Doris, Dave, Betsy and The Beast - one in four drivers name their car, survey finds

More than a quarter of UK motorists have named their car, according to new research.

A DVLA survey found that just over one in four drivers (28%) give their car a name, with Doris, Dave, Henry, Betsy and The Beast among the most popular choices.

It found that women are almost twice as likely to name their car as men (65% and 35% respectively), while the most common age range of people who do this is between 55 and 64.

And people don’t stop with a name – according to the DVLA, some of the personalised registrations it sells match the monikers people have given to vehicles.

Notable examples include DOR 1S which went for £6,800 in September 1990, and HEN 2Y which was bought for £6,300 in June 2005.

BR17 NEY, which could be popular with fans of the world-famous popstar, will be available with a reserve price of £700 in the next DVLA auction which starts on July 18.