76% of Millennials endorse eco-friendly cars, says Nissan research

Millennials consider driving eco-friendly cars as the best choice to make their lives more environmentally friendly, according to a study by car-maker Nissan into attitudes consider driving eco-friendly car as the best choice to make their lives more environmentally friendly among those aged 18 to 34.

The majority of Millennials surveyed owned a car (77%). Although they might not be driving electric vehicles now, they are in the market for future driving technology. Three-quarters (76%) consider driving eco-friendly car as the best choice to make their lives more environmentally friendly and nearly two out of three likely to buy a hybrid car in the next 10 years, and over half saying they would buy an electric car in that time span.

The study found that as a generation, Millennials are willing to try new things, challenge processes and think differently about the future. The report showed that the environmental concerns of Millennials are not smaller scale issues like recycling (24%) or overflowing landfills (14%), but global issues such as climate change (53%) and air pollution (42%).

To help solve these issues, they are willing to make bold changes such as switching to an energy provider dedicated to eco-friendly solutions (62%), or supporting brands that are committed to being more environmentally friendly (53%). 

The research was revealed exclusively by Gareth Dunsmore, Nissan’s director of Electric Vehicles at FutureFest in London. He said: “We’ve always known that Millennials are the challenger generation but our European study has also revealed that they’re the future ‘change-makers’ – willing to make drastic lifestyle choices to make a meaningful difference to the world they live in. It gives me immeasurable hope to see that Millennials believe electric vehicles are part of the solution for a more sustainable future.”

Sarwant Singh, senior partner, Frost & Sullivan and a member of Nissan’s Intelligent Motoring Advisory Board, said: “The Millennial demographic surveyed here has the potential to be hugely influential in determining the future of transport and sustainability. We have consistently found in our own research that they are early adopters of new technology, much more environmentally friendly than previous generations and generally willing to make sacrifices and lifestyle changes in line with their personal values and beliefs.”

Nissan Europe commissioned a survey in 2016 looking into Millennial’s attitudes to the future of mobility and electric vehicles in the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. In total, 2,500 millennials aged 18 to 34 were polled across these five countries, with 500 respondents per market.

A Millennial is the name given to the generation born between 1982 and 2004. Often associated with technology and social media, Millennials are also known as Generation Y.

Nissan introduced the 100% electric, zero emission Nissan LEAF in 2010. There are now more than 230,000 Nissan LEAFs on the road worldwide, making it the world’s best-selling EV. The third generation model delivers 26% more range versus the previous model, and up to 250km of driving range on a single charge.

FutureFest, which took place in London on 17-18 September, is a weekend festival hosted by UK innovation foundation Nesta.