It’s no secret that millennials and their preceding generations gen x and baby boomers are divided by more than just their generational age gap. But are those generational differences also reflected in the cars they drive? According to our auto insurance data, gen x and baby boomers drive larger and more expensive cars than millennials in Washington State.
We looked at the top 5 cars that millennials drive compared to what gen x and baby boomers drive in Washington State. This is what we found:
Popular cars driven by millennials
| Rank (millennial) | Make | Model | MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda | ACCORD | $23,720 |
| 2 | Honda | CIVIC | $21,650 |
| 3 | Toyota | CAMRY | $24,095 |
| 4 | Toyota | COROLLA | $19,600 |
| 5 | Toyota | PRIUS | $24,200 |
Popular cars driven by gen x
| Rank (gen x) | Make | Model | MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda | ACCORD | $23,720 |
| 2 | Toyota | CAMRY | $24,095 |
| 3 | Ford | EXPLORER | $36,674 |
| 4 | Toyota | COROLLA | $19,600 |
| 5 | Honda | CIVIC | $21,650 |
Popular cars driven by baby boomers
| Rank (baby boomer) | Make | Model | MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota | CAMRY | $24,095 |
| 2 | Honda | ACCORD | $23,720 |
| 3 | Ford | F-150 | $28,495 |
| 4 | Toyota | COROLLA | $19,600 |
| 5 | Ford | EXPLORER | $36,674 |
Millennials drive cheaper cars compared to gen x and baby boomers
We found that, on average, the top 5 cars millennials in Washington drives are cheaper than the top 5 cars gen x and baby boomers drive. Millennials drive cars with an average MSRP of $22,653, while gen x averages $25,148 and baby boomers drive cars with a $26,517 average MSRP. Millennials are spending nearly $2,400 and $3,800 less than their generational counterparts.
Millennials may be the largest age group in the U.S. workforce, but they still pay less for their cars. Maybe that’s because they make 20% less than their parents did at their age. Or because the cost of living in Washington State is becoming increasingly expensive, especially in the Seattle area where there’s a high concentration of millennials.
Gen X and baby boomers drive bigger cars compared to millennials
There are three car models that show up on each generational list, which all generations like to drive. Other than those three vehicles, the types of cars each generation prefers to drive begins to contrast in size
Our data shows that millennials are more inclined to drive small to mid-size vehicles, lower in MSRP. Baby boomers, on the other hand, have more variety in their most popular cars. There are two large car models and the Ford F-150 and Ford Explorer. Millennials have no SUV or trucks in their top five.
Maybe that’s because millennials are drawn to urban areas across the U.S., Seattle included. Small and mid-size cars are more desirable in the city, whereas baby boomers tend to retreat to the suburbs or rural areas where driving a truck or large car is practical. Millennials are also known for being proponents of public transit and alternative modes of transportation. Using rideshare services like Uber, or car sharing services like Reach Now, are often preferred alternatives than purchasing more expensive cars.
According to Kelley Blue Book’s list of the best-selling cars of 2019, neither baby boomers nor millenials in Wash. follow the car trends of the rest of the country. None of the top five best-selling cars from KBB showed up in our data.
Methodology
QuoteWizard looked at auto insurance quote data from users of our website. We took data from the most recent year, 2018, and filtered for drivers in the millenial age range of 23 to 37 to find the most common vehicles driven by millennials. We also looked at drivers in the gen x age range of 38 to 54 and baby boomer age range of 55 to 75 to find the most common cars driven by older generations.
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