AM host Melissa Chan-Green says seniors who can't sit their licences in unfamiliar locations shouldn't be on the road.
Once Kiwis reach 75, they must be signed off by their doctor to keep their driver's licence.
But Grey Power wants this system overhauled, given many GPs were using memory and cognitive tests to determine driving fitness. That meant many seniors with bad memories were failing, even though they were still competent drivers, Grey Power said.
Grey Power acting president David Marshall told RNZ people who live rurally were also having to sit their tests in unfamiliar locations, which elderly saw as "a barrier".
But Chan-Green believed that shouldn't matter.
"This might come across [as] a little cold-hearted but I feel like you should be able to drive competently whether it's in a familiar place or an unfamiliar place, whatever age you are," said Chan-Green on Thursday.
She said unfamiliarity shouldn't be an excuse.
"I think that's fair - I think you should be able to drive anywhere and, if you can't, I'm sorry but I actually don't think you can have your licence."
Others disagreed with Chan-Green, with one viewer telling AM in an email his mother was still driving at 95-years-old and was "better than many younger drivers".
But another viewer backed her view, saying any driver should be able drive competently anywhere - no matter the age.
Marshall, meanwhile, believed cognitive tests weren't good indicators of driving ability.
"That's been proven quite consistently in clinical studies so, while they're a useful tool to assess if someone has early-stage dementia, they're not really an appropriate test for the majority of drivers for assessing how good they are at driving," he told AM.
"Those who are competent just get so frustrated and upset that they're under stress, knowing they don't want to lose their licence... and then fail."
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