‘Betty’ the most popular name for cars in the UK

26th July 2016

According to loan, credit card and remortgage provider Ocean Finance, 20% of Brits who own a car christen their vehicle with a name. Women are marginally more likely to give their car a title than men, while those aged 55 and over are half as likely to name their vehicle as the national average.

The top-10 most popular car names, in order, are: Betty, Betsy, Lucy, Herbie, Bob, Sally, Bessie, Daisy, Foxy and Pablo.

Other less traditional vehicle names include Beyoncé, Pellegrino, Nemo, Frapuchini, Frugal, Gladys, Hoopla, Lord Thaodin of Rohan, Nooka the Nook, Snozzles, Custard and Toadzilla.

Most people name their cars based on the letters and numbers on their number plate. Men (26%) are almost twice as likely as women (15%) to use their car’s number plate as inspiration for its name.

Marginally fewer (18%) car owners name their motor after its colour, and just 8% name it after a film or book character.

Finally, 10% say they named their car after a celebrity or famous person. Men (16%) are more than three times likelier to name their motor after a well-known personality as women (5%).

Ian Williams, Ocean Finance’s spokesperson, said: “Us Brits love to bring our cars to life by giving them a name, and the names we give them are weird and whacky, well-known and wonderful.

“From the make and model of the car, family members and instinct, to simplicity, sarcasm and football teams, our study shows there’s no end to car-naming triggers.”