BY SARAH PERKINS
Despite the rumours, car culture is not dead. In fact, according to a survey from Hagerty, Gen Z expresses a greater interest in car culture than the Baby Boomer generation.
The “Future of Driving” survey polled more than 2,000 Americans about the role that cars play in their life. Sixty percent of Gen Z-ers polled—people born between 1997 and 2012—indicated an interest in owning a classic vehicle, compared to just 31 percent of Baby Boomers.
“The next generation of car enthusiasts is here,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO and chairman of Hagerty. “The data is clear that Gen Z isn’t just playing car video games, watching YouTube or creating social media content. They’re also fi nding ways to participate in the collector car community.”
Gen Z is about more than just the glitz and glamour, though—77 percent of Gen Z respondents said they either love or like driving. Most surprisingly, perhaps: 32 percent of Gen Z respondents said they either own or have owned a classic enthusiast vehicle. Thirty percent of Millennials said they own or have previously owned a classic car. The classics are great—but so is a little bit of luxury. Gen Z respondents—23 percent of them—expressed an interest in luxury vehicles; 26 percent said they are most interested in SUVs.
Survey data also revealed that Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, are the most likely to complete DIY repairs. Most respondents said they manage maintenance via dealership or service centre. Of all those surveyed, 27 percent said they perform their own repairs.
The younger generations are broadly interested in cars from the past four decades, according to Hagerty data. This wide range is likely due to increased exposure to classic vehicles via social media, as well as other communities— in person or online—that have acted as a gateway into the car community. Gen Z-ers indicted that YouTube is where they consume the most car-related media; 38 percent said they get most of their car-related content from Instagram.
Forty percent of respondents said their fi rst exposure to classic and enthusiast cars was from attending car shows, making them a critical point of entry into the hobby. Finally, the most popular Gen Z “classic”, according to Hagerty’s data on insurance inquiries from car enthusiasts: Mazda Miatas, specifi cally those built from 1990 to 1998. Millennials, on the other hand, are most interested in GMT400 series trucks from 1988 to 2000.
