Men undergoing a midlife crisis have long believed it, and advertisers, of course, want to promote the idea, but it seems they were right all along—driving a flash car really does make you more attractive to women.
And while it might be unrealistic for your date to expect you to turn up in James Bond’s Aston Martin, there is one car you might want to avoid if you are looking for love.
A new survey has found that what you drive does matter when it comes to attracting a potential partner. 42% of Brits say they would never date someone with a car they didn’t like.
And the car potential dates find the biggest turn-off is drum roll, the humble, sensible and environmentally sound Smart Car, with almost a third of those questioned (32%) admitting they wouldn’t want to date someone driving one. In fact, you have a much better chance of finding a parking space than a partner if you drive a Smart Car. And it’s not like you could climb into the backseat even if you did manage to secure a date.
Even the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, ‘s car is falling out of favour. His Tesla came second in the poll of the least desirable motors (17%). Perhaps it is due to his personal popularity plummeting since his involvement in the Trump administration.
According to a poll by short-term car and van insurance experts GoShorty, other cars you should not consider driving if a long-term relationship is on your mind are a Hummer (16%), a Ford KA (9%), or a Skoda Fabia (7%).
More than one in twenty (6%) would find it off-putting if their partner tipped up on a VW Beetle, while the discontinued Chrysler PT Cruiser didn’t fare much better. (5%). Making up the top ten are the Kia Soul, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Up.
But worse than the make and model is the smell. Not new car smell of course but over half (57%) said they would never want to date someone who drove a car which smelled weird, according to the poll.
The data also revealed a list of other car crimes which will ruin your dating life, including the scent of cigarette smoke inside (48%) and old coffee cups and water bottles piling up in the foot well (47%).
This was followed by having outdated or sexist bumper stickers (44%) and fluffy dice hanging from the mirror (20%).
Bad or excessively loud music (28%), a florescent green or yellow car (21%), rust on the vehicle’s exterior (16%) and fluorescent lights on the wheels (14%) also gave potential partners the ick.
A cruel 27% of people admitted they had dumped someone because they were embarrassed by their car.
Phil Evans, Managing Director of GoShorty, who commissioned the research, said:“We can’t necessarily help to insure your love life,” butt we can help you to secure short-term insurance to borrow your friend or family’s vehicle and impress your date. Our short-term insurance is available on an hourly or daily basis meaning you can even plan an exciting day trip to really impress your future partner – regardless of your vehicle”
A study by researchers at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, backed up the survey finding women rate a man higher if he is behind the wheels of a fancy motor than in an old banger.
But men were less swayed by a woman’s choice of car, forming their first impression purely on her looks instead.
A total of 120 people, aged between 21 and 40, were asked to look at two photographs showing a model sitting in two different cars: a £70,000 silver Bentley Continental and a “clapped-out” red Ford Fiesta.
The results showed that women found the same man more attractive when he was sitting in the Bentley, whereas men thought the woman was equally attractive no matter which car she was sitting in.