Gen Z Car Buyers Aren't That Different from You and Me

• Appealing to Generation Z buyers is becoming increasingly important for auto manufacturers and dealerships alike, as half the generation can now drive.

• Surveying thousands of car buyers in 2021, a recent study found that Gen Z buyers are a unique subset with many similarities to their generational counterparts.

• Wait times, hidden fees, and redundancy ranked high on the list of young buyers' frustrations, though most Gen Z buyers prefer to shop for cars in person.

Over a decade's worth of Generation Z members can now legally drive, starting with those born in 2006. The roads are increasingly populated with drivers born in the 2000s and, as the children of Generation Z become adults, they are starting to buy cars. Growing up in the 21st century has afforded certain advancements in online shopping, meaning Gen Z customers aren't the same sort of car buyers as from previous generations. Or at least that's what analysts, dealerships, and manufacturers have thought.

Data collected from CDK Global, an automotive analytics and consulting company, tells a different story about the Gen Z buyer. Surveying over a thousand verified consumers and dealerships about their 2021 buying and selling experience, CDK found that Gen Z buyers share many of the same purchasing desires as millennials, Generation X, and boomers. Nonetheless, certain frustrations about the car buying process were exacerbated for Gen Z shoppers—frustrations that the dealership network would be smart to fix.