15 August 2008 / by Rebecca Sargent
Half of all car owners are having a love affair with their cars according to women’s car insurance specialists Diamond, emphasising the importance of car insurance that could make all the difference in the case of an accident.
The study has shown that, in addition to the 50 per cent of drivers that are emotionally attached to their vehicle, a third of all motorists have gone as far as to name their cars. Although women are more likely to christen their cars with 38 per cent confessing to it, more than a quarter of men owned up to creating a pet name for their motors too.
Women’s car insurance specialist Diamond, found that the most popular names are female dominated, the most popular being Betsy, with Baby and Betty coming second and third.
Commenting on the car naming phenomenon, Diamond car insurance spokesperson, James Carnduff, said: “A car may simply be a tonne and a half of metal and glass, but to some people it means much more than that, in fact two per cent of motorists admit their car is the most important thing in their life.
“People spend large amounts of time in their car so it’s not surprising that they become attached to them,” he added.
The study also found that, although the most popular names were rather mundane, some were more eccentric. Mr Carnduff concluded: “Although the top 5 was dominated by women’s names there were also some very strange names in our list including Beastie, Einstein, Fizzy Pop, Henry McHaggis, Kim Jong-il, Mr Aubergine McRalph and Sadie Frost! Some people undoubtedly have fantastic imaginations when it comes to naming their car!”
According to experts it is a good job that so many drivers are in love with their cars, as Sainsbury’s Finance recently reported that car insurance premiums have risen by almost six per cent in the last year.
Add that extra cost to the recent hikes in petrol and car tax and, without an emotional attachment many motorists could be tempted to ditch their cars.
© Fair Investment Company Ltd