RACQ's Young Drivers Survey

1.0 Introduction

RACQ's annual RACQ Young Drivers Survey polls Queenslanders aged between 16 and 24 on a range of issues and concerns faced by young drivers on our state’s roads.

The survey’s data collection was conducted between 30 November and 12 December 2022.

1.1 Key points

72% of young drivers admit to speeding or driving tired (50.8% admitted to both), with more than 8% saying they do these often or very often.
76% of provisional licence holders perceive the P1 driving skills test as effective in ensuring they’re a safe driver, while only 57% of P2 licence holders perceive the P2 hazard test as similarly effective.
The proportion of P-plate drivers who have received an infringement notice has risen since 2020, with the most common reasons being speeding (61%) and parking (21%).
63% of those surveyed either currently own a car or have owned a car previously, this figure is statistically significantly lower than the 76% reported in 2021.
The average cost of a first car rose significantly to just over $9,000.
Approximately half of young drivers pay for car insurance and roadside assistance themselves, while over 20% report that their parents/guardians pay for these. Notably, 1 in 5 young drivers report not having any roadside assistance at all.
Nearly 48% of young drivers use a fuel comparison app (down from 50% in 2021), while 24% of young drivers don’t compare fuel prices at all before they buy.
All alternative (non-driving) transport methods saw an increase among young drivers this year.

1.2 Things to note:

Please quote RACQ if you use anything on this page. If any developed content is also published online, please include a link to this page.
Where “significant’ is used, we mean “statistically significant”.
^ Statistical significance at 95% confidence interval.
Numbers with no decimal point, have been rounded to the nearest whole number, where 0.5 is rounded up.
Numbers with one decimal point, have been rounded to the nearest one tenth of a whole number, where 0.05 is rounded up.

2.0 Research objectives

Learn more about young drivers’ behaviours at all stages of learning to drive.
Understand the challenges facing young Queenslanders when learning to drive and obtaining their licence.
Identify shortcomings and potential improvements within current licencing processes.
Gain an understanding of who is teaching young Queenslanders to drive, and the conditions under which they are learning to drive.
Learn more about the vehicles driven while learning and during provisional driving.

3.0 Driving behaviours

3.1 How many young drivers admit to dangerous driving behaviours at least occasionally?

The proportion of young drivers reporting using a mobile phone while stopped at lights, texting, checking social media while driving, and driving without a seatbelt significantly decreased in 2022.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 (P1 P2 & Open only n=370); 2021 (P1 P2 & Open only; N=305); 2020 (P1 P2 & Open only; N=599); 2019 (P 1 P2 & Open only; N =423). Questions: Q14.4 The following questions are about your driving behaviour. Please indicate how frequently you… Note: Results refer to proportion of P1, P2 and Open licence drivers who selected ‘Occasionally’, ‘Often’ or ‘Very Often’.

3.2 The most common distracted driving behaviours

In 2022 the two most common distracting behaviours reported are related to using a GPS (standalone or mobile phone).

Nearly 80% of young drivers report using a GPS while driving with nearly one third of young drivers reporting using a mobile phone as a GPS while driving ‘often’ or ‘very often’.

Over 70% of young drivers admit to speeding or driving tired (50.8% admitted to both), with more than 8% saying they do these often or very often.

How often have you...? (2022)

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 (P1 P2 & Open only n=370); Questions: Q14.4 The following questions are about your driving behaviour. Please indicate how frequently you… Q14.3: How often do you use a mobile phone (hands free) for podcasts, music, etc. while driving? Note: Results refer to proportion of P1, P2 and Open licence drivers.

3.3 Correlations between parent’s driving behaviours and young driver behaviours

Of the young drivers who reported seeing their parents driving tired, 61.6% admit to driving tired themselves.

56.4% of young drivers who’ve seen their parents speeding report also speeding themselves.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022;
Questions: Q14.4 The following questions are about your driving behaviour. Please indicate how frequently you… Q6.1 The following question is about your parents' driving behaviour. Have you seen your parents...
Note: 1. Proportion of young drivers who saw their parents doing a behaviour ‘occasionally’, ‘often’ or ‘always’ by whether they do the behaviour themselves ‘occasionally’, ‘often’ or ‘always’ (2022). 2. Proportion of young drivers who report doing a behaviour ‘occasionally’, ‘often’ or ‘always’ by whether they saw their parents doing the same behaviour ‘occasionally’, ‘often’ or ‘always’ (2022).
*CAUTION: Small Base Size <30

3.4 Young drivers’ perceptions of driving ability

Learners’ perceptions of their driving ability shifted significantly into being better (53%); those perceiving their ability as worse decreased significantly from 37% in 2021 to nearly 13% in 2022, returning to levels more consistent with 2020 and 2019 (18% and 6% respectively).

How does your driving compare to your peers?

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 n=113; P2 n=108; O n=149); Questions: Q14.1: Please rate your driving ability. My driving is...
Note: Net Worse = A little worse + Much worse; Net Better = Better + Much better.

3.5 Are 17-25 year-olds responsible for the most road crashes?

Among all young drivers, the majority (72.1%) believe that 17–25-year-olds are responsible for most crashes on the road.

Data from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads shows that drivers aged 16-24 comprised 33.0% of all road accidents resulting in hospitalisation in Queensland (2021) but comprise only 14% of the Queensland adult population (ABS, 2021).

Amongst those who hold...

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 n=113; P2 n=108; O n=149); Queensland DTMR Road Crash Weekly Report (Report No:1 2 94); Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2021.
Questions: Q14.1: Please rate your driving ability. My driving is... Q14.2: Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement… 17-25 year olds are responsible for most crashes on the road.

3.6 Is the current age to hold a licence appropriate?

Across the licence types, an average of 13% favoured lowering the current age restrictions (up from 12% in 2021), while an average of 19% favoured increasing the age threshold (down from 24% in 2021).

The average proportion of respondents who believe the current ages are appropriate rose slightly to 68%, compared to 65% in 2021 and 70% in 2020.

Age at which people believe should hold...

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 n=113; P2 n=108; O n=149).; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=405; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n=756.
Questions: Q5.2 We'd like to know your op in ion about the age at which people can hold a Provisional 1 licence. Q5.3 We'd like to know your opinion about the age at which people can hold a Provisional 2 licence. Q5.4 We'd like to know your opinion about the age at which people can hold an Open licence.

3.7 Who pays licence fees?

Half of young drivers indicated parents/guardians paid their licence fees in 2022, which is significantly higher than in 2021 (36%). Nearly 48% reported paying the fees themselves, which is significantly lower than 2021 (61%) and likely a function of the greater proportion of learner drivers in the 2022 sample.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 n=113; P2 n=108; O n=149).; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=405; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n=756.
Questions: Q5.6: Who paid your driver licence fees?

3.8 How many km/h over the speed limit is considered safe?

Overall the most kilometres over the speed limit young drivers perceive as safe is 4km/h with some differences across license types.

Consistent with previous years, learner drivers tend to give more cautious estimates, while open licence holders have more moderate estimates as to how many km/h over the speed limit is perceived to be ‘safe’ to drive.

Notably, P2 estimates have crept up over the past two years, having significantly increased to 4.8km/h in 2022.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 n=113; P2 n=108; O n=149).; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=405; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n=756.
Questions: Q14.5: How many kilometres over the speed limit do you think is still safe to drive?

3.9 Proportion of drivers who replied ‘zero’ km/h over the speed limit is safe

The overall proportion of young drivers replying ‘zero’ km/h over the limit as being safe increased slightly from 26% in 2021 to 30% in 2022.

56% of young drivers perceive 1–5km/h over the limit as still being safe, while 13% consider over 10km/h to still be safe.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 n=113; P2 n=108; O n=149).; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=405; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n=756.
Questions: Q14.5: How many kilometres over the speed limit do you think is still safe to drive?

4.0 Compare learner, provisional and open license drivers

4.1 Manual transmission car usage

39% (up 4% on the previous year) of Open and Provisional licence holders said they have a vehicle with manual transmission, and 28% of learners (up 8% on the previous year) drive a manual vehicle.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 (Learner n=207, P1 n=113, P2 n=108, Open n=149); Young Drivers Survey 2021 (Learner n=100, P1 n=52, P2 n=103, Open n=150); Young Drivers Survey 2020 (Learner n=157, P1 n=216, P2 n=195, Open n=188); Young Drivers Survey 2019 (Learner n=73, P1 n=105, P2 n=151, Open n=167); Young Drivers Survey 2018 (Learner n=278, P1 n=366, P2 n=417, Open n=246) ; Young Drivers Survey 2017 (Learner n=144, P1 n=130, P2 n=124, Open n=118). Questions: Q7.2 As a Learner driver, what type of car do you mostly drive? Q7.3 Was that car a manual or automatic?

4.2 Engine type of the car learner drivers learn in, and open & P licence holders own

Despite learner drivers exhibiting a greater variety of engine types for learning in, petrol/diesel engines continue to dominate.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 (Learner n=207, P1&P2 n=221, Open n=149,) Young Drivers Survey 2021 (Learner n=100, P1&P2=155, Open=150); Young Drivers Survey 2020 (Learner n=157, P1&P2=411, Open=188). Questions: Q7.3.1: And was that c ar...? Q10.4.1: And was/is that car...? Q11.4: Is this vehicle manual or automatic ? Q 11.4.1: And is this car...? “Learning to drive” refers to the type of vehicle mainly driven while learning (Learner drivers “Owned vehicle” refers to the type of vehicle owned (Vehicle owners P1/P2 & Open Licence)

4.3 What manoeuvre or skill did you find the most difficult to learn?

Parallel reverse parking continues to be the hardest driving skill to learn for young drivers, with 1 in 2 provisional licence holders and almost 1 in 3 learners struggling to do this manoeuvre.

Learner drivers were more likely than P1/P2 drivers to have difficulty with right angle reverse parking or merging in traffic.

P1/P2 drivers were significantly more likely than learner drivers to state that all the skills were easy.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 & P2 n=221).; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=405 (L=100; P1 & P2 n=255) Questions: Q8.2 What manoeuvre or skill did you find most difficult to learn?

4.4 To hold a P1 licence, the minimum experience hours should be…

While learners believe the minimum 100 hours logbook requirement to be appropriate, more experienced drivers continue to believe this requirement should be raised.

Indeed, open licence holders expect significantly more hours (110.7) than learner drivers do (100.4).

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (L n=207; P1 & P2 n=221, O n=149); Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=405 (L=100; P1 & P2 n=255, O n=150); Young Drivers Survey 2020 n=756. (L=157 P1 & P2 n=411, O n=188); Q5.5: We'd also like to know your opinion of the minimum 100 hours logbook requirement. How many hours experience do you believe should be the minim um to hold a Provisional 1 licence?

5.0 Learner Drivers

5.1 Who makes the better driver supervisor: Mum, dad, or driving instructor?

Driving instructors are perceived as the better supervisors by over 2 in 5 learner drivers.

While the mothers/guardians are the main supervisors for over half of learners, fathers/guardians are seen as a slightly better supervisors despite being the main supervisors for significantly fewer respondents.

40% of learner drivers said that they had not yet received lessons from a driving instructor, this is down from 47% in 2021.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Learner n=207; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Learner n=100; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Learner n=157. Questions: Q7.7 Who was your main supervisor while learning to drive? Q7.8 Who do you think makes a better supervisor? Q7.12 Have you ever had driving lessons from a driving instructor? Note: 1. Newly asked in 2022 for Q7.7.

5.2 What type of car do you mostly learn in?

Most learner drivers continue to learn in either a small or medium car, but there are notable increases in young drivers learning in medium SUVs and large cars in 2022.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Learner n=207; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Learner n=100; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Learner n=157.
Questions: Q7.2 As a Learner driver, what type of car do you mostly drive?

5.3 Who owns the car you mostly learn in?

Most learner drivers learn in their parent’s car, this has increased significantly since 2021.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Learner n=207; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Learner n=100; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Learner n=157.
Questions: Q7.4 Who owned the car that you spent most of your learner hours driving?

5.4 How many hours have learners spent driving in wet and night conditions?

The proportion of learner drivers indicating they had no experience driving in the wet conditions (18%) or at night (14%) has decreased significantly in 2022.

The proportion of drivers reporting between 1 and 20 hours of experience driving in wet conditions rose significantly in 2022.

Similarly, the proportion of drivers reporting between 1 and 20 hours of experience driving at night rose significantly in 2022.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Learner n=207; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Learner n=100; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Learner n=157.
Questions: Q7.10 Number of hours driving at night? Q7.11 Number of hours driving in the wet?

5.5 The road rule that tricks most learner drivers

51% of learner drivers passed their learner licence test in the first attempt, while 25% passed after two attempts and 25% needed three or more attempts.

Roundabout rules remain the most difficult road rules to learn.

The proportion having trouble with giving way/stopping rules and police hand signals grew considerably in 2022, though these increases are not statistically significant^.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Learner n=207; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Learner n=100; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Learner n=157.
Questions: Q7.6 What road rule did you find most difficult to learn or remember?
Note: *This response option was rephrased in 2021. ¹CAUTION: Small Base Size <30.

6.0 Provisional licence holders

6.1 Passing rates for P1 and P2 driving tests

Almost 3 in 4 (74%) of young drivers who currently hold their provisional license, passed their P1 (driving skills) test on the first attempt in 2022, an increase from 72% in 2021.

Almost 20% had two attempts and 6% needed three or more tries to gain their P1 licence.

Almost 82% of P2 drivers passed their P2 hazard perception test on the first attempt in 2022, increasing year on year from 70% in 2021 and 60% in 2020. 14% passed on their second attempt and just under 5% needed three or more tries.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 P1 n=113, P2 n=108; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=155; Young Drivers Survey 2020 P1/P2 n=395; Young Drivers Survey 2019 P1/P2 n=256;
Questions: Q8.6 How many attempts did it take to pass your practical driving test to get your P1 licence?

6.2 Are the P1 and P2 tests effective in making sure you are a safe driver?

76% of respondents with a provisional (P1/P2) license perceive the P1 driving skills test as effective in ensuring they are a safe driver, with slightly more P2 licence holders agreeing than P1.

Only 57% of P2 drivers perceive the P2 hazard test as effective in ensuring they are a safer driver.

Is the practical driving (P1) test effective in making sure you are a safe driver?

Is the hazard perception (P2) test effective in making sure you are a safe driver?

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 P1/P2 n=221; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=155; Young Drivers Survey 2020 P1/P2 n=395; Young Drivers Survey 2019 P1/P2 n=256;
Questions: Q8.7 Do you believe that the practical driving (P1) test is effective in making sure you are a safe driver? Q8.9 Do you believe that the hazard perception (P2) test is effective in making sure you are a safe driver?

6.3 What type of car do you mostly drive on your provisional licence?

The most popular car types for P1/P2 drivers continue to be small or medium cars (59%), however the proportion of small car drivers fell significantly this year.

Conversely, the proportions driving medium cars, large cars, utes, and large SUVs all rose in 2022.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 P1/P2 n=221; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=155; Young Drivers Survey 2020 P1/P2 n=395; Young Drivers Survey 2019 P1/P2 n=256;
Questions: Q8.3 Whilst on your Provisional licence, what type of vehicle do/did you drive mostly?

6.4 Who owned the car that you drive/drove most often on your provisional licence?

The proportion of provisional licence drivers primarily driving their parent's car rose significantly in 2022 to almost 50%, following a drop in 2021.

Meanwhile, less than half of all P1/P2 drivers reported driving a car they own themselves.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 P1/P2 n=221; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=155; Young Drivers Survey 2020 P1/P2 n=395; Young Drivers Survey 2019 P1/P2 n=256;
Questions: Q8.5 Who owned the car that you drive/ drove most often on your provisional licence?

6.5 Crashes and infringement notices

1% of provisional drivers reported having been involved in more than one crash compared with 3% in 2021, while 5% have received more than one infringement notice, which is consistent with 2021.

Almost 70% of provisional drivers who have crashed a car or received an infringement notice were alone at the time, while 1 in 5 report having a friend present in the car with them.

Have you crashed or received an infringement notice while driving on your Ps?

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 P1/P2 n=221 (Crashed n=34; Infringement notice n=43); Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=155; Young Drivers Survey 2020 P1/P2 n=395; Young Drivers Survey 2019 P1/P2 n=256;
Questions: Q8.11 Whilst on your Provisional licence, were you involved in any motor vehicle crashes when you were driving? Q8.13 Whilst on your Provisional licence, have you received any infringement notices (tickets) when you were driving ? Note: Chart indicates % that indicated they have received an infringement notice or crashed at least once.
CAUTION: Small base size <50

The most common reasons for infringement notices for provisional drivers were for speeding (60.5%) and parking (20.9%).

Of those who received an infringement notice, the proportion saying their infringement notice was for speeding dropped significantly to 60.5% in 2022, while those citing parking violations rose.

Infringement notice related to…*

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 P1/P2 n=221 (Crashed n=34; Infringement notice n=43); Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=155; Young Drivers Survey 2020 P1/P2 n=395; Young Drivers Survey 2019 P1/P2 n=256;
Questions: Q8.15 Please tell us what offence(s) the infringement notice(s) related to.
*CAUTION: Small base size <50

7.0 Open licence

7.1 Young open licence drivers views on the graduated licencing system

9 in 10 young open licence drivers believe they are safer now than when they completed their learner or P1 licence periods, which is consistent with previous years.

Approximately half of open licence drivers believe the P2 phase did not make them a safer driver. The majority don’t believe that the current system takes too long to gain an open licence, or that they would have more practical experience if they did not have to complete 100 hours as a learner.

Young open license drivers who agreed with...

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Open n=149; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Open n=150; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Open n=182; Young Drive r s Survey 2019 Open n=167.
Questions: Q9.1 We'd like your opinions of the Queensland graduated licencing system. Please use the scale provided to indicate how much you disagree or agree with each of the following statements.
Note: Chart refers to the proportion of Open licence drivers who agreed with each statement.

7.2 What is your opinion regarding the difficulty of QLD’s graduated licencing system?

Consistent with previous years, the majority of young open licence holders perceive the graduated licence system’s difficulty to be “right as it is”, followed by 31% perceiving it as too easy, and only 5% seeing it as too difficult (down from 8% in 2021).

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Open n=149; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Open n=150; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Open n=182; Young Drive r s Survey 2019 Open n=167.
Questions: Q9.4 What is your opinion regarding the difficulty of Queensland's graduated licensing system?

7.3 What would young open licence drivers like to see changed about the graduated licencing system?

The proportion of young open license holders selecting increased instructor hours rose significantly to 36% in 2022, compared to 24% in 2021.

Overall, 80% would like to see at least one aspect of the graduated licencing system made more difficult (e.g. mandatory defense driving courses etc.), while 70% would like to see barriers to the licencing system reduced (e.g. reduced costs etc.).

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Open n=149 (*Those who selected more than 1 change n=115); Young Drivers Survey 2021 Open n=150.
Questions: Q9.2 Below are some options for possible changes to the graduated licencing system. Please select which of these changes you believe should be made.

8.0 Cars, fuel and alternative transport

8.1 What type of car was your first car?

63% of those surveyed either currently own a car or have owned a car previously, down significantly from 76% in 2021.

38% of first cars were manual transmission in 2022. This figure is consistent with last year though notably still down from the 46% reported in 2020.

Among those who have since purchased another car, only 33% report having a manual transmission.

69% of those who own a car are still using their first car as their primary vehicle, which, though significantly higher than the 47% reported in 2021, has returned to 2020 levels (66%).

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle owners n=365; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle owners n=307; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Vehicle owners n=528.
Questions: Q4.2 Do you currently own a registered motor vehicle? Q10.2 Which of these would best describe the type of vehicle you first owned? Q10.4 Was/is this vehicle a manual or automatic? Q10.10 Is this vehicle still your main motor vehicle?

8.2 What brand was your first car?

The top five most popular first car brands of the young drivers surveyed in 2022 (Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Ford and Holden) make up 55% of all first cars. This figure, which is significantly down from 64% in 2021, can be explained primarily by the significant drop in those driving Holdens.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle owners n=365; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle owners n=307; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Vehicle owners n=528; ABS Motor Vehicle Census 2021
Questions: Q10.1 Please tell us the make or brand of the first vehicle you owned.

8.3 Average cost of first car when purchased

Amongst young drivers with cars, the average cost of first car was $9,079 in 2022, which is significantly higher than $7,129 in 2021.

In 2022, 60% of first cars were purchased by the young driver themselves (down from 66% in 2021), as opposed to being given to them. 85% of these first cars were not purchased using finance (up from 77% in 2021).

The average age at which young drivers purchase their first registered vehicle is 17.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle owners n=365; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle owners n=307; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Vehicle owners n=528.
Questions: Q10.9 How much did your first registered vehicle cost?

8.4 Average age of first car when purchased

The average age of ‘first cars’ at the time of purchase was 13.7 years old, which while higher than 2021, suggests a return towards the 2018 average.

The average age of registered vehicles in Queensland was 10.1 years in 2021 and 9.5 years in 2016.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle owners n=365; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle owners n=307; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Vehicle owners n=528; ABS Motor Vehicle Census 2021.
Questions: Q10.3 In what year was your first vehicle manufactured? Q10.5 Did you purchase this vehicle yourself? Q10.6 Did you use finance to purchase the vehicle?

8.5 Who pays for car insurance/roadside assistance?

In 2022, 60% of first cars were purchased by the young driver themselves (down from 66% in 2021), as opposed to being given to them. 85% of these first cars were not purchased using finance (up from 77% in 2021).

Approximately half of young drivers who own vehicles pay for car insurance and roadside themselves, while over 20% report their parents/guardians paying for these.

Notably, 1 in 5 young drivers report not having roadside assistance at all.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle owners n=365; Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle owners n=307; Young Drivers Survey 2020 Vehicle owners n=528.
Questions: Q11.7: Who currently pays for your car insurance? Q11.8: If you have Roadside Assistance for your car, who currently pays for it?

8.6 Young driver opinions on vehicle ownership*

The sense that owning a vehicle offers flexibility has increased significantly among young drivers in 2022.

Compared to 2021, somewhat more drivers perceive that the type of vehicle owned says something about the owner, while significantly fewer (8% from 17%) feel that vehicle ownership means nothing at all.

Notably, in 2022 fewer young drivers would prefer to use public transport than own a car, following a significant uptick in 2021.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=311; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n=756.
Questions: Q12.1 You will find a series of statements below that represent what some people believe owning a car means to them. Please use the scale provided to indicate how much you'd disagree or agree with each statement.
Note: *% of respondents who responded slightly to strongly

8.7 Have you personalised your car?

56% of young car owners surveyed have purchased accessories for their vehicle (up from 51% in 2021). Almost 1 in 5 young drivers have personalised plates (down from 25% in 2021, but consistent with 18% in 2020).

The majority of personalised plates (76%) are a variant of the driver’s name or initials (down slightly from 80% in 2021), followed by descriptions of the car (10%), a general saying/word (9%), and descriptions of the driver (5%).

41% of young car owners in 2022 have named their car (significantly down from 51% in 2021).

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577; Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=311; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n=756.
Questions: Q12.2 Please indicate if you have done any of the following to personalise your car. Q12.3 What name(s) have you given to your car(s)? Q12.4 Which of the following best describes the type of personalised plate(s) you have?

8.8 Which fuel price comparison app do you use?

Nearly 48% of young drivers with vehicles use a fuel comparison app (down from 50% in 2021), while a quarter do not compare fuel prices before they buy at all.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle Owners n=365 (Fuel Comparison App Users n=174); Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle Owners n= 311.
Questions: Q12.4 Do you usually compare prices before you buy fuel? Q12.5 Which price comparison apps do you regularly use?

8.9 When do you refuel?

The top 3 prompts for young vehicle owners to refuel are when the car is at ¼ full, when the fuel light comes on and when fuel prices are cheap.

Most young drivers with vehicles (72%) completely fill their tank when they refuel (up from 68% in 2021), while 21% generally refuel a set dollar amount (e.g. $20) (down slightly from 25% in 2021).

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle Owners n=365 (Fuel Comparison App Users n=174); Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle Owners n= 311.
Questions: Q12.2 What prompts you to buy fuel?
Note: ¹Answer option new in 2022.

8.10 What fuel type do you regularly use?

Close to half of young vehicle owners typically use regular unleaded petrol.

Premium unleaded petrol use has fallen slightly, whereas E10 unleaded petrol use has gone up, likely due to increased fuel prices overall this year.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 Vehicle Owners n=365 (Fuel Comparison App Users n=174); Young Drivers Survey 2021 Vehicle Owners n= 311.
Questions: Q12.1 What type of fuel do you use most frequently?

8.11 What other transport methods do you use?

All alternative (non-driving) transport methods saw an increase in use among young drivers in 2022. Riding bicycles saw a significant increase.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (*e scooter/e bicycle users n=55); Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=311; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n =756.
Questions: Q13.6 What other (non-driving) transport methods do you use?
Note: ¹Rideshare option introduced in 2021; ²Walking option removed in 2022, potentially accounting for a proportional increase in ‘Other’.

8.12 How often do you use an e-bike or e-scooter?

Of those who do use e-scooters and/or e-bikes, 1 in 5 use them at least once per week.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (*e scooter/e bicycle users n=55); Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=311; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n =756.
Questions: Q13.7 How often do you use either of these? (e bike or e scooter)

8.13 Have you used an e-bike/e-scooter instead of a car?

Of those who use e-scooters and/or e-bikes, the overwhelming majority used them to replace a car.

Source: Young Drivers Survey 2022 n=577 (*e scooter/e bicycle users n=55); Young Drivers Survey 2021 n=311; Young Drivers Survey 2020 n =756.
Questions: Q13.8 Have you used an e bicycle/e scooter instead of using a car?

9.0 Appendix

9.1 Research approach

The Young Drivers Survey (2022) was conducted online and completed by Queenslanders aged between 16 and 24. The survey adheres to all The Research Society guidelines (formerly known as the Australian Market and Social Research Society [AMSRS]).

The survey was approximately 10–15 minutes in total duration.

The survey data collection was conducted between 30 November and 12 December 2022.

Total sample of 577 respondents completed the survey.

The sample was collected using a voluntary convenience sample, promoted through a variety of RACQ’s social media channels and newsletters: Facebook, Instagram, Club News, and the Free2Go Newsletter. 52 additional responses were recruited using a survey panel provider (PureProfile) to bolster the sample of open licence holders.

For those recruited via social media, a competition draw for one of two $250 EFTPOS gift cards was used as incentive to complete the survey.

The Young Drivers Survey sample sizes for each year were:

2019 N=496
2020 N=756
2021 N=405
2022 N=577