Over the past couple of years, numerous studies have suggested Millennials don’t like cars and that they basically hate driving. But, while it is true that Millennials have been buying fewer cars than older generations, there are some valid arguments that they haven’t given up on cars altogether. The latest indication that Millennials do have a love affair with cars, just like other generations have, is a new study that firmly suggests that Generation Y – as Millennials are also known – do like to drive, after all.
J.D. Power, a company that provides marketing information services, has released the study 2015 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, an annual study that examines customer satisfaction in the rental car industry. In addition to taking a look at how satisfied consumers are with rental car companies, the study also breaks down customer satisfaction among different age groups.
Record-Breaking Satisfaction Level
According to the study, customer satisfaction at the moment is at an all-time high. With an overall score of 798 points on a 1,000-points scale, researchers say that rental car experience has reached its highest level since 2006, when the current methodology for measuring customer satisfaction was introduced.
The study measured customer satisfaction with rental cars at airport locations, by gauging consumer opinion on six aspects of the rental car experience: cost & fees; pick-up process; return process; rental car; shuttle bus/van; and reservation process.
Enterprise Ranks Highest
Of all companies included in the study, Enterprise was rated the best. They received a total of 831 points, earning the top spot for the second year in a row. Enterprise is followed by National with 818 points, Alamo (807), representing the only three companies with a score that is above the national average. Avis, with 795 points, and Hertz (794), round out the top five.
As far as Millennials are concerned, researchers found that this generation played a key role in the record-breaking index score that rental car satisfaction has reached this year. According to researchers, Generation Y is the most satisfied generation, giving the highest scores to rental car companies.
“Conventional wisdom says that Millennials are perpetually dissatisfied, but that clearly is not the case,” said Rick Garlick, J.D. Power’s global travel and hospitality practice lead. “Younger consumers are often more difficult to please, but as they get older – whether it’s because of maturity, experience, more income or all three – their satisfaction across many studies improves. We definitely see differences in the satisfaction of Gen Y consumers now that many are in their mid- to late 20s and 30s, compared with when they were in their late teens and early 20s.”
What’s more, the study found that Millennials are the second largest group of renters, accounting for 34% of all customers. These findings are a strong indication that even though Millennials are not that keen on owning cars like other generations, they don’t hate driving at all.