Accessibility Barriers in Online Car Buying
For a shopper who is blind, has low vision or cannot use a mouse, the barriers that matter most sit between finding a vehicle and contacting the dealership. We test the whole journey from search results to a confirmed test drive or service appointment, not single pages.
- Inventory filters: custom checkboxes, toggles and price sliders must work with a keyboard and have names a screen reader can announce (2.1.1 Keyboard, 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value).
- Status updates: result counts and "vehicle saved" messages are announced when they change (4.1.3 Status Messages).
- VDP galleries: photos and 360 degree viewers need text alternatives (1.1.1) and no keyboard trap (2.1.2); window stickers and spec sheets should not be untagged image PDFs.
- Prices and badges: incentives and "call for price" text meet colour contrast (1.4.3).
- Pop-ups and tap targets: chat and promotion pop-ups must not cover the focused element (2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured, new in WCAG 2.2) and filter chips must be large enough to tap (2.5.8 Target Size).