Passionate drivers put car before partner

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.

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 at MoneySupermarket, 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.

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. Of those motorists the top five revenge methods were:

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