“Aha, you drive the car with driving pleasure full-time – but blinkers part-time?” Preconceived notions about car ownership have existed almost since the first car was invented. But is there something in the fact that our choice of car brand actually tells us how we behave in traffic?
Previous studies have shown that narcissism can be linked to risky driving behavior in traffic. A British study published earlier this year may reveal something about personality.
The study involved 2,002 car drivers who were asked to take a test where traits such as exaggerated self-image and lack of empathy were measured. An average score was then calculated for each car brand. Topping the list were drivers of the German brands: BMW and Mercedes with 14.4 and 12.3 points respectively. Volvo had the lowest result of the measured brands with 7.1 points. (The full list can be found in the facts box below.)
Electric car drivers more narcissistic
The type of fuel the car runs on was also measured. And here came perhaps an unexpected result. One could have guessed that caring for the environment and future generations would mean lower narcissism, but the results show the opposite. Electric car drivers have the highest average score, 14.2 – higher than any other type of fuel. Petrol car drivers and hybrid car drivers are both at 10.2 points, while diesel drivers have the lowest average with 9.8 points.
A perhaps less surprising finding was that those who own a personalized license plate are more likely to display narcissistic traits (15.2) than those who do not (8.9).
The British survey gives hard numbers – but says less about the picture we have different car brands. A German study maps just those clichés: how we imagine the driver behind each logo. The study, published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and based on interviews with 1,029 people, shows which prejudices are alive: which car is a woman’s favorite, who is petty bourgeois – and which brand is masculine.
