There are lots of stereotypes that various generations like to throw around about one another. But Hagerty decided to get to the bottom of things in its 2024 “Future of Driving” study by surveying 2,000+ Americans about cars. The future of driving looks bright, with a strong community of young enthusiasts.

First and foremost, there’s a stereotype that few Millennials, or their younger Gen Z counterparts, are even interested in driving. So Hagerty made sure to survey both drivers and non-drivers. The interest in driving is only growing with every generation. Seventy-seven percent of Gen Z respondents said they either liked driving or that they loved driving.

Who works on their own cars? Not everyone. The majority of respondents (55%) said they take care of maintenance by bringing their car into a dealership or service center. Across all respondents, 27% perform DIY repairs. Millennials are leading the charge:  34% labelled themselves DIYers.

So are Millennials just the latest generation of folks with a bit more time than money, trying to save a penny by doing their own oil changes? Perhaps. But it’s worth noting almost as many of them have owned/do own a classic vehicle (30%) as are DIYers. So part of the reason they are wrenching may be that they bought old project cars to get into the hobby.

Move up to Gen-Z and there are even more classic vehicle enthusiasts (32% have owned/do own one). And that’s especially surprising considering many are too young to own a car. In fact, 60% say they are very interested in collector cars, trucks, or motorcycles. Meanwhile just 31% of Baby Boomers said the same thing.

“The next generation of car enthusiasts is here, creating a vibrant market for us to help enthusiasts protect, buy, sell and enjoy their special vehicles…The data is clear that Gen Z isn’t just playing car video games, watching YouTube or creating social media content, they’re also finding ways to participate in the collector car community.” – McKeel Hagerty, CEO and Chairman of Hagerty