35% of car owners give their car a nickname

•     Bessie, Boris, Monty and Sybil amongst the most popular
•     The Beast, Ermintrude, Flying Satsuma and Tank amongst some of the more quirky favourites

More than a third (35%) of car owners admit to giving their treasured motors a nickname, according to a new study from Sainsbury’s Bank.

The vehicle registration plate is the most popular reason for choosing a name with 22% citing this as their source of inspiration. And while a fifth (20%) said the name they chose  was entirely random, 16% said a specific vehicle trait such as colour or size dictated their choice. For 12%, a celebrity or famous character was their source of inspiration while 8% cited friends and family.

Top 10 most popular car names:

Bessie

Betsy

Ruby

Monty

Speedy

Susie

Bugsby

Jenny

Sybil

Boris

Sainsbury’s Bank pick of the quirkiest car names:

The Beast

Ermintrude

Tank

The purple people eater

Hermione the highly intelligent Honda

Gandalf the Grey

Flying Satsuma

Bruno Brum-brum

Bumble

Rocket

Tom Thomson, Head of Sainsbury’s Car Insurance said: “Our research brought to light a lot of very quirky, fun and affectionate names that owners have given to their cars. For many people, their car is an important part of their day-to-day life, so it’s no surprise that so many motorists have given their vehicle a nickname.”

For further information on Sainsbury’s Bank car insurance, call 0800 092 9334, visit www.sainsburysbank.co.uk or pick up a leaflet in store.