Half of Britain's car owners claim to be emotionally attached to their cars, while a quarter think of them as members of the family, according to a survey.
Among those who said they had an attachment to their car, one in five said they regarded their vehicle as a friend, and five per cent even claimed it was the love of their life, according to Lloyds TSB.
Of the 2,000 polled by telephone for the survey, a quarter of people said they had named their car, 70 per cent of whom said their car was female, while 29 per cent admitted to talking to it.
Nearly two-thirds of people said they were proud of their car and 24 per cent regarded it as a status symbol.
Women are more likely to regard their car as being a member of the family, with 60 per cent admitting this, compared with 45 per cent of men, although men were twice as likely as women to say their car was the love of their life.
- PA