Do you have a name for your beloved car?
Your car is one of the biggest purchases you will make, after your house and perhaps an expensive wedding day, so it is only right that people name their car.
And new research from Confused.com has found that over a quarter of UK motorists name their beloved cars, with Charlie the top male name for a vehicle, closely followed by Jack.
Harry, Noah and Oliver rounded out the top five choices for cars with a male personality, while Thomas, William, Joshua, Daniel and Billy completed the top ten.
As Swiss Tony used to say, you should treat a car like a beautiful woman, and many seem to take this literally, giving their car a female name.
The average UK motorist considers their car to be female, with a personality that is sensible, cited by a quarter, cute (eight per cent) or playful (seven per cent).
Ruby topped the list of female names, closely followed by Lily and Pippa, with Jessica and Grace rounding out the top five.
Olivia, Kate, Emily, Harper and Betty were also named by a number of respondents to the survey.
Peter Collett, psychologist and author of 'Driving Passion – The Psychology of The Car' said that naming a car can reduce the risk of incidents on the road.
"A majority of car owners feel the need to give their car a distinctive name, usually an affectionate title that expresses how they feel about their car and how they regard it as being different from everyone else's," he explained.
With nearly half of drivers describing their cars as 'part of the family', the Confused.com research reveals that 33 per cent of car owners regularly chat with their motors, talking to them about day-to-day matters, their frustrations on the road, relationships and personal problems.
Have you given your car a special name?
No, I do not have a name for my car and I am not intending to. Make sense that it would reduce accidents because I suppose one would drive more carefully if they considered their car a part of the family, in order not to hurt it. I actually do talk to myself a lot when driving but not to the actual car; just to the universe in general.
Yes, all our cars over the years have had their own names. Some were related to the letters on the numberplate where appropriate, some were a play on the make and model and some just a whim of fancy. They assumed human characters and emotions, especially petulance. The present incumbant rejoices in the name of “Millie”; why? Because she is a “Thoroughly modern Mitzy” (Mitsubishi).