Average Licensing Age in USA (2026 Report): Why Teens Are Waiting Longer to Get Licensed

Average Licensing Age in the United States

Teen licensing in America has undergone a dramatic shift. In 2026, young people are getting their driver’s licenses later than at any point in modern history. National data from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that:

• The share of 16 year olds with a license has dropped from nearly 50% in 1983 to about 25% in 2022.
• Even among 18-year-olds, licensing has fallen from 80% to 60% over the same period.
• Since 2000, licensing among 16-year-olds alone has declined by almost 27%.

Gen Z is Getting Their Driver’s License Later than Any Other Generation

For past generations, turning 16 symbolized freedom. 

If you were of the Baby Boomers (1946–1964), Generation X (1965–1980), or Millennials (1981–1996), your 16th birthday more than likely involved you pulling out of your parent’s driveway in a car for the very first time! To you, a driver’s license meant independence, mobility, and the unofficial start of adulthood. 

But in 2026, the landscape looks entirely different. America is experiencing a dramatic shift in the average age for getting a driver’s license.

Today, the typical young driver gets licensed closer to age 18, nearly two years later than young people in the 1980s and 1990s. This delay isn’t a minor fluctuation, it’s one of the most significant behavioral changes among U.S. teens in the last 40 years!

So, what changed?  And what does this study mean for the future of driving?

Let’s dive in!

Why Teens Are Delaying Licensing: The 2026 Factors

Gen Z isn’t simply less interested in driving, they’re growing up in an environment very different from past generations. A combination of social, economic, and technological factors is pushing licensing later.

1. Driving Anxiety and Fear of Doing Something Wrong

Gen Z is more likely to report experiencing anxiety and depression compared to older generations. Some studies show this likelihood is over 80% higher, and this anxiety can spill over into learning how to drive.

2. Less Motivation to Drive Due to Social Media 

Gen Z spends a significant amount of time online, with estimates ranging from over six to eight hours per day on average, with a large portion of that time dedicated to social media and content consumption. Even school, hybrid events, and clubs are being held via Zoom over the internet, creating a culture where there is less motivation to get a driver’s license.

3. Rise of Ride-Share and Delivery Culture

With apps to order food to your door, or a ride from point A to point B, it can seem pointless to go through the process of learning to drive due to the new rise in convenience technology.

4. Inability to Access Driving Education

At Coastline Academy, we offer online Driving Education - but some teens and parents aren’t familiar with this new modern option. If a family is relying on an in-person driving school model, it can be difficult for them to access classes or manage rides to and from the school.

Making Driving Approachable for the Modern Teen 

We’ve been posting beginner driving education videos using our Driving Instructors here at Coastline Academy over the last year, and we have a large group of teen viewers who are utilizing this content to warm up to the idea of driving.

These instructors are familiar with the unique challenges that this new generation of drivers face, and are creating content such as driving anxiety, distracted driving, and dashcam 101.

The Future of Driving, and What We Need to Know

The data is unmistakable, America’s teens are getting licensed later, reshaping what independence and transportation look like for a new generation. Regardless of whether the average licensing age continues to rise, the need for safe, confident drivers has never changed.

Sources:

1. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Prevalence and Timing of Driver Licensing Among Young Adults in the United States (2019 Report).” 2019. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, https://aaafoundation.org/prevalence-and-timing-of-driver-licensing-among-young-adults-united-states-2019/.
2. Are Generation Z Less Car-centric Than Millennials? 5 Oct. 2023. arXiv, https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.04906.
3. Bankrate. “Delaying Driver’s Licenses: Why Fewer Teens Are Getting Licensed.” 2024. Bankrate, https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/delaying-licensing-for-teens/.
4. LiveWell.org. “Gen Z Is Less Likely to Have a Driver License.” LiveWell.org, https://livewell.org/gen-z-is-less-likely-to-have-a-driver-license/.
5. National Institutes of Health (NIH) / PMC. “Delayed Driver Licensure and Teen Driver Behavior.” Public Health Reports, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8409171/.
6. U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. “Highway Statistics Series.” Federal Highway Administration, https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm.
7. USA Today. “Gen Z Is Less Likely to Get Driver's Licenses — Here's Why Teens Are Waiting Longer.” 17 May 2024, https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/05/17/gen-z-less-likely-get-drivers-license/73678202007/.