Loss of automobile status and increasing age at which young people become independent. Two contrasting factors, but which have as a common consequence the collapse of 43% of cars registered to under 25s, going from over one million in 2011 to 590 thousand units in 2021 with a number of the population of the age group that has remained stable. These are the data that emerge from the research of the postal segugio.it. But it shouldn’t surprise us; in fact, last year Aci had already found that one in eight under 25 owned a car.
The automobile has lost its cultural status
One of the reasons for the decline is that driving a car is no longer a symbol of emancipation as it was for previous generations, also testified by the fact that young people get their driving licenses later and later. In fact, in August 2022, among the under 25s only 53% obtained a driving license at the age of 18, while among the over 50s it was 80% who did so just of age.
On the one hand, the loss of status of the car is linked to the growing environmental sensitivity and the relative limitations to the circulation of old and polluting vehicles, which in the past were often the first cars owned by young people. On the other hand, opportunities for alternative mobility have multiplied in large urban centers, such as for example sharing vehicles (bicycles, scooters to name a few).
Economic independence increasingly belated
Another reason lies in economic emancipation, which young people achieve more and more in time. The data show that from 1981 to 2021 the number of employees under 25 fell by 68%, from over 3 million to 1 million, while the number of total employees in the same period grew by 11%. Added to this is a decrease in average incomes received by young people around 30% between 1975 and 2019, according to estimates made by the INPS. It is therefore not surprising that Italy is one of the countries in Europe with the highest percentage of young people under 30 who still live with their parents, 85.4%, against 67.1% of the European average (Eurostat).
It is therefore clear why young people find it difficult to bear the costs of running a car, among which RC Auto has an important weight, which is starting to rise again and which is on average more expensive for the segment of age of under 25. According to data from the Segugio.it Observatory for August 2022, under 25s pay on average a TPL premium of 759 euros, more than double the national average of 369 euros.