Almost everyone has put off a car job at some point. A tyre change gets pushed to next month. A service waits until payday. A warning light becomes “I’ll check it later.”
In Australia, that habit is becoming more common as driving costs rise, and EV owners are not immune. Electric cars skip oil changes, but they still need tyres, brakes, suspension and regular checks.
A new Youi report said more Australians are delaying maintenance as driving costs bite harder.
The insurer’s 2026 Generational Car Care and Costs Report found that 47% of Australian drivers have delayed at least one non-cleaning maintenance task, up from 35% in its 2024 study.
The pressure is strongest among younger drivers. Youi said 79% of Gen Z drivers and 76% of Millennials have put off at least one maintenance or cleaning task. That compares with 62% of Gen X and 37% of Boomers.
It is not difficult to see why. More than half of Australians, at 56%, said they were spending more on car-related expenses such as fuel, insurance and repayments. Groceries remained the biggest household squeeze at 57%, but driving costs were close behind.
The most commonly delayed jobs were familiar ones: car cleaning, tyre replacement and oil changes. The safety concern sits mainly in the last two, since worn tyres, missed servicing and low oil can turn a cost-saving delay into a breakdown or crash risk.
Youi Head of Product – Vehicle and Lifestyle Marni Jackson said drivers were changing how they coped with higher costs.
“Car care is still essential for most Australians, but the way people are coping has changed – either by reducing car ownership or delaying maintenance,” she said.
The report also found regular servicing had slipped. The share of Australians servicing their car every six months or more fell from 46% in 2024 to 32% in 2026. Those servicing less than once a year more than doubled, from 7% to 16%.
CarExpert founder Paul Maric said the trend also exposed a misunderstanding about EV ownership.
“It’s also a common misconception that electric vehicles don’t need to be serviced at all. Regardless of how a vehicle is powered, things like brakes, tyres and suspension always need attention.”
EV owners get a break from oil changes and many engine-related service items. But the basics remain.
Tyres wear, brakes still need checks, suspension parts take a beating, and heavy battery packs do not make tyres last longer. Cheaper to maintain does not mean maintenance-free.
