Teenagers Are Looking Forward to Vehicle Ownership—But Are Automakers Ready for Teens’ Preferences?

Key Takeaways

• Teenagers strongly expect to own and drive their own vehicles, but their preferences skew toward sedans rather than the SUV-heavy portfolios that dominate today’s US market—creating a potential future product mismatch for automakers.

• Teens remain most comfortable with gas vehicles, yet show meaningful openness to BEVs, hybrids and PHEVs, signaling that electrification strategies must balance familiarity with forward-looking education and design.

• Despite being digital natives who prioritize advanced in-vehicle technology, teens still envision an in-person or hybrid shopping journey, reinforcing the ongoing importance of physical retail alongside digital tools.

There is a group of consumers who are too young to purchase a vehicle—or, in many cases, even drive—yet their views could be highly consequential for automakers’ long-term prospects. Escalent’s EVForward^® 2025 Teenagers DeepDive report surveyed more than 1,000 teenagers ages 14 to 19 to understand their thoughts and attitudes toward vehicles. And while many of this group could be 5 to 15 years away from their first vehicle purchase, they are already developing strong opinions about brands, models and powertrains.

Not Your Parents’ SUV for Future New-Car Buyers

Automakers have long worried about a potential shift toward shared mobility. However, the idea doesn’t seem to hold significant appeal for current teens. When we asked teenagers about their future mobility patterns, teens primarily see themselves driving their own vehicle. More than three-quarters (77%) said driving is very or extremely important to them and 83% reported that having their own car is a huge deal or pretty important. Most told us they envision using modes of shared transportation, such as car sharing and public transit, less often in the future than they do now.

However, vehicle ownership is only part of the story. For a generation that has largely grown up in the back seats of family sport utility vehicles (SUVs), the vehicles teens aspire to own look quite different from those they are most familiar with today. EVForward’s Market Profile data show that SUVs currently account for 57% of new-car ownership among adults. Yet findings from the 2025 Teenagers DeepDive report suggest the next generation of car buyers will not necessarily continue their parents’ SUV-centric buying patterns.

When we asked teens what vehicle they imagine driving in the future, more than half (51%) said a sedan, while 31% would opt for an SUV and 14% a truck.

This pattern is reminiscent of the generational shift seen with minivans in the 1980s and 1990s. Minivans dominated family transportation in that era, but the generation that grew up riding in minivans largely rejected them as adults, gravitating instead toward SUVs. A similar transition may be underway. The challenge is that current product strategies may not be aligned with this direction. In recent years, many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), especially those in the US, have scaled back sedan offerings in favor of SUVs. Now, teens’ interest in the sedan segment indicates automakers may need to reassess future product plans.

Teens Are Open to Electrified Powertrains, Even as Gas Holds Its Lead

Much like current vehicle shoppers, teenagers show the strongest preference for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. That said, they are more open to alternative powertrains than older generations. While gas vehicles receive the highest overall consideration from teens, scoring a mean average of 73, battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrids and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) all score between 55 and 60, indicating that teens may cross-shop alternative powertrains in the future.

Nearly half of all teenagers (47%) indicated they believe that BEVs are the future and will eventually replace gas vehicles. A further 39% indicated that BEVs are an “interesting idea.” These attitudes reflect BEVs being the electrified powertrain teenagers have the most overall familiarity with, even ahead of hybrids.

Tech-Savvy Teens Still Value In-Person Vehicle Shopping

Teenagers have grown up with smartphones, gaming consoles and advanced technology like virtual reality headsets, so it’s no surprise they expect their future vehicles to deliver a high level of technological sophistication. Nearly two-thirds (65%) want the newest tech and features in a vehicle, and 57% feel having the newest technology is important. Teens mentioned cameras, autonomous driving features, high-quality sound systems, connectivity features such as CarPlay and Bluetooth, and AI-enabled capabilities. Teens also highlighted performance, comfort, style, quality, reliability, durability and safety as key considerations.

Notably, teenagers’ affinity for technology does not translate into a desire for a fully digital shopping experience. When asked how they imagined shopping for a vehicle in the future, 46% would shop in person, with 39% opting for a hybrid shopping approach, indicating that purchasing preferences may not differ dramatically from those of current consumers.

Early Signs of a More European-Style Vehicle Market in the US

As today’s teenagers age into vehicle owners, demand and buyer behavior are likely to shift. In several respects, our findings point to a future in which the US new-vehicle market more closely resembles Europe’s, with a greater emphasis on sedans and alternative powertrains. At present, many US automakers are not fully aligned with this combination of preferences. As the profile of the new-car buyer changes, the question becomes whether existing product strategies are positioned to keep pace.

The caveat, of course, is that this group of potential shoppers is still in its teenage years. Around two-thirds of those surveyed have a driver’s license or a learner’s permit, with many of those without a license or permit still too young to apply. The opinions of these future drivers will undoubtedly evolve over time, especially influenced by the types of vehicles they gain experience driving. Even so, our findings suggest that some automakers may be underprepared for what these future vehicle buyers will be looking for when they do enter the purchase cycle—a risk the automotive industry cannot afford to ignore.

Curious to know more about current teenagers’ expectations for their future vehicle as well as their awareness, attitudes and opinions of different powertrains and automotive brands? Reach out to us using the form below.

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About the EVForward^® 2025 Teenagers DeepDive

This EVForward DeepDive was conducted among a national sample of 1,054 respondents ages 14 to 19 from October 6 to October 23, 2025. Respondents ages 18 and 19 were recruited directly, while respondents ages 14 to 17 were recruited via their parents in accordance with ESOMAR age-restricted research guidelines and in consultation with the sample provider’s data privacy practices. Respondents were validated via a robust screener that included parental consent, repeat age verification, four data cleaning flags, and scrutinizing seven open-end responses. Respondents were weighted by age, gender and region and are representative of the US population. The sample for this research comes from an opt-in online panel. As such, any reported margins of error or significance tests are estimated and rely on the same statistical assumptions as data collected from a random probability sample. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.