Flat Tire? Don’t Count on Gen Z, Survey Says

If you’re stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire, you might want to wave down someone from Gen X. A new international survey of more than 3,000 drivers across 15 countries found that not a single American respondent would pick a Gen Z driver as their first choice to handle the swap.

S. respondents, while Gen Z scored a flat zero.

S. Drivers in the UK, Portugal, and Australia also gave Gen Z no votes. Globally, the youngest generation managed just 2 percent support, while Gen X dominated with 57 percent. Yet Gen Z isn’t lacking confidence in itself: 29 percent of young American drivers say they feel capable of changing a tire, and 43 percent in the UK say the same.

The gap between perception and reality may be wide, but the survey suggests younger drivers are simply learning differently.

S. is an exception, where Millennials lead on social media for car tips and Gen X tops AI usage. Perhaps the biggest surprise: among Gen Z drivers who have actually attempted a repair, more than 80 percent in most countries said they didn’t make things worse. That’s a success rate that challenges the stereotype, even if the public isn’t ready to hand them the jack.