The number of young people who have their driver’s license / permit has been steadily dropping since we started tracking in 2016. Learning to drive is no longer a teen rite of passage as affordability keeps them from leasing/owning (or their anxiety gets in the way). And yet, driving is the top way young people get where they need to go—no matter how many wish they lived in a walkable city. And right now, many young consumers are even on the hunt for their next vehicle—and used cars / trucks online are where many will look to first.
YPulse’s 2025 Auto report dives into how many young people have a license/permit, the features they’ll be looking for in their next purchase, where they turn to for information when looking to buy a vehicle, and what activities they do in their cars other than driving.
Report length: 20 pages, North America report is based on surveys of 1500 13-39-year-olds in the U.S. and Canada, fielded October 2025. Western Europe report is based on a survey of 2500 13-39-year-olds in the U.K., Italy, Spain, France, and Germany, fielded in October 2025
