Skip to main content

Millennials are incredibly generous gift givers, says eBay Motors study

ebay motors iphone app car sales
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Gift-giving season is fast approaching, and while you may be deciding between a gift card and a spatula for some of your friends and family members, it looks like Americans as a whole tend to be a bit more, well, extravagant in their presents. According to a new study from eBay Motors, nearly a third of American adults have either gifted a vehicle to themselves or to someone else. As per the Holiday Automotive Gifting Survey, cars are a rather popular gift for a celebration, recognition of a major life milestone, or just the holidays as a whole. And it would appear that eBay Motors is a major marketplace for those looking to make a purchase on someone else’s behalf.

“At eBay, consumer choice and selection are among our top priorities,” said Jay Hanson, eBay’s vice president of North America, merchandising of hard goods. “Having insight into consumers’ preferences and shopping behaviors, including what type of vehicle they’d like to gift themselves or someone else during the holidays, is important for us to leverage as we continue to evolve the online automotive retail experience.”

Recommended Videos

As the generation that is arguably the most comfortable with online shopping, eBay’s study found that millennials are actually the most generous when it comes to vehicle gifting. But don’t worry — we don’t have a ton of teenagers buying cars for one another. Rather, eBay noted, 75 percent of millennial car-gifters are in their late 20’s or early 30’s. And the most generous of all? That would appear to be doting wives, a quarter of whom have gifted cars to their husbands either for the holidays or in celebration of a milestone.

What kind of cars are we gifting? According to eBay, Ford is the most considered brand among millennials (particularly the Mustang, which is the most wanted “dream car” across generations), whereas Nissan is the most considered brand among Gen-Xers, and Toyota is the most considered brand among Baby Boomers.

So start making your wish lists, friends. And dream big. You never know what generous soul may be looking on eBay Motors on your behalf.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Volvo’s much-anticipated EX30 EV to reach U.S. before year end
Front three quarter view of the 2025 Volvo EX30.

Volvo is switching gears again, this time to accelerate deliveries of its much-anticipated EX30 subcompact electric SUV so that it reaches the U.S. before the end of 2024.

The Swedish automaker last summer had postponed the U.S. launch of the EX30 to 2025, citing “changes in the global automotive landscape." The move followed the Biden administration’s 100% import tariff on electric vehicles made in China.

Read more
Rivian R2 EV’s new LG battery boosts storage capacity sixfold
Rivian R2

The Rivian R2, the EV maker’s much-anticipated affordable electric SUV, will be powered by U.S.-made batteries promising to store six times as much energy as those currently used.

South Korea’s LG Energy Solutions announced it will be supplying LG’s 4695 cylindrical batteries to Rivian as part of a five-year agreement.

Read more
Scout Terra vs. Tesla Cybertruck: retro and futuristic, head to head
Scout Motors Terra driving front

Scout Motors is back. The classic brand has been reinvigorated under Volkswagen Group, and not only that, but it has already announced two new vehicles that it plans to launch in the next few years. Of the two, the Scout Terra is the electric truck, and it's built to offer a modern design with an excellent range and fast performance.

But how does the Scout Terra compare with another popular electric truck, the Tesla Cybertruck? While the Scout Terra is set to be much cheaper than the Cybertruck is now, it's entirely possible that by the time the Terra is released, it could have a higher price tag than expected, while Tesla lowers the price tag of the Cybertruck. Is one of these trucks objectively better? We put the two head-to-head to find out.
Design
The Scout Terra and the Tesla Cybertruck arguably couldn't be further apart in terms of design. Of course, variation is a good thing, at least as long as both options are solid under the hood too.

Read more