Car cleaning products increase in sales amid COVID-19 outbreak

Representatives for the car care industry say sales of automotive cleaning products remained strong in March as most major retailers stocked up to meet demand and brace for possible price rises driven by currency fluctuations.

The steady sales – and in some cases sales increases – of car care products follows a downturn in the industry brought about by water restrictions during the drought and bushfire crises across the country earlier this year.

Anecdotally, industry insiders believe sales of car care products remain strong because people are using their spare time to do polishing and other detailing work that had previously been put off because they were too busy.

“You can only sit inside for so long,” said Alex Morrison, marketing manager for MotorActive, the distributor of Meguiar’s and other car care products. 

“What we’ve learned over the years is that if they want to keep their cars clean, automotive enthusiasts will still do it, no matter what the circumstances,” he said.

“But what we think is happening at the moment is that detailing a car is a great way for people to get their mind off things. It’s therapeutic for many people.”

Because automotive parts and service are deemed an “essential service”, most major auto retailers such as Supercheap, Repco, Autobarn, AutoOne and others remain open across Australia so people can maintain their vehicles for mechanical safety reasons.

“It’s business as usual for the time being,” said Morrison. “We suspect a lot of people are using any downtime to do DIY jobs and maintain their car now because they’ve previously been too busy before.”