Younger Drivers Most Likely To Self-Repair

A surprising new report has revealed that the latest generation of car owners are much more likely to perform their own minor car repairs, rather than take the vehicle to a mechanic.

The eBay survey found that more than one in four millennials are open to the idea of performing their own auto repairs rather than shelling out money to a professional garage. Only 18% of baby boomers, on the other hand, are prepared to get their hands dirty; these individuals are more likely to seek assistance from the workshop in their neighbourhood.

More than 23 percent of respondents between the ages of 17 and 24 indicated a willingness to perform even the most basic kinds of auto maintenance on their own, which runs counter to the conventional wisdom about this generation.

eBay revealed that the company would require a warehouse with a space equivalent to 11 Wembley Stadium roofs in order to store all of the auto components and accessories that would be for sale on its online marketplace in the year 2022.

The research showed that one in five commuters are open to the idea of replacing a broken mirror on their own, which has the potential to save them up to £54.85 in retest costs for a failed component. In the year 2022, eBay customers purchased enough wing mirrors to line nearly 18 swimming pools of the Olympic standard.

Not only were exterior items popular on the website, but so were car seats; in fact, enough car seats were purchased to almost completely outfit Manchester Arena, which is the largest indoor stadium in the United Kingdom and has a capacity of 21,000. Additionally, enough floor rugs were purchased to carpet the interior of London's Millennium Dome four times over.

Problems with the vehicle's battery are the primary reason that breakdown officers are dispatched in the United Kingdom. The previous year, eBay sold more than 201 kilowatt-hours worth of vehicle batteries, which is sufficient to power the Eiffel Tower for more than 20 years.

According to research conducted by eBay, windscreen wipers are one of the easiest things to repair. In fact, more than half of customers are willing to install them in their own homes. The online retailer's sales for 2022 demonstrated this, with the amount of wipers sold in the previous year being sufficient to reach from Oxford to Edinburgh, which is more than 485 kilometres if laid end to end.

“As the cost of living continues to rise, motorists are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their running costs across the board,” said Dr Tony Tong, Head of Automotive at eBay UK.

"This trend towards DIY repairs, spurred on by interest from younger generations, is something we expect to keep rising - converting more and more motorists into enthusiast home mechanics. Doing simple jobs yourself is an easy way to upskill and save, while eBay’s intuitive MyGarage function makes it really simple to find the right part for your car."