTION: PRODUCTS

February saw the launch of a brilliant new section of our website HonestJohn.co.uk/products.
This expands the appeal of the website, offering product news, advice, reviews and Top 10s,
and gives our users even more reason to visit HonestJohn.co.uk on a regular basis. It has
proved rather popular so far too, with over 42,000 pageviews so far!

VANS IN
NUMBERS Q1

921,586

PAGEVIEWS

151,069
USERS

234,795
SESSIONS

30%/46%/24%

MOBILE VS DESKTOP VS
TABLETS

248

REAL MPG SUBMISSIONS

Q1: 01/01/15 - 31/03/15

08

Trending
MOST POPULAR CAR
REVIEWS

1. Ford Mondeo (2015)

2. Nissan Qashqai (2014)
3. Skoda Fabia (2015)
4. Suzuki Celerio (2015)
5. Ford Fiesta (2013)

TOP REAL MPG

PERFORMERS OF CARS
CURRENTLY ON SALE

MOST POPULAR NEWS STORIES

1. Geneva Motor Show: Honda HR-V

The most popular story from our Geneva coverage was details of Hondas new compact SUV. Arriving
this summer, the Nissan Juke rival caused a stir amongst Honest John visitors.

2. Budget 2015

George Osborne delivered his final Budget of the current Parliament on 18th March and as usual
HonestJohn.co.uk was there to cover the key points for motorists.

1. Honda Accord: 101%

2. Suzuki Swift: 94%
3. Volkswagen Scirocco: 93%
4. Hyundai ix35: 92%
5. Dacia Sandero: 90%

MOST VIEWED SECTIONS

OF HONESTJOHN.CO.UK

3. 15-Plate Money Saving Special

We searched the market to find the best 15-plate deals and discounts for our
users. The news story generated thousands of impressions as car buyers
used our insight to make savings on their next new car.

POPULAR TWEETS
Honest John @_HonestJohn Mar 11
@SKODAUK announce prices & specs for new Superb, on sale Sept - and its a bit
of a bargain: t.co/dmFgjUEA1W
Honest John @_HonestJohn Feb 26
From today you can fill up for less than 1 per litre at Sainsburys:
t.co/f2ZY0egh9u
Honest John @_HonestJohn Feb 16
ASK HJ: In-car cameras: Having witnessed a hit and run incident, I wish to fit
dashcams to my Polo and Golf... t.co/cQd9ylsU8Y

Jan-Mar 2015

New Forum Posts: 7958 New Questions Asked: 2121 New Owners Reviews: 187

1. Car by Car Reviews

2. Real MPG
3. Forum
4. Ask HJ
5. Top Tens

MOST WATCHED VIDEOS

1. Used car buying: BMW

3 series
2. Honest Johns Ford S-MAX
review
3. Practical Guides: Topping up
cooland
4. Volkswagen Up road test
5. Kia Sorento road test

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