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Diamond discover we take a shine to our cars and want to personalise
publication date: Feb 8, 2012
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author/source: Robin Roberts
Wales-based
specialist insurer Diamond has revealed that
the average UK motorist spends nearly £100 personalising their car with
accessories such as seat
covers, soft toys and window stickers.
For
some drivers however, the desire
to decorate their car could be putting them at risk of having a crash.
The
women's car insurance specialist surveyed 2,000 UK motorists on how they personalise
their car. It found that 57% have accessorised their car, with floor
mats (35%), novelty air fresheners (15%) and humorous window stickers (14%)
being the most popular. Only 4% admitted they have fluffy dice hanging from
their rear view mirror.
Worryingly,
seven out of ten drivers with humorous stickers on their rear window
think they obscure their view from their window.
Diamond's
research found one in ten (11%) motorists said they accessorise their
car to stand out from the crowd. A similar number (13%) do it to express
their personality. But the most popular reason why motorists accessorise
their car is to make it more comfortable, one in three (29%) said
they do it for this reason. | Diamond
managing director, Sian Lewis (right), who has a dolphin air freshener in her car,
said, "When you think how much time we can spend in our cars each week,
you can understand why so many of us want to make them more comfortable or
individual but car accessories should never impede the driver's vision in any
way."
|  | Personalising
a car isn't popular with everyone however, and, for many, adding
accessories and novelty items to a car is seen as bad taste. 29% of motorists
think it is cheap and tacky to decorate a car in this way.
Whilst
more women (59%) than men (54%) adorn their cars with accessories, men
spend on average £39 more than women doing so and are more likely to invest
in pricier car graphics, wraps and special paint jobs. Women prefer cheaper
items such as soft toys, floor mats and window stickers.
The
average amount of money motorists spend on personalising their car is £99,
but 11% have spent over £200 and one in a hundred have spent more than £1,000.
Adding
accessories is certainly most popular with younger motorists. 18-24 year
olds are the most likely to have personalised their car (66%), while middle
aged drivers in the 35-44 and 45-54 age brackets are the least likely to
personalise their car (52%).
Sian
Lewis added, "A car can say a lot about a person's lifestyle and perhaps
even more so if the driver has chosen to jazz it up. Some might choose
simple things like a novelty tax disc holders or air fresheners, but others
choose to spend a lot more with graphics, tints and wraps.
"If
you do have some of the more expensive accessories, it's always worth checking
with your insurer to see if they'll make a difference to your premium." |
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