These are The Millennial “First Cars” Being Written Off By Gen Z

According to new research by Car Finance Company, Carmoola, the Millennial “First Car” such as the Ford KA or Peugeot 206 is being phased out by Gen Z as they opt for luxury models such as an Audi or BMW. 

• Ford KA, Peugeot 206 and Renault Clio are to disappear from British roads in the next two years. 
• Most popular Millennial Cars in 2014 were the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra
• In 2022 the top five makes of licensed cars in the UK were Ford (12.1%), Vauxhall (8.9%), Volkswagen (8.8%), BMW (6.1%) and Audi (5.7%).
• Gen Z buyers are more likely to buy luxury cars than any other generation, with 39% saying that the vehicle they bought was a luxury model vs only 29% of Millennials. 

From Skinny Jeans, drinking alcohol and even winged eyeliner, Gen Z loves nothing more than writing off something favoured by their older peers, the Millennials, and next up may be the humble “first car”. Long gone are the days of second-hand motors being passed down from older siblings or trawling the local second-hand car dealership for a rusted run around that costs no more than a few thousand pounds. 

The Most Popular Cars in 2014

In 2014, most Millennials would have been aged between 18 and 33 – the time when most people are learning to drive and hopefully passing their driving test so they can get on the roads in their very first car. When looking for their first car back in 2014, Millennials wanted reliability, affordable running costs and the ability to take a few bumps and scrapes along the way. 

Compiling data from the Department of Transport and the DVLA of the most licensed cars in the UK in 2014 reveals the most popular cars of the Millennial “first driver.” The top three most licensed cars in 2014 were:

1. FORD FIESTA – 66655 licensed
2. FORD FOCUS – 589565 licensed
3. VAUXHALL ASTRA – 163297 licensed

The Millennial Cars Being Written Off by Gen Z

The most popular first cars for Millennials may be a thing of the past in the coming years as research has found they are likely to disappear from the roads completely in the near future. The five models most likely to disappear off the roads the quickest are: 

FORD KA – 1 YEAR: On average there are 11597 fewer Ford KAs on the roads each year since 2014. The beauty of the humble Ford KA is it’s cheap to buy, insure and run! So, if you’re on a tight budget and want to get from A to B with minimal fuss, Ford’s little Ka with its simple design was a winning choice – perfect for the Millennial looking to get on the road driving mates to college or pulling up to their first “real” jobs. By 2009, British customers had bought 500,000 of Ford’s smallest car since it first went on sale in 1996.

PEUGEOT 206 – 1 YEAR: On average there are 8001 fewer Peugeot 206s on the roads each year since 2014. First launched in 1998, the Peugeot 206 is a small, reliable hatchback car. It remains the best-selling Peugeot of all time. Unfortunately, you can’t buy a new 206 anymore but there are plenty of secondhand models still on the market. 

FORD MONDEO – 1 YEAR: On average there are 4857 fewer Ford Mondeos on the roads each year since 2014. As a Millennial, if you had a Ford Mondeo – it was likely that your parents gave you it after they had had an upgrade to the latest model or one was going cheap at the local second-hand car dealership. A mainstay among families for over 30 years, there was even one featured at the start of the James Bond film, Casino Royale. Sadly, Ford announced they were going to stop selling new Mondeo models in the UK from 2022 thanks to the rise in popularity of the SUV.

RENAULT CLIO – 2 YEARS: On average there are 12165 fewer Renault Clios on the roads each year since 2014. The Renault Clio is a perennial first-buy favourite in the UK as it’s cheap to buy and own. It’s easy to drive and its soft suspension makes it very comfortable, and there’s plenty of kit, too. Chances are if you didn’t drive one yourself, you know someone who did. Known for its electrical niggles, you could at least pop to the shops for some predrinks.

FIAT PUNTO – 3 YEARS: On average there are 5386 fewer Fiat Puntos on the roads each year since 2014. Fiat is often overlooked by those in the market for a first car, in favour of the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa. However, the Punto was a good-looking and affordable option for those who have just passed their test. Likely the car of choice for Girlfriends and hairdressers it was dwarfed in popularity by its sister model the Fiat 500. 

BRAND	MODEL	SUB-MODEL	2022	2014	Average loss per year	How many years left?
FORD	FORD KA	KA	6472	110842	11597	1
PEUGEOT	PEUGEOT 206	206 LX	5682	77687	8001	1
FORD	FORD MONDEO	MONDEO LX	6362	50072	4857	1
RENAULT	RENAULT CLIO	CLIO DYNAMIQUE 16V, CLIO EXPRESSION 16V	25384	134873	12165	2
FIAT	FIAT PUNTO	PUNTO ACTIVE	17740	66216	5386	3
VOLKSWAGEN	VOLKSWAGEN POLO	POLO E	12389	51424	4337	3
NISSAN	NISSAN MICRA	MICRA S	21147	74952	5978	4
VOLKSWAGEN	VOLKSWAGEN GOLF	GOLF GT TDI, GOLF S	49323	139963	10071	5
VAUXHALL	VAUXHALL CORSA	CORSA SXI 16V, CORSA SXI	49594	137459	9763	5
FORD	FORD FOCUS	FOCUS ZETEC, FOCUS LX, FOCUS GHIA, FOCUS ZETEC TDCI, FOCUS ZETEC CLIMATE, FOCUS ZETEC 100	258257	589565	36812	7
PEUGEOT	PEUGEOT 207	207 S	26758	53441	2965	9
VAUXHALL	VAUXHALL ASTRA	ASTRA CLUB 8V, ASTRA SRIASTRA SXI	86635	163297	8518	10
VAUXHALL	VAUXHALL ZAFIRA	ZAFIRA LIFE, ZAFIRA EXCLUSIV	62300	109741	5271	12
HONDA	HONDA JAZZ	JAZZ SE	42333	68141	2868	15
FORD	FORD FIESTA	FIESTA ZETEC, FIESTA ZETEC CLIMATE, FIESTA FINESSE, FIESTA STYLE, FIESTA LX, FIESTA GHIA	531482	666551	15008	35
PEUGEOT	PEUGEOT 107	107 URBAN	49098	60526	1270	39
MINI	MINI ONE	ONE	95350	107602	1361	70
AUDI	AUDI A3	A3 SPORT TDI	47420	53156	637	74
TOYOTA	TOYOTA YARIS	YARIS TR VVT-I	54306	58666	484	112
FIAT	FIAT 500	500 LOUNGE	112390	47816	+7174
MINI	MINI COOPER	COOPER	174098	153988	+2234

Expensive Taste

According to a recent survey by Heritage Car Insurance, Gen Z is by far the generation that is most likely to have a first car that is “luxurious” differing from Millennials who were lucky to get their older brothers Ford KA or Peugeot 208. According to those surveyed 1 in 6, Gen Zers have had a BMW as their first car and 1 in 12 said they have an Audi for their first-ever vehicle. According to a recent report by CDK Global, Gen Z buyers are more likely to buy luxury cars than any other generation, with 39% saying that the vehicle they bought was a luxury model vs only 29% of Millennials. 

In 2022 the top five makes of licensed cars in the UK were Ford (12.1%), Vauxhall (8.9%), Volkswagen (8.8%), BMW (6.1%) and Audi (5.7%).

Link to original content: https://www.carmoola.co.uk/blog/millennial-gen-z-first-cars 

Data:

We sourced the top 40 brands and models of cars registered in the UK in 2014 and compared the number of registrations of the same models in 2022. By comparing the number of licenses in these two years, we found an average drop in these models over the past nine years and predicted how long until these models will be gone from UK roads completely. All models are still licensed and roadworthy. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-files

Data set: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10P9mI3HqXCG6tNvutAY3MQQnU_HFghZ8I09YU1kgurg/edit?usp=sharing 

https://www.heritagecarinsurance.co.uk/blog/survey-shows-ford-is-the-most-popular-first-car-uk-wide/ https://www.cdkglobal.com/sites/cdk4/files/2022-06/CDK_Global_GenZ_Friction_Point_Study.pdf