IT seems amazing but around half of all new car buyers will happily spend thousands of pounds on a new motor without ever driving it. Even those who take a test drive will base their buying decision on just a quick whiz around the block with a salesman in the passenger seat.

How can you tell how it handles on the roads you'll use it on every day? Does the engine perform well in the conditions you'll use the car? Will the baby's pushchair fit in the boot? Can you reverse it onto your driveway easily? It might be that you've no idea of the car's abilities until it's too late to change your mind. Vauxhall is so confident of its range of vehicles that it has launched the biggest test drive initiative the world has ever seen.

And rather than just having a spin around the block, serious buyers will be given the chance to keep a Vauxhall demonstrator for three days to see how it could fit into their lives. Across Europe around 35,000 test cars will be made available in 40 European countries, and a total of more than a million miles are expected to be driven by potential customers in the three month campaign.

In the UK, Vauxhall retailers will be making an extra 2,300 cars available from the beginning of April until the end of June to cater for the extra demand. Models across the range will be on offer, including the newly launched Astra Sport Hatch and the extra-value Breeze editions of Corsa, Meriva, Astra, Zafira and Vectra.

The British programme will run until the end of June, when around 54,000 potential buyers will have experienced the quality, style and driving dynamics of the modern Vauxhall range. Certain restrictions will obviously apply to the offer, so customers should contact their local Vauxhall retailer for more information and to book a drive.