The automobile: eternal youth?

How has the relationship of under-30s to automobiles evolved? How does this Generation Z perceive electric and the future of mobility? What are their purchasing intentions? How do financial constraints influence their automobile budget? What is their relationship with brands? How do they perceive the environmental impact of automobiles compared to previous generations?

An undisguised pleasure in getting behind the wheel

To use their car, young people must first obtain the essential driver's license. 85% obtain it before the age of 25, and more than 9 out of 10 (91%) in France. More than half of Americans (56%) obtain it before the age of 18. 1 in 2 French people acquire their first vehicle between the ages of 16 and 20, compared to 7 out of 10 Americans. Conversely, 1 in 3 Japanese or Chinese people wait until they are 25 years old to buy a car.

When buying their first car, nearly 7 out of 10 young French people (68%) prefer second-hand cars. This market is very developed in France, unlike in China, where more than 9 out of 10 young people (92%) prefer new cars, and also benefit from a higher average annual gross income there.

The average purchase price of a car for young people is 14.881 euros on average, and 12.290 euros in France. Among those who do not own a car, 6 out of 10 (59%) believe that its cost is too high, a figure much higher than that of seniors aged over 50 (47%). In addition, 27% of young people say that they do not need one, compared to 40% of seniors.

Regarding their short-term purchasing intentions, 1 in 2 young people prefer a used car. For the engine, petrol comes first, followed by electric, which is ahead of diesel; electric comes first among 30-49 year-olds. Among the obstacles cited for switching to electric, young people first point to potential charging difficulties (32%), ahead of price (31%).

Driving is a pleasure for 7 out of 10 young people, while only less than 2 out of 10 (17%) consider it a chore. A pleasure that continues: already in 2011, 8 out of 10 young people said they "loved driving". Beyond the pleasure, the car also carries a positive image: 1 in 2 young people believe that it has improved over the last five years (46%); only 14% perceive a deterioration. Surprisingly, this improvement in image is felt more in the city than in the countryside, probably due to the increasing weight of electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as traffic-related constraints.

6 out of 10 young people feel unable to imagine their life without a car, a result that has risen sharply compared to 2011 (22%). Cycling has become popular with 7 out of 10 young people (69%). The Netherlands, the queen nation of cycling, and Poland are the two most pro-two-wheeled countries. Carpooling occupies second place in the ranking of alternative mobility to the car among young people with a score of 56%, compared to 30% in 2011. Finally, renting is attractive, in very similar proportions whether it is a car or a bike, with more or less 1 in 3 young people taking it up.

The main brands advisors and confidants

More than 8 out of 10 young people (83%) are attached to their car (86% in France). A score that even reaches 97% in China, while in the land of cycling, the Dutch are more reserved (70%). A third (33%) consider the car as an object of value, and a similar proportion believe that it is the ideal place to forge memories (30%). For 25%, the car is associated with the meetings and exchanges that it generates, while 23% see it as a friend that can be counted on. In France, it is above all its usefulness that is highlighted (58%).

77% of young people say that their car is essential for everyday life, a higher score than that of seniors (70%). When buying a vehicle, price remains the most important criterion for 45% of young people, followed by safety (29%).

9 out of 10 young people attach importance to the information provided by brands before buying a car. 44% trust them at the time of purchase, more than distributors (25%). Furthermore, 1 in 2 young people believe that brands are making enough efforts to create environmentally friendly vehicles. This result is probably explained by the increase in the production of electric vehicles and the positive impact of marketing highlighting the new virtues of manufacturers.

A future that will be electric

When you talk about cars, you inevitably talk about the environment. On this subject, young people are less forgiving than their elders. Nearly half of them (44%) consider cars to be the main source of global warming, compared to only 30% of seniors. They are also more likely to designate them as the main source of pollution in cities (64% compared to 58% of seniors).

Only 39% of young people oppose the ban on sales of thermal cars, compared to 46% of seniors, and only 24% consider the environmental standards imposed on automobiles to be insufficient (21% among seniors).

84% of young people believe that technological progress will improve the environmental performance of the automobile. More than their elders, they see the electric car as the very embodiment of progress (75% versus 60%). According to 1 in 2 of them, it is more environmentally friendly, while only 4 in 10 seniors share this opinion.

This future fueled by a strong electric momentum makes young people particularly optimistic about the place of the automobile in the future. In 2011, 29% of them believed that its place in society would be more important in 30 years, while for 45% it would be the same. 13 years later, the trend has reversed: nearly 1 in 2 young people (47%) predict a more important place for the automobile in society, a result that is increasing in all countries, while 33% say that it will remain unchanged.

Finally, while the debates around 100% electric in 2035 are intensifying, 6 out of 10 young people (63%) think that the electric car will replace the thermal car, compared to 47% of seniors.

For Flavien Neuvy, Director of the Cetelem Observatory: "Young people express a great attachment to cars, while predicting a bright future for them. Cars are essential to their daily lives, particularly for young people living in peri-urban or rural areas. However, they are turning massively to the second-hand market for obvious financial reasons. They believe that the future of cars lies in electric vehicles, which seem more environmentally friendly to them. In this context, brands that have relative credibility with young people, as demonstrated by this new Cetelem Observatory, have great cards in hand. Their future success depends on a firm and real commitment to the environment, a smooth integration into a polymorphic mobility landscape, and above all, on prices that make cars accessible to as many people as possible."

Methodology

The economic and marketing analyses as well as the forecasts were carried out in partnership with the research and consulting company C-Ways, a specialist in Anticipatory Marketing.

The quantitative consumer survey fields were conducted by Harris Interactive from June 25 to July 9, 2024 in 14 countries: Germany, Belgium, China, Spain, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Turkey. A total of 16.000 people were interviewed online (CAWI collection method). These people aged 18 to 65 come from national samples representative of each country. The representativeness of the sample is ensured by the quota method (gender, age). 3.000 interviews were conducted in France and 1.000 in each of the other countries.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.