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29 July 2026

What do AA Members think about digital driver licences?

Insights from AA Members on the introduction of a digital driver licence

In 2025, the New Zealand Government announced plans to introduce a digital driver licence. This would give people the option of storing and accessing their driver licence on a smartphone via a secure government app. People would still be able to use their physical licence.

To understand what people think about digital licences, the AA Member Voices panel was surveyed about their awareness of the Government's plans, whether they would be interested in using a digital licence, and their views on the potential benefits and challenges of the change.

The AA Digital Licence Survey was completed by 2,231 members of the AA's Member Voices panel, out of 3,797 invited - a response rate of 59%. The maximum margin of error at the 95% confidence level is approximately ±2.1%.

Infographic: What AA Members think of digital driver licences

Key findings

AA Members’ views on introducing a digital driver licence

Most AA Members want digital licences offered alongside physical licences

  • Most AA Members support having the choice of both a digital and physical licence. Around 6 out of 10 Members (62%) would prefer to have both, while 3 out of 10 (29%) would prefer a physical licence only and fewer than 1 in 10 (7%) would prefer a digital licence only.
  • Support for digital licences is mixed overall. Around 4 out of 10 Members (39%) support introducing digital licences, while 3 out of 10 (32%) oppose them and 29% neither support nor oppose the proposal.

Members see practical benefits, but many remain unconvinced about security

  • Around half of Members agreed that digital licences could reduce the risk of losing or damaging a licence (52%) and make licensing tasks easier, such as updating or renewing a licence (46%).
  • Just over half of Members (53%) said they would feel confident using a digital licence, although confidence was considerably lower among older Members, lower-income households, and those without a smartphone.
  • However, only around 2 out of 10 Members (23%) believed a digital licence would be more secure than a physical licence or reduce fraud, highlighting ongoing scepticism about the security benefits of digital licences.

Privacy, security and reliability are major concerns

  • Privacy and security concerns were widespread. Nearly 9 out of 10 Members (86%) were concerned about hacking or unauthorised access to their data, while around 8 out of 10 were concerned about location tracking (76%) and privacy risks associated with linking licences to other government services (76%).
  • Trust in government security remains relatively low. Only 32% of Members trust the New Zealand Government to keep digital driver licence information secure, while 41% do not. No demographic group recorded majority trust.
  • Practical concerns are also widespread. More than 8 out of 10 Members (83%) are concerned about being unable to access their licence if their phone is lost, stolen, or out of battery, and around 8 out of 10 are concerned about technical failures (79%) or being unable to produce their licence when required (79%).

Smartphone ownership has a strong influence on attitudes towards digital licences

  • Almost all AA Members (94%) have their own smartphone, but the remaining 6% are much less supportive of digital licences. Around 7 out of 10 Members without a smartphone (69%) oppose introducing digital licences.
  • Nearly 8 out of 10 Members without a smartphone (79%) would prefer to keep a physical licence only, compared with 25% of smartphone owners
  • Members without a smartphone were also less confident using a digital licence, less likely to trust the Government to keep their information secure, and more likely to express concerns about privacy and security risks. 

Do AA Members know a digital driver licence is being introduced?

Just over half of AA Members were already aware the digital driver licence is coming, but a substantial minority were not.

We wanted to know if AA Members had heard that digital driver licences are going to be introduced in New Zealand.

  • Just over half of Members (54%) were aware the digital driver licence is coming, while 41% were not and 5% were unsure.
  • Awareness declined steadily with age, from around 7 out of 10 (68%) Members aged 18–34 being aware of the proposal, compared with around 4 out of 10 (41%) Members aged 75 and over.
  • Awareness was somewhat higher among Members who support a digital licence overall (62%) than among those who oppose it (50%).

Would AA Members use a digital driver licence?

Most AA Members want the option of both a digital and a physical licence, rather than replacing the physical licence entirely.

We wanted to know what format of licence AA Members would prefer to use. We found that:

  • 6 out of 10 Members (62%) would prefer to have both a digital and a physical licence. Around a third (29%) would prefer to keep a physical licence only, and under 1 in 10 (7%) would prefer a digital licence only.
  • Among AA Members who support digital licences, 8 out of 10 (81%) would prefer to have both a digital and physical licence. In contrast, just 3 out of 10 (27%) Members who oppose digital licences would use both types of licences. 71% of Members who oppose digital licences would only want a physical licence.
  • Older Members were more likely to prefer a physical licence only, with around 4 out of 10 (35%) Members aged 75 and over choosing this option, compared with around 2 out of 10 (23%) Members aged 18–34.
  • Members living in rural areas were also more likely to prefer a physical licence only, at around 4 out of 10 (37%), compared with 3 out of 10 (25%) Members living in central city areas.
  •  79% of AA Members who do not own a smartphone would want a physical licence only, compared to 25% of those with a smartphone. 

What are AA Members views of the benefits and potential risks of digital licences?

Just over half of AA Members said they would feel confident using a digital driver licence, although confidence levels varied considerably by age and income.

Concern levels are high across the board, with security and reliability the biggest worries, far outweighing agreement with any of the benefit statements above.

Nearly all the concern statements were shared by a clear majority of Members, with security-related risks generating the strongest concern.

We asked AA Members how concerned or unconcerned they were about a series of possible downsides of a digital driver licence.

  • Just over 5 out of 10 Members (53%) agreed they would feel confident using a digital driver licence. 25% said they would not feel confident, and 22% were neutral.
  • Around 6 out of 10 Members (62%)  aged under 45 agreed they would feel confident using a digital driver licence. However, this dropped to 4 out of 10 (40%) among Members aged 75 and over.
  • Household income was also linked to confidence, with those on lower incomes not being as confident than higher income households. For example, 37% of those on household incomes of $50,000 or less said they would not feel confident using a digital licence, compared to just 14% of those with household incomes of $150,000 or more. 
  • Those who don’t own a smartphone were the least likely to say they would feel confident using a digital licence, with 63% saying they would not feel confident using a digital licence, compared to just 23% of smartphone owners. 

Overall, AA Members were most likely to see benefits in the practical aspects of digital licences.

AA Members were most positive about the practical advantages of digital licences, particularly reducing the risk of losing a licence and making licensing processes easier. However, AA Members were much more sceptical about digital licences being more secure than carrying a physical licence. 

  • Over half of AA Members (52%) agreed a digital licence would reduce the risk of losing or damaging their licence. A further 24% neither agreed nor disagreed, while 24% disagreed.
  • Just under 5 out of 10 (46%) agreed a digital licence would be easier to update or renew than a physical licence (19% disagreed, and 34% were neutral).
  • 4 out of 10 (43%) agreed a digital licence would make it easier to prove their identity when needed (28% disagreed, and 30% were neutral).
  • 4 out of 10 (43%) agreed a digital licence would be more convenient than carrying a physical licence (32% disagreed and 26% were neutral).
  • Younger Members were generally more likely to see benefits in digital licences than older Members. Around 7 out of 10 (65%) of AA Members aged 18–34 agreed a digital licence would be more convenient than carrying a physical licence, compared to just 23% of Members aged 75 and over.
  • AA Members were much more sceptical that digital licences would provide more security than physical licences:
  • 2 out of 10 AA Members agreed that a digital licence would be more secure than a physical licence, with 42% of AA Members disagreeing, and 35% being neutral.
  • Similarly, just 2 out of 10 Members (23%) agreed a digital licence would reduce instances of fraud compared with a physical licence. 40% disagreed and 37% were neutral.

Concern levels are high across the board, with security and reliability the biggest worries, far outweighing agreement with any of the benefit statements above.

Nearly all the concern statements were shared by a clear majority of Members, with security-related risks generating the strongest concern.

We asked AA Members how concerned or unconcerned they were about a series of possible downsides of a digital driver licence.

  • Nearly 9 out of 10 Members (86%) were concerned about security risks such as hacking or unauthorised access to their data, while 9% were neutral and 5% were unconcerned.
  • Around 8 out of 10 Members were concerned about a digital licence app collecting their location data (76%), while 15% were neutral and 10% were unconcerned.
  • A similar proportion (76%) were concerned about privacy risks if digital licences were linked with other government services, while 14% were neutral and 10% were unconcerned.
  • Around 7 out of 10 Members (74%) were concerned about personal information being used for government purposes unrelated to driver licensing, while 15% were neutral and 11% were unconcerned.
  •  Concern was generally higher among lower-income households. Members with household incomes of $50,000 or less were more likely to express concern about privacy risks and government use of personal information than those in higher-income households.

While concern levels varied between groups, concern about security risks was high across all demographics, with a clear majority of Members in every age and income group expressing concern about hacking or unauthorised access to their data.

AA Members are not confident the Government will keep their digital driver licence information secure.

We wanted to know how confident AA Members were that their information would be kept secure.

No demographic group had a majority trust in the Government’s ability to keep digital driver licence information secure, although trust was higher among Members who already support digital licences and among higher-income Members.

  • Trust was strongly linked to overall support for digital licences. Among Members who support digital licences, 6 out of 10 (60%) trusted the Government to keep their digital driver licence secure, compared with just 1 out of 10 (6%) Members who oppose digital licences.
  • Trust also varied by household income. Members in households earning $150,001 or more were the most likely to trust the Government to keep their digital licence secure, at just under 5 out of 10 (45%). This compared with around 2 out of 10 (24%) Members in households earning $50,000 or less.
  • Trust was lower among Members living in rural areas. Around 2 out of 10 (22%) rural Members trusted the Government to keep digital licence information secure, compared with around 4 out of 10 Members living in central city areas (39%) or suburban areas (36%).
  • Age differences were less clear-cut than income or location. Trust was highest among Members aged 35–44 and 45–54, at around 4 out of 10 (41% for both groups), and lower among Members aged 55–64 (26%) and 65–74 (27%).

AA Members were concerned about whether they would be able to access and use a digital licence when they needed it.

We asked AA Members how concerned they were about a range of practical issues that could affect the use of digital driver licences.

  • More than 8 out of 10 Members (83%) were concerned about being unable to access their licence if their phone was lost, stolen, or the battery ran out. Only 7% were unconcerned.
  • Around 8 out of 10 (79%) were concerned about technical failures or outages that could prevent a digital licence from working. 8% were not concerned.
  • A similar proportion (79%) were concerned about being penalised or fined if they could not produce their digital licence because their phone was unavailable. 9% were unconcerned.
  • Around 7 out of 10 (74%) were concerned that a digital driver licence may not be accepted overseas. 8% were unconcerned.

Concerns about the practicality of using a digital licence were widespread across most groups of Members, suggesting they reflect practical issues that many people would want reassurance on before digital licences are introduced.

Opinions are fairly evenly split on whether it's fair for physical licences to cost more, if they're more expensive to produce and send.

4 out of 10 Members (43%) agreed it is fair for physical licences to cost more than digital licences if they cost more to produce and send, while a similar proportion (41%) disagreed. 16% were neutral.

  • Views were strongly linked to overall support for digital licences. Around 7 out of 10 Members who support digital licences (65%) agreed it is fair for physical licences to cost more, compared with 2 out of 10 Members who oppose digital licences (23%).
  • Members without a smartphone were much less supportive of charging more for physical licences. Around 6 out of 10 (60%) disagreed that physical licences should cost more if they cost more to produce and send, compared with 4 out of 10 smartphone owners (39%).
  • Higher-income households were more likely to agree that it is fair to charge more for physical licences Just over 5 out of 10 Members in households earning more than $150,000 (52%) agreed, compared with around 3 out of 10 Members in households earning $50,000 or less (34%).
  • Younger and middle-aged Members were generally more supportive of different pricing than older Members. Agreement peaked among Members aged 45–54 (52%), closely followed by those aged 18–34 (51%) and 35–44 (47%), compared with 33% of Members aged 75 and over.

How does smartphone ownership influence Members' views?

The vast majority of AA Members own a smartphone, but the small group who don't hold notably different views on digital licences.

Almost all AA Members (94%) have their own smartphone, while 1 in 20 (6%) do not.

  • Smartphone ownership declined with age, with just 1% of those aged 18–34 not having a smartphone, compared to 14% of those aged 75 and over. Smartphone ownership was also slightly lower among Members living in rural areas (around 10% don’t own a smartphone), compared to those living in central city areas, where 3% don’t have a smartphone.
  • Members without a smartphone were substantially less supportive of digital licences. Around 7 out of 10 (69%) opposed their introduction, compared with 3 out of 10 (29%) smartphone owners.
  • Unsurprisingly, AA Members who do not own a smartphone were unlikely to consider using a digital licence: only 1% would prefer a digital licence (vs 8% of smartphone owners), and 79% would prefer to keep a physical licence only (vs 25% of smartphone owners).
  • Non-smartphone owners were also far less likely to feel confident using a digital licence (10% agree, vs 56% of smartphone owners) or to trust the Government to keep it secure (12% agree, vs 34% of smartphone owners). They were also more likely to be concerned about security risks (91% vs 86%).

Do AA Members support a digital driver licence being introduced?

AA Members are fairly evenly split, with slightly more supporting than opposing the change, and around 3 in 10 sitting on the fence.

4 out of 10 Members (39%) support the introduction of a digital driver licence, while 3 out of 10 (32%) oppose it and 3 out of 10 (29%) are neutral.

  • 4 out of 10 Members (39%) support the introduction of a digital driver licence, including 10% who strongly support it.
  • 3 out of 10 (32%) oppose the introduction, including 15% who strongly oppose it.
  • Support was somewhat higher among men (42%) than women (36%).
  • Support rises with income, from 24% among Members earning $50,000 or less to 55% among those earning $150,001 or more.
  • Support falls with age, from 48% among those aged 18–34 to 28% among those aged 75+. The age pattern differed by gender. Among the youngest Members (18–34), women were more supportive (51%) than men (44%). Among Members aged 35–54, this reversed -men were the most supportive subgroup anywhere in the survey, at 53% in both the 35–44 and 45–54 brackets, compared with 48% and 44% among women of the same ages.
  • Support is highest among Members in central city areas (44%) and lowest among those in rural areas (28%).

About the AA Digital Driver Licence Survey 2025

The results in this report are based on responses from 2,231 AA Members who participate in the AA Member Voices Panel. A total of 3,797 Members were invited to take part, resulting in a 59% response rate. The maximum margin of error at the 95% confidence level is approximately ±2.1%.

The survey explored AA Members' views on the proposed introduction of digital driver licences, including awareness of the proposal, preferences for digital and physical licences, perceived benefits and concerns, trust in the security of digital licences, and overall support for their introduction.

The survey also included questions about the Government's proposal to replace petrol tax with Road User Charges (RUC) for petrol vehicles. Findings from that part of the survey will be published separately.

Results have been weighted to be representative of AA Membership by age, gender, and region. Percentages may not always add to 100% due to rounding.

The findings of this survey will be used to inform our advocacy with Central Government on the introduction of digital driver licences.

AA Member survey results guide the AA’s position and advocacy when responding to potential changes by authorities and in promoting improvements to transport policy.

Alongside survey results, we also consider research evidence, our own policy analysis, and input from AA District Councils across New Zealand.

Media contact and further information

  • For media enquiries, please contact the AA Manager of Research, Safety & Communications Dylan Thomsen, +64 4 931 9991
  • For information about the survey or further results, get in touch with our team at membervoices@aa.co.nz.
  • Visit the AA Transport Surveys to find out more about the survey programme.