Tips: How Gen Z drivers can be smarter and safer on the road
Gen Zers are digital natives and generally early adopters of new technology. But the survey results suggest that Gen Z prioritizes financial stability while keeping an eye on auto innovations.
Gen Z may still be waiting for self-driving cars to receive clean safety reports, but they can embrace the advanced driver assistance systems in newer vehicles that monitor blind spots and brake automatically. Learning to use these features while understanding their limits could help prepare a generation of drivers for the eventual mass rollout of autonomous vehicles.
A study on Waymo’s autonomous vehicles shows they may be much cheaper to insure since tests resulted in a significant reduction in property damage and bodily injury claims compared to human-driven vehicles.[11] Still, it could be a while before individually owned self-driving cars demonstrate a lower risk level.
“If self-driving cars are shown to reduce risk and we’re able to work that into insurance models, it could possibly reduce insurance costs,” said Mallory Mooney, Insurify’s director of sales and service. “But, if what we’ve seen with vehicles like Tesla, where it’s not mitigating risk and the car’s technology is increasing the cost to repair it, then it could increase auto insurance costs.”
The basics matter, too. Choosing cars with good safety ratings, keeping vehicles in good shape, and practicing safe driving habits will save Gen Z hassle and money on costly repairs and high insurance premiums.
“Gen Z is still young, and young drivers are the highest-risk demographic and have higher car insurance premiums because of it,” said Daniel Lucas, carrier relations manager at Insurify. “An unattractive way to lower premiums is to purchase a low-risk car. Tying a high-risk driver to a high-risk car can get astronomical premiums. Some of the highest premiums I have seen have been for younger drivers in a Tesla. The way to counter that is to have younger drivers in very pedestrian vehicles.”
For Gen Zers who want to purchase an EV even without the tax credit, comparing car insurance quotes and looking into usage-based insurance can help lower costs.
“Some insurance companies are moving towards connectivity in smart cars and could be an option for younger, tech-savvy drivers to check out,” Lucas said. “Their smartphone connects to their vehicle and reports their good driving back to the insurance company.”
Since the survey suggests affordability is a leading value for Gen Z, buying a budget-friendly car and driving it carefully are two of the best ways Gen Z drivers can save money. Even though technological advancements have already brought some versions of self-driving cars to the streets, it may be a while before a driver can safely be asleep at the wheel.
Methodology
The proprietary data featured in this study comes from an online survey that Insurify commissioned. The survey respondents comprised 1,002 U.S. residents between 22 and 28 years old. Respondents answered up to 20 questions about their views on driver status, self-driving cars, texting while driving, EVs, and driving stressors, among other topics. The survey fieldwork took place from June 4 to June 5, 2025.
Insurify’s team of data scientists examined more than 97 million rates in its proprietary database, quoted via integrations with partnering insurance companies, to determine average car insurance rates for gas-powered cars and EVs and the most popular vehicle models for drivers between 22 and 28 years old. Rates reflect the average annual cost of a full-coverage car insurance policy (up to $50,000 bodily injury coverage per person and $100,000 per accident; a $50,000 property damage limit; and $1,000 deductible for both comprehensive and collision coverage) for a driver with a clean driving record and average or better credit. To determine how many drivers from each generation own an EV, data scientists reviewed all drivers in each age cohort without limiting for driver history or credit score.
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