Drivers Love to Name Their Cars.
With monikers including Betsy, George and Beast the top favourites, study reveals. A study of 2,000 drivers found four in 10 have named a car, with Bessie, Betty, Bertha, and Bertie also common monikers.
The Sun newspaper is reporting that Boris, Lucy, and Dolly completed the top 10, with other popular names including Bella, Priscilla, and Rusty. It also emerged 60 per cent feel they grow emotionally attached to their car, with 37 per cent going as far as to say they feel like it is a friend or family member.
While Gen Z adults, aged 18-24, went a step further, claiming to feel more attached to their vehicle than their parents (35 per cent) or grandparents (33 per cent).
The stats emerged in a study by Your Red Car, a new online auto marketplace powered by Santander.
They’ve partnered with writer and comedian, David Baddiel, to bring seven real-life memoirs of pre-loved cars to life in a series of short stories, entitled The Adventures of Pre-Loved Cars. Baddiel said: “Cars aren’t just transport – every car you own can bring back a memory of your life as it was then.”
“The Adventures of Pre-Loved Cars stories are funny and moving – they’re about love, discovery, unforgettable road trips and a casual gift from a king. Curating them has proved how evocative of things past cars can be.”
The study also found 31 percent of drivers refer to their cars as ‘she/her’, while 19 percent say ‘he/him’.
Others express their love for their cars by buying accessories (36 percent) and talking to them (32 percent).
While some show their affection by stroking the dashboard (22 percent), parking them next to other ‘friendly cars’ (21 percent) and even give them a hug (10 percent).
But the research carried out through OnePoll, found the devotion to their vehicles means they also struggle to part with them, with 29 percent feeling sad and 30 percent feeling sentimental when they sell it.
And 18 percent of Londoners even claimed they would rather break up with their partner than sell their favourite car.
While a quarter of 18–24-year-olds found selling their favourite car more upsetting than breaking up with an ex-love (27 percent), being cheated on (24 percent) or losing a pet (24 percent).
Denton Brock, head of Your Red Car, said “Every pre-loved car has its own story, just like the ones featured in The Adventures of Pre-Loved Cars series.”
The Adventures of Pre-Loved Cars series, curated by David Baddiel for Your Red Car, is available to read on yourredcar.co.uk.
