No one on Earth believes Gen Z can handle basic car maintenance

You are in the middle of nowhere. Let’s say it’s hot, dry and you’re short on water. Suddenly, a gust of wind came and something rolled onto the road. You try to avoid him, but you catch him by the back tyre. you listen to that story fwop Before you can pull to the shoulder, the tire pressure drops and the TPMS light immediately starts flashing at you.

For enthusiasts, the above may seem to cause mild inconvenience. Most of us can get a spare car (or at least, put the solution) in a matter of minutes – maybe a little more if it’s our first rodeo with that particular car – but if you’re a less experienced (or incompetent) motorist, you may find yourself suddenly stranded.

Imagine yourself in that moment. Now, ask yourself this: When a pair of headlights appear on the horizon, who are you expecting to see behind the wheel?

according to autotraderYour answer is probable “Any “Who isn’t Gen Z?”

This story came from the UK branch of a used car dealer, but researchers at the company surveyed 3,000 motorists worldwide and asked them which generation they would trust to get them out of simple automotive maintenance jams. The only other generation to score as low as Gen Z is – to put it somewhat vaguely – no longer with us.

I’m sure there are more than a few octogenarians out there who are still changing their own tires, but the oldest members of the Silent Generation will hit the century mark in 2028. Broadly speaking, this is a group of people who are either no longer driving, or on the verge of hanging up their proverbial keys forever. Baby boomers make up the largest share of drivers over the age of 65, who made up little of the survey highlights, despite receiving high marks for reliability, especially in the UK.

Instead most of the comments focused on youth groups, whose knowledge (and mechanical skills) are not held in particularly high regard by anyone.

“Globally, only 2% of drivers trust Gen Z to change a tyre, currently aged between 14 and 29,” the report said. “In the UK, USA, Portugal and Australia, this figure has dropped to zero.”

While our youngest drivers may not have the world’s confidence, at least they have something of their own. About 30 to 45% (depending on the country) of Gen Z drivers surveyed were confident in their ability to perform basic repairs, and many even reported successfully performing one or more.

“The vast majority of Gen Z drivers who have tried repairs say they haven’t made things worse: 88% in Italy, 86% in the UK and 85% in the Netherlands report the same,” the report said.

So, Gen Z is likely to have a reputation Part Undesirable, but even those Gen Z drivers who felt confident in their abilities still put their trust in older generations when it came to figuring out how. Otherwise, the list will not look like this:

Which generation is trusted the most and least

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the world’s trust in Gen

“Car knowledge has always been passed down through practical experience, parents, mechanics and years of figuring things out on the side of the road.” said Tom Roberts, car selling expert at AutoTrader. “What we’re seeing now is a generational shift in the way we learn, not a lack of appetite for it. Gen X has earned their reputation over the decades, proving that credibility is something that accumulates.”

This shift undoubtedly refers to the widespread availability of maintenance and repair guides on social media, which Gen Z has cited as a primary source of information. Here in the United States, Millennials (who are rapidly becoming America’s economic core) are also on that bandwagon. This category does not include AI-based sources, which are covered separately in the study:

“86% of Gen Z in the UK say they would use AI for car maintenance guidance, the highest of any generation in the country, compared to the global average of 65%,” the report said. “In the United States, Italy and Greece, it is Gen

Which generations are most confident in their repair abilities? Those reactions were more than mixed. Depending on the respondent’s location, Millennials, Baby Boomers and Gen

Stubbornness and overconfidence are beyond the typical generational mindset. Cultural differences also play a role, as was evident when AutoTrader asked respondents what the first thing they would do in the event of a breakdown.

“Globally, most drivers call a friend or family member (39%) first when they have a breakdown, followed by a breakdown service (30%) and a professional mechanic (19%),” the report said. “Only 6% immediately turn to online advice, and another 6% will attempt solutions alone.”

“Interestingly, while Canadians may be the least likely to reach out to friends and family (37%) or even breakdown services (35%) if stranded, it is the United States that is home to the most self-reliant drivers across the board,” it continued. “10% of Americans say that, if they were stuck on the side of the road with car trouble, they would try to fix it themselves without calling anyone, the highest of any country.”

Only 10%? My fellow Americans, those are rookie numbers. Let’s work on that!

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