Gearing up for a future with increased customer demands and expectations

Last Updated: April 2026.

Two generations will shape the future of automotive finance. Generation Z is entering the market as a powerful new consumer group, while millennials are moving into their peak earning and decision-making years. Together, they are becoming the dominant force in mobility, financing, and leasing demand. 

By 2030, millennials and Gen Z are expected to make up nearly three-quarters of the global workforce (Deloitte). As true digital natives, they bring fundamentally different expectations—seamless online journeys, instant access to information, transparency, and flexible services that adapt to their lives. 

For OEM captives and leasing companies, this shift is not just demographic. It signals a structural change in how customers expect to research, finance, and manage their vehicles—placing digital experience and convenience at the center of the automotive finance lifecycle. But digital experience alone is not enough. Transparency, speed, and trust depend on consistent calculation and quote consistency, so that the terms customers see online, through a dealer, or later in their contract, remain aligned and explainable. 

Yet rising spending power alone does not define these generations. Gen Z and millennials are fundamentally redefining expectations around convenience, control, personalization, and continuous digital access—raising the bar across the entire automotive finance lifecycle, from first interaction to in-life contract management. 

A fragmented buying journey challenges traditional operating models

Vehicle buyers no longer follow a linear path. Research shows that the average buyer uses at least four different car search sites before making a purchase decision (Motor Trader). Digital research, dealer interactions, peer recommendations, and brand platforms are all part of the journey—often happening in parallel. 

This mirrors broader consumer behavior. Research from Epsilon Pulse shows that consumers now shop almost equally online and in-store, with smartphones firmly established as the primary digital device for researching and purchasing products. As car finance grows in importance—and as full-service leasing and subscription models gain traction—digital channels must go beyond vehicle display to embed integrated finance directly into the journey. Increasingly, customers evaluate options based on the total monthly driving cost rather than the upfront purchase price.  

For OEM captives, tighter alignment between the brand, dealer network, and embedded finance experience becomes critical. For leasing companies, it reinforces the need to support multiple entry points—direct, broker-led, dealer-driven, or digital—without duplicating systems or processes, while presenting consistent, transparent monthly cost propositions across every channel. That consistency is what turns convenience into confidence: customers are more likely to trust a quote when the underlying calculation is consistent, reproducible, and carried through into the contract lifecycle. 

Deloitte’s Global Automotive Consumer Study confirms that younger buyers expect digital tools to support every stage of their journey, from research to contract management. Digital convenience is no longer a differentiator; it is an expectation. 

Declining loyalty reshapes the value of the contract

While Gen Z and millennials are entering their peak earning years, they are less loyal to brands than previous generations. Deloitte highlights that flexibility, pricing transparency, and ease of interaction increasingly outweigh traditional brand affinity. 

For automotive finance providers, this has different implications: 

• OEM captives must work harder to retain customers beyond the first vehicle cycle 
• Leasing companies face greater competitive pressure on experience, not just price 

Yet lower loyalty also creates opportunity. Customers who value flexibility tend to change vehicles more frequently, explore alternative ownership models, and expect contracts to adapt to their lives. Personal leasing, subscriptions, and usage-adjusted pricing models, while still financing the full asset value,  are therefore becoming strategic growth drivers rather than niche offerings. 

Epsilon’s data shows that loyalty today is shaped primarily by experience quality, personalization, and perceived value, rather than brand heritage alone. That places increasing importance on what happens after contract signature. 

In-life contract management becomes a competitive advantage

The financing or leasing contract is no longer the end of the journey—it marks the beginning of a long-term relationship. 

Across markets, customers now expect: 

• Digital self-service access to contracts and personal data 
• Transparent pricing and real-time contract visibility 
• Flexible options to adjust mileage, services, or duration 
• Fast, reliable digital support with minimal friction 

 Meeting these expectations requires more than digital access points. It requires a controlled calculation foundation that keeps pricing, quotes, and contract changes aligned throughout the customer journey. Without that consistency, speed can create confusion rather than trust. 

Beyond traditional self-service, agentic AI systems are set to take digital touchpoints to a new level. Rather than simply responding to customer requests, intelligent systems can proactively guide users, anticipate contract adjustments, surface relevant options, and autonomously resolve routine queries—shifting service from reactive to predictive. 

For OEM captives, this is a lever to strengthen brand loyalty and lifetime value.
For leasing companies, it enables scalable, personalized engagement while maintaining service quality, especially for private individuals and SMEs, without adding operational complexity. 

What this means for OEM captives and leasing companies 

The rest of the decade will be defined by how well auto-finance providers translate rising expectations into operational reality. 

Success will depend on: 

• Connecting pre-contract, contract, and in-life journeys into one coherent experience 
• Supporting flexible financing and leasing models without adding operational complexity 
• Transitioning from siloed systems to integrated platforms that unify dealer, partner, and customer interactions 
• Leveraging automation, digital self-service, and emerging agentic AI capabilities to turn digital interactions into intelligent, adaptive solutions, going beyond pre-programmed workflows to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. 

Key takeaways for auto-finance leaders 

• Gen Z’s economic influence is accelerating, reaching a projected $74 trillion globally by 2040 (Bank of America) 
• Customer journeys are fragmented, spanning multiple digital and physical touchpoints (Motor Trader, Deloitte) 
• OEM captives must extend brand loyalty beyond the first vehicle, while leasing companies must compete on experience at scale 
• In-life contract management is now a strategic differentiator, not an operational afterthought 
• Integrated, digital-first platforms are essential to meet rising expectations efficiently.

Further reading 

Turning rising customer expectations into consistent experiences requires more than isolated digital touchpoints. It calls for a connected approach that supports the full retail journey—across channels, stakeholders, and the entire contract lifecycle. 
Explore how to design a seamless retail and omnichannel customer journey, from first interaction through in-life contract management.