War in the Middle East already affects those who want to change cars in Brazil, research shows

Six out of ten Brazilians who intend to buy a car say that the economic uncertainties linked to the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States, including the risk of high fuel prices, influence their purchase decision. The data is from a survey by Data OLX Autos, the data intelligence arm of the OLX Group, carried out in April with 541 potential buyers who use the portal.

In all, 62% of respondents say that the geopolitical scenario and fuel prices weigh when deciding. The influence is greater among women (74%), consumers from class C (69%) and those interested in used cars (75%). The survey sought to measure how external instability changes the behavior of buying vehicles in the country.

The fear has a concrete origin. The escalation of tensions in the Middle East led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the main oil route on the planet, and made the barrel of oil more expensive and, at the end, the liter at the Brazilian pumps. It is this fear that appears translated in the answers.

Among the 271 respondents who said they felt the effect of the conflict, about 70% started to prioritize cars with lower consumption. For those who do not yet have a car, the impact appears in another way: 37% are reevaluating the available budget, 30% have started to consider used cars instead of zero-kilometer and 9% are now considering a hybrid or electric.

The numbers expose a paradox: even with the fear around supply and prices, 65% of respondents say they do not consider buying an electrified vehicle, and almost 60% maintain a preference for combustion models. Resistance to electrified vehicles remains the majority even among those who say they are directly affected by the uncertainties.

When there is an opening to change, it is usually gradual. Of the 35% who consider migrating to an electrified car, most aim for hybrids (15%), and not pure electrics (8%) — technologies that still maintain the combustion engine as a support.

“The data confirm that the Brazilian consumer is aware of the global scenario and adjusts his behavior within the limit that he considers safe and known. The preference for traditional fuels reflects less a denial of alternatives and more a question of access, trust and infrastructure”, says Flávio Passos, vice president of Autos at the OLX Group.

For OLX, even if the crisis leads consumers to seek more economical alternatives, it is not enough to cause a profound change in consumption patterns. The fear of fuel coexists, in practice, with the maintenance of the buying routine around gasoline, ethanol or diesel cars.

The survey was conducted quantitatively online, with a self-administered questionnaire, between April 1st and 30th, 2026. The sample includes 541 interviews, with a maximum margin of error of 4.2 percentage points and a confidence level of 95%.