Back in the 1980s and 1990s, it was pretty easy to pick out the vehicles that older drivers gravitated toward. If you were alive at that time, your grandparents probably had a beefy American sedan like a Ford LTD, Chevy Caprice or Lincoln Town Car. It’s not so easy to pick out the cars liked by older drivers today, and a recent study from Insurify shows that some models are popular across all age groups.
The Ford F-Series pickup is the most popular vehicle among Baby Boomers.
The 10 most popular models among Baby Boomers:
- Ford F-Series
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Corolla
- Honda Accord
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Nissan Altima
- Ford Escape
- Nissan Rogue
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Honda CR-V
Gen X-ers also ranked the F-Series as the most popular, and several models landed on the list for every generation. They include the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and Toyota Corolla. Chevrolet had cars in the top three for every generation and was the highest rated among Millennials and Gen X.
The 10 most popular cars among Gen X drivers:
- Ford F-150
- Toyota Camry
- Honda Accord
- Nissan Altima
- Chevy Silverado
- toyota Corolla
- Honda Civic
- Hyundai Elantra
- Chevy Equinox
- Chevy Malibu
Despite today’s Boomers having different tastes than our grandparents did, Insurify noted that they still appreciate larger vehicles more than younger generations. Trucks and SUVs constituted half of the group’s top 10 models, Millennials only ranked two trucks on their list, and Gen Z had none.
Insurify attributed that trend to younger generations’ worries about the environment and fuel economy. Mark Beneke, owner of Westland Auto Sales in Fresno, Calif., said, “The younger generations are a lot more concerned about fuel economy. Baby boomers focus on reliability and comfort most. Fuel economy is nowhere near the top of their requirements.”
The data back that up. A 2023 Pew Research poll found that 85 percent of Americans between 18 and 29 years old believe climate change will force them to make sacrifices in the future, while only 61 percent of people 65 and older felt the same.