25/11/11
By Steven Birch
Famous faces such as Prince William and Wayne Rooney have influenced the pet names that British drivers have chosen for their car.
Other popular nicknames are Sheila, Gaga and The Beast, while Herbie, after the famous Volkswagen Beetle, is also a favourite.
NCP Car Parks conducted the research, questioning 3,000 drivers aged 17 to 45, and found that 43 per cent thought it was normal practice for them to name their cars.
This trend might show the affection UK drivers have for their cars, which is just as well due to the costs associated with motoring, including car insurance and repairs.
The three most popular names overall were Bertie, Betty and Bob, closely followed by Percy and Susie respectively.
Results show that 24 per cent of those asked used celebrities for inspiration when naming their cars.
Favourite cartoon characters influenced 11 per cent of respondents, while 4 per cent used footballers and 3 per cent named them after politicians.
Surprisingly though, 3 per cent of those asked admitted to naming their vehicles after work colleagues.
Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell said: "I named my son's Ford Ka The Kpod but it has since become Karen. It's just something you have to do."
NCP chief executive officer Jo Cooper said: "Our research highlights how creative us Brits are when it comes to naming our cars.
"Historically, sailors would always name their ships and pilots often named their planes, so it follows that many people name their cars too."
Confused.com created a car name generator tool which can be found here.
