- Survey covers 15 countries, including New Zealand.
- Gen X overwhelming the most trusted for simple car fixes.
- Gen Z relies more on tuition from TikTok, YouTube.
A global survey from UK car marketplace Autotrader has asked 3000 motorists across 15 countries, including New Zealand, which generations are most and least trusted to perform simple car maintenance tasks such as changing a tyre.
Gen X (born 1965-80) is often regarded as the generation that doesn't care about... anything really, but it tops the survey across 14 of 15 countries as most trusted to perform basic car-related fixes. The only exception is South Africa, which rates Millenials (1981-96) top.
Bottom of the heap are the extremes of the Silent Generation (1928-45), chosen by 8 countries as the least trusted, and Gen Z (1997-2012), chosen by 7.
Respondents were asked about generational trust in car maintenance, confidence levels, use of social media and AI for car advice, and behaviour when breaking down. Autotrader says the survey was "conducted to represent a balanced sample across age demographics in each country".
Kiwis rated Gen X as the most trusted, with 60% voting it top, and the Silent Generation as least trusted, with no takers (a 0% score).
Overall, one country says it has 2% confidence in the Silent Generation, while another three countries register just 1% confidence.
Two nations have 1% confidence in Gen Z, while five scored it 0% .
Globally, 57% would trust Gen X to change a tyre
When it comes to car maintenance, Gen X, those currently aged 46-61, earn the world's trust by a considerable margin: 57% of drivers would trust a Gen X driver most to change a tyre, with 58% rating it the most competent generation for car maintenance overall.
| COUNTRY | MOST TRUSTED | TRUST LEVEL | LEAST TRUSTED | TRUST LEVEL |
| USA | Gen X | 67% | Gen Z | 0% |
| Portugal | Gen X | 64% | Gen Z | 0% |
| Netherlands | Gen X | 63% | Gen Z | 2% |
| Ireland | Gen X | 62% | Silent Generation | 0% |
| Spain | Gen X | 62% | Silent Generation | 0% |
| UK | Gen X | 61% | Gen Z | 0% |
| New Zealand | Gen X | 60% | Silent Generation | 0% |
| Greece | Gen X | 59% | Silent Generation | 0% |
| Australia | Gen X | 58% | Gen Z | 0% |
| Germany | Gen X | 56% | Silent Generation | 2% |
| Italy | Gen X | 56% | Gen Z | 1% |
| Canada | Gen X | 55% | Gen Z | 1% |
| France | Gen X | 53% | Silent Generation | 1% |
| Poland | Gen X | 50% | Silent Generation | 1% |
|
South Africa |
Millennials | 46% | Silent Generation | 1% |
The Gen Z credibility gap
The gap between how Gen Z rates itself and how the public rates it is wide. In the UK, 43% of Gen Z drivers say they feel confident changing a tyre, yet public trust in them sits at 0%. A similar pattern plays out across Portugal (41% self-confidence, 0% public trust) and Australia (30%, 0%).
Of the Gen Z drivers who have attempted a repair, the majority say they did not make things worse: 88% in Italy, 86% in the UK, and 85% in the Netherlands report the same.
South Africa stands out as the exception, where 48% of Gen Z admit to having made a problem worse, and it is also the only country where Gen Z receives meaningful public trust, at 11% for tyre changing.
Gen Z is learning from TikTok, YouTube and AI
Across almost every country surveyed, Gen Z leads when it comes to turning to social media, YouTube and TikTok for car maintenance guidance.
In the UK, 89% of Gen Z drivers say they use social media platforms for car maintenance advice. The US and Germany are the exceptions, where Millennials lead on social media car guidance (76% and 67% respectively).
AI is following a similar pattern: 86% of Gen Z in the UK say they would use AI for car maintenance guidance, the highest of any generation in the country, against a global average of 65%. In the USA, Italy and Greece, it is Gen X who leads on AI car advice.
Tom Roberts, car selling expert at Autotrader, says: “Car knowledge has always been passed down through hands-on experience, through parents, mechanics, and years of figuring things out at the roadside. What we're seeing now is a generational shift in how that learning happens, not a loss of appetite for it.
"Gen X has earned its reputation over decades, proving that credibility is something that is accumulated.
“Despite being the least trusted generation under the bonnet, it’s encouraging to see that Gen Z aren't accepting that label passively. They're seeking out knowledge through every tool available to them, including social media and AI.
"Trust is built through experience, but it doesn’t matter how that experience is gained, and the younger generations aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty to gain it or ask for help from those around them.”