Almost 1 in 5 drivers ‘love their car as much as their partner’

And what’s more, InsuretheGap survey suggests 1 in 20 love their car more than their partner

This Valentine’s Day many will be choosing to snuggle up with their car rather than their partner, according to a new survey of over 750 UK drivers by InsuretheGap, a provider of Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) insurance.

Almost one in five (18 per cent) drivers said they loved their car as much as their partner, and one in 20 (5 per cent) said they loved their cars more than their partner.

When asked why, almost one in three (30 per cent) said it ‘makes me happy’, followed by a quarter (25 per cent) that ‘it never lets me down’, and a fifth (22 per cent) that ‘it’s easier to handle’. Other answers included, ‘it’s cheaper to run’ (19 per cent) and ‘it doesn’t answer me back’ (18 per cent). Over one in ten (13 per cent) also said because ‘I don’t have to buy it a Valentine Day’s gift’.

Over a third (36 per cent) of drivers described their car as either male (18 per cent) or female (18 per cent), with two-thirds saying their car had no gender.

15 per cent of drivers also call their car by a name, with ‘baby’ being a favourite, followed by random names including Josephine, Elise and Freya to Chilli, Mervyn and Beast.

Ben Wooltorton, chief operating office of InsuretheGap.com, said: “Brits have always had a love affair with our cars and it looks like this is as strong as ever. Our cars are one of the few places we can escape to away from the stresses of everyday life, so this Valentine’s day maybe ditch the roses and chocolate and take a romantic drive instead?”