The research also found that male provisional licence holders are more likely than their female counterparts to want to adopt zero emission motoring when starting their vehicle ownership journey (30% versus 23% respectively).
With electric cars sparking the most interest amongst the next generation of full driving licence holders, the study showed that just a fifth (21%) of those polled would want to get behind the wheel of a petrol-only variant once they had lost their L-plates.
Just 6% of study participants said that they would opt for a diesel-engined vehicle once they passed.
The remaining 30% of those quizzed stated that they didn’t know what kind of car their preference would be once they gained independence on the road.
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The Motor Ombudsman asked learner drivers two other questions about the future of motoring in Britain.
As part of the survey, when asked if they were aware that a car should be serviced at least once a year, 75% of respondents said that they were familiar with this important part of routine vehicle maintenance.
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The results also showed that more females (79%) than males (71%), were the most up to speed with this form of best practice to keep a car in a roadworthy condition.
Regarding needing an MOT once a vehicle reaches three years of age, 77% of survey participants stated that they were aware of this.
Awareness of having to hold a valid certificate for a used car from its third birthday onwards was revealed as being fairly balanced between male and females (75% and 80% respectively). In contrast, awareness was lowest within the 18 to 24 age group at only 73%.
Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director of the Motor Ombudsman, said: “With the nation’s appetite for zero emission motoring growing, and the green agenda becoming ever more prominent in the buying habits of consumers, it is interesting to see that a large proportion of existing and prospective learner drivers are set to follow suit when they get the keys to their own car.”
| When you pass your driving test, which of the following would be your preferred choice for your first car? | |
|---|---|
| Electric | 26.46% |
| Petrol | 21.25% |
| Hybrid | 16.09% |
| Diesel | 6.20% |
| Don't know | 30.0% |
| Are you aware that car owners should service a car at least once a year in line with the vehicle manufacturer's recommended schedule? | |
|---|---|
| Yes | 74.98% |
| No | 17.91% |
| Don't know | 7.11% |
| Ar you aware that car owners need to take a car to the garage for its annual MOT once it reaches three years of age? | |
|---|---|
| Yes | 77.39% |
| No | 16.62% |
| Don't know | 5.98% |
Are you a learner driver? What kind of first car do you want? Let us know in the comments below.
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