Auto Knowledge Report: Less Than Half of Drivers Can Change a Tire

It's no secret that cars are an essential part of daily life for most Americans. Given their importance, it's also crucial for automobile owners to know how to care for them properly.

Understanding what different warning lights mean, knowing how to conduct basic or routine maintenance yourself, and ensuring you have the right insurance coverage for your car can help extend the life of an expensive and essential investment. But is this the reality for most drivers?

To better understand how much people across the country know about cars, the FinanceBuzz team surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults on their basic automotive knowledge and skills. We found how many drivers can do things like perform an oil change or change a tire, how many know what common dashboard warnings mean, and more.

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Key findings

Most drivers aren't confident doing DIY car maintenance

Most people are confident in their ability to perform the most basic car maintenance tasks, with 80% saying they can refill air in tires themselves and 78% confidently saying they know how to replace wiper fluid.
When it comes to larger tasks, just 48% of drivers say they can change a tire without assistance, and only around one-third (36%) say they can perform an oil change on their own.

Drivers aren't sure about dashboard warning symbols

While the majority of drivers recognized the check engine (77%) and oil pressure (76%) warnings, only 13% correctly identified the brake warning symbol.

Auto plans: Coverage limits are more confusing than premiums

Roughly 70% feel highly confident they know what their monthly auto premium costs are, but just 52% say the same about their coverage limits.

Tackling common auto maintenance tasks

Cars require maintenance and upkeep, including swapping out old parts and regularly refreshing things like engine oil and filters. While this kind of routine maintenance can be performed at an auto shop or car dealership, savvy drivers can save themselves some money (and maybe even some time) by learning to do the basics themselves.

A chart showing how many drivers can and cannot do car maintenance themselves.

Oil changes (recommended every 5,000 miles, or 6 months) are among the most common car maintenance tasks, but also one of the parts of car maintenance that people put off most often. Drivers who know how to perform an oil change themselves can save the $75-$100 per change, yet only 36% of drivers said they could perform an oil change.

Nearly three-quarters of drivers, 73%, said that they would need someone else to change their spark plugs for them, the only auto task with a lower DIY confidence level than an oil change.

Less than half (48%) of drivers said they can change a car tire themselves, one of the most useful skills for anyone on the road. That means that the majority of drivers wouldn't be able to put on a spare tire on their own in the case of a roadside emergency.

Auto maintenance tasks by generation

Age can impact how much someone knows about cars and how to maintain them, with older generations naturally having more experience with cars and driving, as well as more time to learn how they work. That doesn't necessarily mean that older drivers have taken advantage of that time, however.

Four colorful charts showing how many Americans can perform an oil change, broken down into age groups.

Zooming in on oil changes, millennials are the generation that expressed the highest confidence in their abilities to DIY it, with 23% saying they can definitely perform an oil change themselves without any help, and an additional 20% saying they would only need to look up a few details first.

While millennials may have boomers beat on that score, there are other areas of automotive knowledge where the roles are reversed.

One notable example is how many drivers in different generations know how to drive a car with a stick-shift or manual transmission. While 62% of all drivers claim they know how to drive stick, that number increases to 69% among boomers, but tumbles to just over half of millennials (51%).

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Car alerts and warning symbols explained

Auto manufacturers have built safety warning lights into the dashboard of their vehicles, allowing the automobile to alert drivers when something is wrong. However, seeing a warning light and knowing what it means are two different things. To test their knowledge, we asked drivers to explain common dashboard signals.

Four blue boxes, showcase four different dashboard warning lights and the percentage of Americans who guessed the correct answer.

Interestingly, the numbers weren't as high as we expected. Just 3 in 4 drivers knew the check engine and check oil pressure symbols, and even fewer knew the difference between the tire pressure indicator and the brake indicator.

Many policyholders don't fully understand their coverage

While taking care of your car and performing regular upkeep are great ways to extend the life of a vehicle and make sure it is running smoothly, accidents and crashes can still happen to even the most well-maintained vehicles. In those cases, having auto insurance and knowing what that insurance covers is crucial.

Four charts showing American's auto policy knowledge.

When it comes to just about all aspects of insurance coverage, most drivers claim to know their stuff. Nearly 70% of drivers say they are very (27%) or completely (42%) confident that they know how much their monthly auto insurance premiums cost, while a similar proportion express high levels of confidence that they know how to file a claim should the need arise.

The one area of insurance coverage where drivers are even a bit uncertain is their coverage limits. 52% of respondents said they are very or completely confident that they know what their limits are, but that leaves 48% who are only moderately confident or less, including nearly a quarter that said they are only a little confident (15%) or have no confidence at all (7%) in their knowledge of their insurance coverage limits.

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Drive smart, spend smarter

Whether you know your insurance plan inside out or haven't glanced through the specifics, here are some important things to remember.

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Methodology

FinanceBuzz surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18 or older using a survey platform in May 2025. Results were stratified across age and gender to create a nationally-representative sample.

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