How US car owners handle maintenance: A look by brand and age

YouGov Profiles data highlights the varying degrees of hands-on vehicle maintenance among American car owners, with habits shifting significantly depending on both the make of the car and the owner’s age. This article breaks down which brands and demographics are most likely to take maintenance into their own hands — and which are more likely to leave it to the pros.

Car maintenance by brand

US car owners demonstrate diverse levels of involvement in maintenance tasks, and these levels are influenced heavily by the car brand they drive.

Oil changes are the most commonly performed task overall, especially among Chevrolet (30%), Ford (26%) and Toyota (21%) owners. Conversely, Volkswagen and BMW drivers are the least likely to handle their own oil changes (17% and 21%, respectively).

Interior cleaning and washing also sees substantial owner participation — with 36% of Ford and Chevrolet drivers doing it themselves, followed closely by Honda (34%) and Toyota (32%). BMW (27%) and Volkswagen (28%) drivers are less inclined to clean their own interiors.

External washing follows a similar pattern, led by Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota owners (35–36%), and lowest among BMW (23%) and Volkswagen (29%) drivers.

When it comes to more involved mechanical tasks, Chevrolet drivers again top the charts for engine maintenance (18%) and brake maintenance (18%). Volkswagen and BMW drivers rank lowest across these advanced activities, with just 4% of VW drivers and 7% of BMW drivers handling engine maintenance themselves.

On the flip side, BMW drivers are most likely to report updating EV software themselves (6%), more than any other group — though the overall share is small.

A significant portion of car owners opt out of DIY maintenance entirely. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) Volkswagen owners and 58% of BMW owners say they do not engage in any maintenance tasks themselves, compared to only 53% of Ford and 54% of Chevrolet drivers. This indicates potential white space for brands and after-market services to offer tailored maintenance plans that meet the preferences of less hands-on car owners.

Car maintenance by age group

When viewed by age, younger Americans appear more likely to get their hands dirty with basic car maintenance — but middle-aged drivers are the true leaders in the number of tasks performed.

Among all car owners, 59% say they don’t personally do any maintenance — a figure that rises to 65% among those aged 55 and older. Still, older drivers who do participate tend to engage across a broader range of tasks.

Drivers aged 35–54 are the most engaged across several types of maintenance. For instance:

• 36% say they handle interior cleaning, compared to 30% of those 55+ and 27% of 18–34s.
  
• 36% also report external washing, above the younger (30%) and older (30%) cohorts.
  
• They lead in engine maintenance (16%) and lighting tasks (24%).

Oil changes are a common task among all age groups, but again, 35–54-year-olds come out ahead (29%), followed by 18–34s (25%) and 55+ (19%).

Younger drivers (18–34) are most likely to take care of tire maintenance (17%) and software updates (2%) — but their participation rates fall behind in most mechanical categories.

Older drivers are less likely to report doing any DIY maintenance (65%), yet among those who do, they still perform key tasks like external and internal cleaning at relatively high rates (30% each).

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.

Image Credit: Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko