Passionate Drivers Put Car Before Partner

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Sep 04, 2012, 04:07 ET

CHESTER, England, September 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

One in eight drivers choose to spend their 'free time' with their car
Cautious motorists make their partner wait a year before letting them behind the wheel of their car
1.6 million seeking revenge on a partner would attack their car

Some drivers are taking their love for their car to the extreme - choosing to spend their free time with their motor over friends and family, according to research by MoneySupermarket.com.^[¹^]

The poll asked drivers how they like to spend their 'free time' during evenings, weekends, and days off - one in eight (or 12 per cent) say they'd spend it washing and polishing their car, and taking it for a spin. Motorists living in the North East are the most likely to want to spend their free time with their car (18 per cent), and men are more likely to than women (15 per cent versus nine per cent).

Pete Harrison, car insurance expert atMoneySupermarket, said: "We're a nation that loves our cars and driving them, but I'm surprised there are some people who prefer to spend their free time with their car, over family and friends."

The research revealed some Brits are protective of their cars too; one in twenty cautious motorists (five per cent) made their partner wait at least a year before letting them behind the wheel of their car (rising to 14 per cent among drivers living in the South East), and one in five (20 per cent) made their partner wait at least three months. One million drivers say they'd never let their partner drive their car as they are a 'terrible driver' or their car is too precious to them.^[²^]

But it doesn't stop there; motorists were also asked if they'd seek revenge on a partner's car if a relationship went wrong. A staggering 1.6 million said they'd already taken revenge on their partner's car, or would definitely think about it.^[²^] Of those motorists the top five revenge methods were:

Scratch / damage the paintwork (41 per cent)
Let the tyres down (29 per cent)
Smash a window (26 per cent)
Damage the tyres (24 per cent)
Leave messages / pictures in the dirt on the car windows (20 per cent)

Notes to editors:

^[¹^]Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 2,012 UK drivers from the 2nd to 6th July 2012.

^[²^]In order to calculate the number of drivers in the UK Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 2,010 UK adults aged 18+ from 22nd to 25th of June 2012. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.

Based on survey responses 1,567 of 2,010 interviewed have a full UK driving license.

1,567 / 2,010 = 77.96%.

2010 ONS population projections for 2012 UK adults aged 18+ = 49,969,000. 77.96 multiplied by 49,969,000 = 38,955,832 (there are 39 million UK drivers aged 18 and over).

54 drivers in a relationship indicate they would never let their partner driver their car due to he / she being a terrible driver or the car being too precious to them. 54 / 2012 = 2.68%. 2.68% times 39,000,000 = 1,045,200 (1 milion)

32 drivers indicate they have damaged their partner's car when a relationship went wrong and 50 would definitely think about it. 82 / 2012 = 4.08%. 4.08% times 39,000,000 = 1,591,2000 (1.6 million)

MoneySupermarket.com compares (at 20^th July 2012)

102 car insurance providers and 81 home insurance providers
11 broadband providers and 18 energy providers
32 unsecured loan and 6 secured loan providers
60 mortgage lenders and 28 credit card providers
67 savings providers and 37 current account providers.
Over 1,600,000 mobile phone deals

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