Less than a third of UK drivers have enough personal association with their cars to give them a pet name, according to a survey by driving organisation IAM RoadSmart.
The poll, carried out by the independent road safety charity on its Facebook and Twitter channels, revealed how unsentimental Brits are when it comes to their vehicles.
On Facebook in the space of 24 hours this week 703 people voted: some 469 people said their car did not have a name (67%), while 234 had given their car a moniker. On Twitter 131 people voted. Some 69% said they had not given their car a name and 31% had.
Some names given to cars include a Hyundai i20 called Holly, a BMW called Brad, a Jeep called Dudley, a Volkswagen Beetle in yellow and black called Bumblebee and a Land Rover called Toby.
Other more individual choices include Gargamel (after the evil character in the Smurfs cartoon series), Black Dahlia, NATO Anti-Tank Vehicle (a Volvo 340!) and Dorcas (a Biblical character known for her good works).
One very affectionate account read: ‘Mr Bimble, our Metro – 23 years old, still bimbling along, and left everyone standing in the snow!’
Two people chose to call their cars KITT, after the talking Pontiac driven by Michael Knight (played by David Hasselhoff) in the ‘80s TV series Knight Rider. One of these is a Tesla Model S.
Sarah Sillars, outgoing chief executive officer of IAM RoadSmart, said: “People seemed to enjoy our survey, and while they clearly have a lot of affection for their vehicles, giving them a name seems to be a step too far for the majority. But even some of the very best drivers remain more than happy to buck the trend and give their car a name.”
