Public transportation has expanded in cities around the globe, carsharing has emerged as an alternative to owning your own car and startups like Uber and Lyft have made it easier than ever to get where you need to go. Despite a few exceptions, we're hearing more and more about how Millennials (defined as people reaching young adulthood around the year 2000) are less interested in car ownership than previous generations. Generation Z, however is a different story, according to a new study from Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.
In fact, 92 percent of Generation Z (which, for this study, includes current 12- to 17-year-olds) plan to own a vehicle, while 97 percent plan to get a driver's license if they don't have one already. The reasons should be familiar; 32 percent of those surveyed say that car ownership offers a sense of freedom. They also cite a sense of responsibility and excitement as emotional reasons behind the desire for their own set of wheels.
Despite the strong desire for ownership, Generation Z appears to be less materialistic than Millennials. Style is rated at 43 percent for Generation Z, versus 57 percent for Millennials. 23 percent of Gen Z respondents are worried about brand, compared to 34 percent for Millennials.
Twenty-seven percent of Generation Z values environmental friendliness as an important feature in a car – more than other generations as teenagers – but only one percent rank Tesla as a top brand. Most prefer Ford, Chevrolet, and Honda. Those brands, they feel, are traditional, practical, and trusted. Not surprisingly, Gen Z doesn't see any car brand as highly relatable. Teens, man.
Generation Z likes autonomous vehicles. 54 percent find them appealing, and 47 percent want a majority of cars to drive themselves a decade from now. Why? 61 percent say safety. In fact, Gen Z teens value safety more than teens of previous generations.
