Young drivers “more confident than their parents when it comes to car maintenance”
Half of 17 to 24-year-olds feel confident enough to perform basic car maintenance, compared with 31 per cent of drivers aged 45 or more
On average young drivers are more confident than their parents when it comes to performing basic car maintenance, a new survey has found.
Insurance company LV conducted a survey of 1,003 motorists and found that 50 per cent of drivers aged 17-24 said they would find it easy to perform basic car maintenance themselves.
The research contradicts the stereotypical view that older generations have a better mechanical knowledge than young people when it comes to repairing cars.
One reason for 17 to 24-year-olds having better mechanical knowledge is changes to the modern driving test curriculum. Since 2004 stricter testing of motorists’ knowledge about the inner workings of vehicles has been gradually implemented.
Edmund King, president of the AA, commented: “Knowing your way around a car is an important skill for drivers, but not one that everybody is confident with.
“Changes in technology are making cars more reliable, although it is still the basics that can go wrong, such as getting punctures, putting in the wrong fuel or running out of windscreen washer fluid. Obviously it is beneficial for drivers to be able to complete these basic maintenance tasks.”
