What does your car say about you?
Everyone has an opinion about cars and their drivers. But are these kinds of popular stereotypes really true?
Some of the myths…
Volvo estates - antique dealers and advanced motorists who stick to the speed limit
Mini - stylish women with big sunglasses
BMW & Audi - successful execs in the outside lane
Porsche - business people wanting to make a statement – and at last live their youthful dreams
VW Passats and Ford Mondeos - sales reps
Old Peugeots - teachers and University lecturers
Subaru Imprezas - lads and laddettes who drive aggressively and male menopause drivers who drive slowly
Rovers - old chaps in hats and a nodding dog in the back window
Any convertible car - ladies of a certain age
Vauxhall Corsas - young boy (and girl) racers who’d rather be in something more expensive and faster
VW Golf GTIs - Corsa graduates
Jaguars - gentlemen and elegant ladies confirming their status
Range Rovers - Chelsea mums on the school run
The reality…
Well, according to research by AA Cars the truth is far from clear, although there are definitely trends that may confound many of the popular perceptions.
The most popular vehicles on Britain’s roads are of course, Ford, VW and Vauxhall and are driven by those in pretty much every occupation – but there are some trends suggesting model preferences for certain people.
The research was based on AA Insurance statistics and it threw up some oddities based occupation of the owner. For example old Ladas – a car long out of production – seem most likely to be driven by archaeologists while the car of choice for electricians appears to be a Subaru. And, it seems, teachers don’t prefer Peugeots – they are more likely to opt for Renaults or Fiats.
David Bruce, director of AA Cars, says: “This is far from scientific research and the preferences are sometimes marginal, but it is based on the reality of cars insured by the AA.
“Of course, income will dictate the affordability of particular cars so it is perhaps not surprising that you would expect company directors to drive cars such as Bentley, Jaguar, Porsche, Maserati or Aston Martin.
“But while there is plenty of media coverage that confirms that the car of choice for professional footballers and other sports people is a Ferrari, the truth may be more prosaic.
“Not all sports people are on a premier league footballer’s salary and many rely on sponsorship to travel to competitions, especially if they have equipment to carry so Peugeot appears to be the brand of choice for them.”
However, David Bruce says that some stereotypes do seem to be true.
For example, drivers of convertible cars are most likely to be driven by people aged 50 or over and slightly more than half (53%) of them are women.
The findings also suggest that Mercedes cars are driven either by company directors or housewives. The latter are also more likely to be behind the wheel of a seven-seat people carrier which suggests practicality dictates the type of car chosen.
The one strong finding is that disabled drivers opt for Vauxhall or Ford, but these makes are suitable for conversions that allow those less able than others to be drivers.
David Bruce adds: “Trying to determine stereotypes is entertaining but, if anything, our findings suggests that there aren’t really any strong ones.
“People generally buy a car that fits their pocket and their circumstance in life and that’s true of the used cars on the AA Cars website. The used car market allows people who could never afford a brand new executive model, for instance, to stretch to a used one.
“Recent findings on the most searched-for cars confirm that – so while the VW Golf was the most searched for, Mercedes, Land Rover and Audi all made it within the top ten. The cars most listed however are smaller three-door hatch-backs which tend to hold their value well. They are most likely to be driven by people who want reliability and economy, which fits the mould of clerical assistants or social workers for whom these are a top choice.”
And the Chelsea ladies? “That does seem to be true,” David Bruce says. “Separate research for AA Cars showed that you’re more likely to find a 4 x 4 in West London than anywhere else in the country!”