Bullying Beamers and Minis with Manners

Yianni

  • Beamers, Chelsea tractors & Mercs named rudest road users

  • London (60%) voted most inconsiderate drivers, Wales (26%) voted the friendliest

  • Over half (53%) of Brits name their vehicles and 54% have fonder memories of their first car than their first love - Four in ten (40%) love their current car more than their in-laws

  • Baby, Beast and Herbie named as the most popular modern car names

  • New British motoring study commissioned to launch Yianni: Supercar Customiser, starting on Wednesday 10th January 8pm on TV channel Dave

Mini drivers mind their manners, but bullying beamers have been named 'rudest on the road' - that's the verdict of a new study released today which shines a spotlight on Brits' national obsession with cars. The fearsome reputation of the 'white van man' only came in fifth place in the poll.

The research of 2,000 British motorists reveals Brits are in love with their motors more than ever, with over half (54%) of those surveyed admitting to having fonder memories of their first car than their first love. Four in ten (40%) said they loved their current car more than their in-laws and 34% have more affection for their vehicle than their family pet.

The new study, specially commissioned by TV channel Dave to launch Yianni: Supercar Customiser, which starts on Wednesday 10th January at 8pm, found that London (60%) was voted as the region with the rudest road users. Wales (26%) was voted as the region with the friendliest and most considerate drivers followed by Yorkshire (25%) and Scotland (23%).

The top ten rudest and most inconsiderate car owners:

  1. BMW M3 (56%)
  2. Range Rover (48%)
  3. Audi TT (43%)
  4. Mercedes-Benz C-class (37%)
  5. Ford Transit Van (36%)
  6. Porsche 911 (31%)
  7. VW Golf (20%)
  8. Vauxhall Corsa (18%)
  9. Nissan Qashaqi (15%)
  10. Vauxhall Astra (15%)

The top ten friendliest and most considerate car owners:

  1. MINI (35%)
  2. Ford Fiesta (32%)
  3. Ford Focus (32%)
  4. Toyota Yaris (30%)
  5. Fiat 500 (28%)
  6. VW Polo (27%)
  7. Renault Clio (25%)
  8. Nissan Micra (25%)
  9. Peugeot 208 (23%)
  10. Citroen C3 (22%)

The new motoring study reveals the number of cars Brits will own over the course of lifetime is on the rise. The average Brit will now own eight cars and of those surveyed 23% said they would own over 10 motors and 13% said they would own over 15 vehicles.

The average British adult will spend £18,915 over the course of a lifetime pampering and pimping their cars and up to 53 days* of their lives tinkering and cleaning their motors. Giving our cars some 'va va voom' and a personal unique touch is important to Brits, with custom car wraps (24%), leather interior upgrades (55%) and alloy wheel rims (60%) identified as the most desirable car modifications. 'Go faster stripes' were voted the most tasteless and cringe worthy car modification (55%), followed by a large and noisy exhaust system (50%) and headlight eyelashes (49%).

The study revealed our love of cars runs deep, with six in ten (61%) respondents believing their car had a 'personality' and over half (53%) have given their vehicle a name, with two-fifths (40%) deciding on a moniker based on their car's personality.

Luke Hales, General Manager of Dave, said:

Our affinity and love for cars means we love to give a personal touch to our motors, whether it's a human name that brings out the personality, a custom modification or pampering and tinkering with the body work and engine. Yianni's a fantastic personality and we've had a lot of fun watching him and the lengths his customers will go to in order to stand out in our new series 'Yianni: Supercar Customiser'

When it comes to naming our rides, cult film references to 'Herbie', 'Turbo', 'Mad Max' and 'Kit' were voted as the top male car names, whilst 'Baby', a reference to Dirty Dancing's lead character, topped the female list.

Top 10 Female Car Names:

  1. Baby (44%)
  2. Betty (44%)
  3. Daisy (41%)
  4. Betsy (38%)
  5. Bessie (33%)
  6. Precious (29%)
  7. Penny (28%)
  8. Penelope (27%)
  9. Ruby (27%)
  10. Sally (25%)

Top 10 Male Car Names:

  1. Herbie (50%)
  2. Beast (43%)
  3. Turbo (42%)
  4. Kit (37%)
  5. Bertie / Bert (36%)
  6. Henry (36%)
  7. Mad Max (33%)
  8. Fred / Freddie (29%)
  9. Billy (27%)
  10. Jack (26%)

New series Yianni: Supercar Customiser follows Yianni as he transforms a series of vehicles with his incredible wraps. With a client list that includes some of the biggest names in the world of sport and entertainment including Harry Styles, Sergio Aguero and Gordon Ramsay, Yianni is the man the rich and famous trust with their precious rides.

Yianni is a social media star whose YouTube channel, Yiannimize boasts over a million subscribers. His videos featuring supercar wraps and transformations of celebrity vehicles attract millions of views.

Yianni: Supercar Customiser starts Wednesday 10th January, 8pm on Dave

Notes to Editors

For more information and interviews with Yianni, please contact:

Sam Corry @ Taylor Herring on 0208 206 5151 / SC@taylorherring.com

*The average Brit said they spend £300 per year pampering and pimping their cars. The latest ONS for life expectancy at birth are 79.2 years for males and 82.9 years for females, giving an average of 81.05 years. [Assume that you become an adult at 18]. £300 multiplied by 63.05 adult years equals £18,915.

**The average Brit said they spend 25 mins per week cleaning and tinkering with their car. The latest ONS for life expectancy at birth are 79.2 years for males and 82.9 years for females, giving an average of 81.05 years. [Assume that you become an adult at 18]. 25 minutes multiplied by 48 (working) weeks per year, multiplied by 63.05 adult years equals 1,261 hours equal to 53 days.

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