Richer men drive dirty cars: Survey

Owners of luxury cars like Ferrari are less likely to keep them clean as being wealthier drivers they are 'too posh to wash' their vehicles, a survey has revealed.

According to a survey, rich are more willing to drive dirtier vehicles for longer than poorer but prouder owners who prefer to keep their cars clean and tidy.

Only one in 17 car owners from professional and managerial backgrounds wash their vehicle once a week, reveals the survey, compared with one in 12 among lower-income motorists, the Daily Mail said.

Only 3 per cent of the 18,080 members surveyed admitted to washing their cars just once a year or not at all, a figure which doubled to 6 per cent among women drivers.

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The survey showed that drivers in Scotland and north-east England have the cleanest cars, with 11 per cent of owners washing them every week as against just 4 per cent in London and South-West England.

The clean-car gap widens even more among those who clean their cars twice a week.

Around 1 in 6 of lower-income owners wash their vehicle fortnightly, but only around 1 in 8 (11.5 per cent) of wealthier owners do so.

"Professionals and managers prefer more to wash their cars every couple of months," the report notes.  

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Some 35.5 per cent of professionals and 29.5 per cent of managers say this is the regular wash cycle for their cars with half of all drivers who wash their cars every couple of months or every six months.

And across the age bands, young drivers are put to shame by older motorists.

Only half as many younger drivers washed their cars once a fortnight or weekly (22 per cent) compared with those aged over 55 (44 per cent).

"Many drivers do take pride in their cars and their Sunday morning car wash has become a ritual. But our study suggests that you don't need a Rolls Royce to show pride in your car," AA president Edmund said.

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"The Victorian concept of the 'great unwashed' perhaps needs to be reversed as richer drivers have dirtier motors.

"Keeping your car clean, particularly windows, lights and number-plates, can keep you on the right side of the law," King added.

Regular cleaning can help preserve the value of the car by getting rid of salt and other corrosive substances.

Hopefully the 3 per cent of drivers or 6 per cent of women who never or rarely wash their cars, do at least keep their cars legal by cleaning windscreen, lights and number-plates.