Is motoring still for millennials?

As SEAT reveals new EASY Move buying to target the millennial market, do young people have the need, money, or desire to drive anymore?

Both new and used car sales are still in full force – July 2018 had new car sales 1.2 per cent higher than last year, while used cars sales in just Q2 alone were over two million. Not too shabby seeing as everyone is broke on avocados.

Diesel is heavily down, electric is on the way up – the trends for the next generation of car sales is definitely underway.

But it’s not going unnoticed that ‘young people’ are failing to keep up with these trends.

In an attempt to try and reclaim the millennial market, SEAT revealed its new EASY Move way of selling cars. Instead of the hundreds of options at hundreds of different prices, SEAT aims to make quick, easy to choose packages, to “help people get what they want in an easier way.”

Quick, easy, satisfying buying is, indeed, something the era of Asos and Amazon are all for.

But is it really a surprise that millennials are falling out of love with driving?

Firstly, motoring is expensive. Not just the cars themselves, but insurance, petrol, tax, parking. It’s no secret that newly qualified drivers are given ridiculously high insurance quotes, and everyone’s feeling the effects of the petrol prices creeping to above 130p a litre. There just isn’t that kind of disposable income floating around anymore.

Then there’s the need for it. In the age of home deliveries, remote working, social media et al, the daily trips out in the car to go shopping or meet friends doesn’t need to happen on the same scale as perhaps 10-20 years ago.

Quick, easy, satisfying buying is, indeed, something the era of Asos and Amazon are all for.

Those at uni tend to be based in big cities where campus parking is expensive and you only get rinsed for drunken lifts home, while young workers are also finding themselves drawn to the hubs of the country in order to find work or internships etc. This often leads to an increase in (mostly) reliable public transport, closer living, the increase of cycling as a means of commuting – the need for a car isn’t so important.

There’s also the increase is awareness of environmental issues, being more aware and reluctant of CO2 emissions, manufacturing processes and overall damage to the environment.

Brands are trying to entice the younger generation with gimmicks like Beats audio (much more trendy than BOSE apparently), WiFi hotspots and all the Apple tech in the world, but when they already have all that tech sitting in their pocket, the expensive add-ons are an extra waste.

But what about the millennials that are still investing in pedal to the metal goodness?

“Young people are leasing – and I don’t just mean PCP”, says Jake, a sales manager for Jaguar Land Rover. “People under 30 come in all the time to see the cars, take it for a test drive, and then say they’re going to buy online because it’s cheaper. Most of the time, online purchases aren’t any cheaper, or they don’t even get to see the car before it arrives – even though the advertised price is much lower to attract the interest.”

“Because of monthly leasing, it seems like young people are opting for more flashy cars because then they can afford it alongside other savings. Although tax is proving a huge issue. For example, in our range, anything over £40,000 has an annual tax of £450 – whether that’s a 5-litre petrol or a 1-litre EcoBoost. Even the hybrids have that. The new WLTP rules [Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure – emission and CO2 allowances] are proving too confusing for people ordering for September onwards, too.”

“Those that do have the money – bankers, barristers – have even come in, not old enough to take it for a test drive, and walked away after paying in cash. It’s a very divided market.”

Is the millennial market ever going to regain growth in the industry – or is it just going to remain an ongoing struggle with the UK economy leading the way? And are the car-alternative manifestos going to drive younger generations away from motoring altogether?

Buying a new car? Still running out an old banger? Let us know your hip young-person thoughts in the comments.