Valentine’s Day - Is it you they love or your car?

A well maintained car could be the key to receiving a card from a secret admirer this Valentine’s Day, after research from Kwik-Fit found that 14 million Brits weigh up a prospective partner by the state of their motor.

Men looking for love take note, females are more likely to fall for a partner’s motor - with 44% compared to 40% of men – so sprucing up your car could increase your chances of attracting a secret admirer.

What’s more, the findings also reveal that a staggering three quarters of a million women have even dated a chap just because they liked his car. And a further 250,000 turned down a date with a guy they liked, because they didn’t rate his motor.

But perhaps more extreme is the 330,000 Brits who claim to have stayed in a relationship just because they liked driving their partner’s car, or the 230,000 who went as far as dumping their other half because their motor didn’t meet their high standards.

David White, customer services director at Kwik-Fit commented: “Whilst many people strive for a honed appearance to attract the opposite sex, it seems this can often count for little if their car is unreliable and has filthy paintwork, an oil leak and bald tyres. So motorists who don’t look after their cars may well be disappointed when the postman comes this Saturday.”