Cape Town's car scene among world's best, new study reveals

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The research analysed the number of car meets, auto events and motor shows in over 400 cities worldwide, along with the number of Instagram posts associated with each city’s car meets, to show how strong the car-loving community presence is in each location.

Best cities for car lovers

Scoring over 98% is the city of Austin, Texas, in the USA. Many factors play into the city’s booming car community, including Austin’s role in hosting major events such as the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix and the MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas. But it’s the city’s car clubs and dozens of car-meets that push it to the number one city with the biggest car community spirit.

Toronto, Canada, ranks second on the list of cities with the largest car-munity, with a score of 95.4%. Toronto's car scene presence on social media is what propels the city into second place, with the hashtag #torontocarmeets gathering nearly 49,000 Instagram posts. Canada features again in the top 15 list, with Edmonton narrowly missing out on a top 10 spot in 11th place with a ‘car-munity’ score of 39.3%.

Following Toronto in third place is Cape Town, one of two South African cities in the top 15. Out of all the ‘Cars & Coffee’ events hosted in South Africa, over half take place in Cape Town, making it one of the best cities to visit worldwide for fans of all thing’s cars.

Also joining the top five is Turin, Italy, in fourth place. While Turin’s automotive heritage runs far and wide (it is the home of Fiat, after all), Italy's third-largest city is also a bustling hub for car lovers, with a 'car-munity’ score of 76.1%.

In fifth place is Munich, the first of three German cities in the top 15; with a car-munity score of 68.1%. Interestingly, looking purely at planned meetups and auto shows shared on Eventbrite and Google Events, just 8% of all Deutsche car events happen in the country’s capital, showing that there’s no shortage of other locations for auto fans to visit in Germany.

However, Munich should still be the first stop, particularly for its annual Oktoberfest car meetups which bring in travellers from around the world. The German cities of Frankfurt and Stuttgart then join the car-loving communities rankings, in eighth and 13th place, respectively.

The United Kingdom hosts the second-highest number of car events shared on Eventbrite and Google Events worldwide, second only to the USA. As a result, two UK cities appear in the best destinations for car lovers to visit, London is sixth and Wolverhampton is 12th.

Following London, the capital of Poland achieves a 58% car-munity score, with Warsaw motor lovers being particularly active on social media, sharing their favourite vehicle spottings as well as the city's exciting auto shows.

Rory Reid, YouTube director at Auto Trader, commented:

“In today's digital age, it’s encouraging to see how many petrolhead communities thrive across the globe, allowing motor lovers to connect in-person and show off their wheels.

“From the annual Oktoberfest car meetups in Munich to the vibrant car scenes in Pretoria, each city offers unique events that bring enthusiasts together.

“This shows how, for many people, their cars are more than a means of transportation and in fact, act as an expression of individuality and a source of passion. Whether you're from Christchurch, New Zealand or London, England, the car community truly is a place that fosters friendships.”