As a nation of car-lovers, we had a sneaky suspicion that some of us may be showing our cars more love than we show our partners. With Christmas around the corner and the biggest-spending season fast approaching, we wondered if people were spending more money on their cars or their significant others.
Car Owners Spend More on Cars than Partners
Surveying 1000 car owners with partners, we found that car owners are investing more in their cars than their relationships, spending a whopping 48% more on their car than their partner. The data revealed that car owners in relationships spend on average £82.19 per month on their car compared to £55.48 on their partner. Generation X saw the biggest divide between car and partner spending, with 45–54 year-olds spending 71% more on their car than their partner each month.
Do Men or Women Invest the Most in their Cars?
Traditionally you might expect that men would have more of a personal relationship with their cars than women. Men do spend slightly more per month on their cars than women (£48 compared to £42). However, the survey found that whilst men spend 42% more on their cars than their partners, women spent 54% more on their cars than their partners, even though men spend significantly more time with their cars per month (20 hours compared to 13.6 hours).
Who Invests the Most Time in Their Cars?
The average UK car owner spends 4 hours 9 minutes with their car in an average week, and 17 hours 15 minutes with their partner. Aston Martin owners spend the most time with their cars overall, dedicating 9 hours 48 minutes per week to their vehicles. Overall, car owners spend 180% more time cleaning and maintaining their cars than going on dates with their partner. But Porsche owners really take the biscuit, with 75% of them preferring spend time with their cars over their partner. You can see what percentage of car owners prefer to spend time with their cars below:
Bentley Owners Spend More on Partners than Cars
Looking at differences between the owners of specific car brands, the research revealed that Bentley owners spend more on their partners than their cars, and Renault drivers spend over twice as much on their cars as their partners (108%).
We created a ranked table of car brand owners and their monthly spends to see which car drivers spend the most on their partners compared to their cars.
Although Tesla owners were the biggest spenders overall, spending on average £125.15 per month on their cars, MG drivers showed the biggest difference in spend, spending 202% more on their cars than their partners per month.
Which Regions Spend the Most on Their Cars?
Looking at regional difference, Scotland spend the most on their cars monthly (£98.75) and Northern Ireland spend the least on their cars with an average monthly spend of £73.97.
Of the findings, Go Car Credit’s Marketing Manager Hayley O’Connor said; “We’ve always suspected UK car owners take pride in their vehicles. But seeing how much they invest in their cars compared to their relationships is interesting. Despite the pandemic, it seems that people are still prepared to pay more for their cars.”
Whether you love your car more than your partner, or you suspect you are the third wheel in your relationship; Go Car Credit can help you get behind the wheel of your dreams in no time, with bad credit car finance options.
