Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Survey: Millennials Would Rather Give Up Social Media Than Lose Use of Vehicles

When faced with the prospect of losing access to a vehicle for an extended time, millennial drivers in particular say they would rather go without social media for a week (50%), according to a survey by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

by Staff
August 10, 2017
3 min to read


When faced with the prospect of losing access to a vehicle for an extended time, millennial drivers in particular say they would rather go without social media for a week (50%), lose an extra hour of sleep each day (41%), and skip one meal a day (39%), according to a survey by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

“Many drivers might not know it, but if they’re involved in one of the millions of auto accidents per year and their car needs to be repaired, the average repair time is two weeks,” said Mary Mahoney, vice president North American insurance replacement division for Enterprise. “What would you do without access to a vehicle for two weeks? And how would it make you feel? That’s a question we wanted to explore as a way to shed light on the importance of rental car reimbursement coverage – insurance coverage that pays for the cost of a rental when your car is in the shop. It turns out that drivers would go to great extremes to maintain access to a vehicle. But there’s a simple action they can take today to eliminate that risk. They can call their insurance agent to make sure they’re covered for rental car reimbursement.”

Only 32 percent indicated that they are “very confident” that they are aware of everything in their auto insurance policies, and fewer than four in 10 say they are familiar with the term “rental reimbursement coverage,” according to the survey. In addition, more than half of U.S. drivers (53%) say they do not read their entire policy before purchasing auto insurance.

Among millennials, one of the biggest barriers to obtaining rental car reimbursement coverage may be the fact that they view it as an “adulting” activity. And when it comes to adulting, nearly two out of three millennials say they procrastinate as often as possible. Additionally, a third (32%) of millennials say that adulting makes them feel exhausted, according to the survey.

Other findings from the Enterprise survey include:

    - More than half of millennials (52%) admit that if they lost access to their vehicle for an extended period of time, they’d be forced to beg their friends and family members for rides.

    - Nearly half (49%) of millennials say the ability to drive to work is the thing they value most about having access to a vehicle.

    - More than one-third (34%) of U.S. drivers say they drive an average of three to four places per day.

    - When asked how they would feel if they had to borrow a friend or family member’s car for an extended period of time, top responses among U.S. drivers were: “awkward” (51%) and “anxious” (35%).

    - Anxiety associated with borrowing a friend or family member’s car over an extended period of time also decreased with age: 45% of those ages 21-34 indicated they’d be anxious compared to 30% of those ages 45-54.

More Rental Operations

Photos of Martin Romjue and Denis Gjoni on opposite sides of large headline for the video.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 17, 2026

Stop Losing Money On Rental Tolls

Regardless of your rental fleet size and structure, fleet managers, executives, and owners can gain valuable insights into an often-overlooked area of fleet operations.

Read More →
Richard Lowden gesturing on stage in front of a red curtain at the Gaylord Texan Resort near Dallas.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 12, 2026

Rethink The Future To Avert A Race To The Bottom

Rental car operators heard a sobering industry message and a stern challenge at the close of the International Car Rental Show.

Read More →
John Possumato holding microphone while asking a question during a live conference session at the ICRS Show.

DriveItAway, Free2move Plan Shared Fleet Program for Independent Rental Fleet Operators

Vehicles would be placed with participating rental operations to support car renter demand and provide additional fleet capacity.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Close-up of a Jeep Wrangler front grille and headlight with text noting Stellantis’ recall of 1.3 million Jeep vehicles worldwide over a potential fire risk tied to power steering wiring.
Fleet Acquisitionby StaffJune 10, 2026

Stellantis Recalls 1.3 Million Jeep Vehicles Worldwide Over Fire Risk

Stellantis is recalling more than 1.3 million Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models worldwide over a fire risk linked to power steering pump wiring.

Read More →
Franchisee standing with yellow U-Save branded sign in front of the rental car outlet.

Green Motion And U-Save Open Rental Operations In Guatemala

The brands will open their first rental car outlets in the country at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City.

Read More →
An airplane parked at a gate next to large headline and bullet points about study highlights.

U.S. Business Travel Drives $623 Billion+ in Economic Impact as Spending Reaches $538 Billion

The data also underscores the industry’s strong multiplier effect across the U.S. economy, revealing that each dollar invested in business travel in 2024 generated $1.16 in GDP.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Green and black bar graphs show May 2025 v. 2026 fleet vehicle sales into commercial, rental, and government fleet sectors.
Fleet Acquisitionby Martin RomjueJune 3, 2026

Rental Fleet Sales Skating Just Above 2025 Levels

The U.S. economy's continued growth and positive business investment are creating a favorable environment for fleet vehicle demand.

Read More →
Interviewer Martin Romjue and guest Ryan Kerzner on both sides of a title page with large lettering.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 3, 2026

Grow Your Rental Business Beyond Cars

Rental fleet operations are facing numerous evolving challenges and opportunities from AI technology to rate and revenue management, to customer service and business growth.

Read More →
An AI-imaging tunnel instantly scans a car for damages at Wenn's location in Lithuania.
Rental OperationsJune 2, 2026

Using AI to Create Clarity, Not Conflict, in Rental Car Damage

Rental companies still need people, policy, judgment, and thoughtful implementation, with operators remaining in control of the customer experience.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Close up of a high-tech vehicle console with a remote key.
Rental OperationsJune 1, 2026

Get Ready To Roll: No Stopping Self-Driving Rental Cars

The autonomous mobility technology revolution will move at its own pace, but sooner rather than later.

Read More →
Ad Loading...