woman with curly hair looking disgusted

The Biggest Driving Icks of 2022, Revealed

Getting the ‘ick’ is quickly becoming the modern term for being turned off; that feeling when an attraction to a current or potential partner quickly switches to a feeling of disgust – often as the result of a specific behaviour.

There are many things that can give you the ick – and once you’ve got the ick any blossoming (or established) relationship is likely to be doomed. The tiniest thing, from someone using certain emojis, to the way they chew their food can turn you off a partner – but when it comes to driving, what are the biggest icks?

We wanted to find out, so we’ve surveyed over 2,000 people to reveal the biggest driving icks and the things that are actually turn-ons – from driving behaviours such as road rage or speeding, to even owning certain colours or brands of vehicles.

The 25 biggest driving icks in 2022

A driver opens a bottle of beer at the wheel of their car

Careless driving is clearly the biggest turn off, with the top four worst driving icks relating to being unsafe on the roads. Almost half (45%) said that driving after any consumption of alcohol would give them the ick, while 42% said that dangerous driving would turn them off. Over a third (38%) said that both using their phone while driving and driving without a license would give them the ick and posting selfies on social media while driving (35%) rounded off the top five biggest driving icks.

While some drivers may be tempted to show off behind the wheel to get the attention of their crush, showing off behaviours including kissing their car goodnight (33%) and revving their engine at traffic lights or when stationary (29%) ranked in the top ten driving icks. Several of the top-ranking driving icks also related to aggressiveness towards other motorists on the roads, with almost a third stating that exhibiting road rage would give them the ick (32%) while almost 1 in 4 stated that beeping other drivers (24%) would actively put them off a potential partner. 

And if you’re into injecting some of your own personality into your vehicle, then you might want to think again. Over 1 in 5 (22%) surveyed shared that drivers who buy personalised accessories for their cars gave them the ick, while wearing car brand merchandise turned off 18% of motorists. Unsurprisingly, owning an unclean car is also a sure-fire way to give some the ick, ranking as one of the top 25 worst motoring icks.

RankDriving ick% of people who would get the ick
1Driving after drinking any alcohol45%
2Dangerous driving 42%
3Using their phone while driving38%
4Driving without a licence or while banned from driving38%
5Posting selfies on social media while driving35%
6Kissing their car goodnight33%
7Smoking or vaping while driving32%
8Exhibiting road rage to other drivers 32%
9Parking on double yellow lines/no park areas, or unwarranted use of disabled and parent & child bays31%
10Revving their engine at traffic lights or when stationary29%
11Speeding29%
12Driving in bus or emergency lanes28%
13Driving a car with a loud engine or exhaust26%
14Beeping other drivers24%
15Posting images of their dashboard or steering wheel view on social media24%
16Owning an unclean car23%
17Poor clutch control 23%
18Hogging a lane on the motorway23%
19Sharp braking at speed cameras22%
20Purchasing personalised accessories for their car22%
21Poor use of indicators21%
22Owning a modified car 20%
23Driving while warning lights are flashing20%
24Eating while driving19%
25Playing loud music18%
25Wearing car brand merchandise18%

The 25 biggest driving turn-ons of 2022

A Tesla in a showroom

Our research revealed that politeness can be a big turn-on in everyday life as well as on the roads, it turns out. Over 1 in 10 (15%) said that flashing their headlights to say thank you to other drivers was a definite turn-on. 

For some, the brand of car a potential partner owns could make them seem more attractive, with 11% considering an electric car a turn-on and 8% regarding automatic car owners as more desirable than manual drivers. 

Other driving quirks including singing while driving (11%) and driving with one hand resting on the passenger’s lap (9%) were all also deemed as some of the biggest driving turn-ons in 2022.

Rank Driving turn-ons% of people who consider it a turn-on
1Flashing their headlights to say thank you15%
2Owning an electric car11%
3Singing while driving11%
4Driving exactly at the speed limit10%
5Driving while resting one hand on the passenger’s lap9%
6Cleaning their car everyday9%
7Driving with both hands constantly on the steering wheel9%
8Placing a hand on your passenger headrest to turn around and look out of the rear window while reversing8%
9Overtaking slower drivers8%
10Owning an automatic car8%
11Owning a personalised numberplate7%
12Putting a cover over their car when not in use to protect it7%
13Playing loud music7%
14Driving with only one hand controlling the steering wheel6%
15Having their car windows rolled down instead of using the car’s air-conditioning when it’s hot6%
16Driving with one arm rested on an open driver’s-side window6%
17Owning a modified car 6%
25Wearing car brand merchandise5%
25Exhibiting road rage to other drivers 5%
25Purchasing personalised accessories for their car 5%
25Smoking or vaping while driving5%
25Referring to their car by a name they have given it5%
25Refusing to use satnav and instead following their ‘intuition’5%
25Speeding5%
25Kissing their car goodnight5%
25Not flashing their headlights to say thank you5%

The 10 car brands which give people the ick

Close up of the front-end of a BMW with another, out-of-focus vehicle in the background

Our previous research revealed that it was BMW drivers who are most likely to show psychopathic traits when compared to drivers of other brands – and perhaps this is part of the reason why 8% said that drivers owning ‘beamers’ would give them the ick. Fiat drivers, Skoda drivers and Smart drivers were all also regarded by other motorists as “icky” with 7% saying each of the car brands would turn them off. 

RankCar brand% of people who would get the ick
1BMW8%
2Fiat7%
3Skoda7%
4Smart7%
5Audi6%
6Daewoo6%
7Dacia6%
8Citroen6%
9Kia6%
10Nissan6%

The 10 car brands which turn people on 

A white Mercedes-Benz parked on a road within a forest

When it comes to the brands which could help seal the deal with a prospective partner, it was the German-owned luxury vehicle brand Mercedes Benz which topped the rankings, with 14% regarding the car brand as a big turn-on. Supercar brands including Porsche, Lamborghini and Bugatti all also ranked as some of the most desirable vehicle types, while BMW reclaimed some dignity, with 13% finding the brand a turn on, rather than a turn off.

RankCar brand% of people who would consider it a turn-on
1Mercedes-Benz14%
2Porsche13%
3Lamborghini13%
4BMW13%
5Audi12%
6Rolls-Royce11%
7Ferrari11%
8Bugatti11%
9Jaguar10%
10Bentley10%

The car colours that turn us off (and on) 

A retro pink America car parked on a street in front of a row of palm trees, with two men in the vehicle

So, we’ve established that the brand of your car, and the things you do while driving your car could all make or break a relationship, but we also wanted to find out if the colour of our vehicles could have the potential to give prospective lovers the ick. Despite the emerging ‘Barbiecore’ trend, pink is the colour of vehicle which would turn most of us off, while more than 1 in 10 said that colours including orange, yellow and brown would give them the ick.

RankColour% of people who would get the ick
1Pink20%
2Orange14%
3Yellow14%
4Brown14%
5Purple12%

More neutral colours were revealed to be a big turn-on, with 19% of people saying a black vehicle would turn them on, while 12% said white was the most desirable car colour. Silver, red and blue vehicles all also ranked in the top five most attractive car colours. 

RankColour% of people who would consider it a turn-on
1Black19%
2White12%
3Silver11%
4Red11%
5Blue10%

Written in the stars?

A set of tarot cards

With some people using their birth charts or astrological star signs to help them find their perfect match, we also dived into the data to reveal what gets the pulses of different star signs racing. 

Once again, BMW was the least popular car brand amongst several star signs, including Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer. Despite this, owning a beamer could work in your favour if you’re dating a Capricorn – with BMWs being the most attractive brand for those born between December 21st and January 20th.  

Tauruses, Leos, Libras and Scorpios all follow suit with the Mercedes-Benz turning them on the most, while Cancerians were revealed to have more of an expensive penchant for a Porsche, and Piceseans prefer their love interests riding around in an Audi.

Methodology:

Scrap Car Comparison partnered with Censuswide to survey 2,000 UK residents. Each driver was asked a series of questions, including which behaviours and brands they find gives them the ‘ick’ or turns them on the most. 

Survey conducted in July 2022.

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