It's official, Leicester, Belfast and Norwich are the Car Envy capitals of the UK
If you see people staring at you while you drive through Leicester, don’t worry, they’re just jealous.
New research has revealed the city is THE nation’s hotspot for car envy - with 58 percent of residents admitting they suffer from car envy at least some of the time.
In an exclusive survey for Cazoo, second place on the list for people who get the green eyed monster about motors was Belfast (56 percent), followed by Norwich (55 percent) and Bristol (55 percent).
Brighton (52 percent) rounded out the top five car cities for car envy.
And on the flip side, when it comes to car confidence, Plymouth residents are least concerned about other people’s wheels – 65 per cent of those asked said they didn’t suffer from car envy at all.
Cardiff residents (62 per cent) are next least envious, followed by Manchester (58 percent) and Leeds (58 percent).
The research also uncovered that the nation’s motorists are most jealous of their NEIGHBOUR’s car and that London and Belfast are the places where people are most likely to covet what’s on next door’s driveway.
More than a third (37 percent) of people in the capitals of England and Northern Ireland said they would either definitely or possibly buy a car because their neighbour bought a new one. Those in Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent (25 percent) would be next most likely to.
Residents of Edinburgh (8 percent) are the least likely to be swayed by what their neighbour drives, followed by Cambridge (10 percent).
Unsurprisingly, London residents also came out on top when asked if they felt pressure to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ in the car they drive, with 42 per cent admitting that they always or sometimes did.
The more laid-back residents of Plymouth are the least bothered, with 88% saying they had no interest in trying to outdo or match their neighbour’s motor, closely followed by Edinburgh (86 per cent).
Overall, the survey suggests that 35 percent of us long for a better motor, with a hot-headed 28 percent admitting they have even lashed out at their current car in frustration.
In fact, some Brits are so ashamed of their cars that one in twenty (6 percent) have told someone it’s not actually their motor and it’s borrowed from a friend, while five percent refuse to park outside their house and some have even ducked down in the seat to avoid being seen by someone they know (3 percent).
Six percent have made an excuse about why they can’t give someone a lift, the same number have been told by their children to drop them around the corner from their school, while one in twenty have told their work colleagues it’s their "second car”.
A spiritual nine percent say their car has a bad “vibe”, while almost one in five (18 percent) say it’s so grubby it’s an embarrassment, and a slightly paranoid 15 percent think their car might actually hate them.
Ercan Kamil, Marketing Director at Cazoo, said: “Our research provides a fascinating insight into how and why people decide to change their car. It’s especially revealing that nearly half of those questioned say they have experienced ‘car envy’ at some point, and that more than a quarter say they aren’t happy with their current car.
“The good news is that trading up has never been easier – with Cazoo you can get your current car valued, part exchange it and then buy or finance another one, all from the comfort of your sofa.”
Click here to see the full survey results.
TOP FIVE CAR-JEALOUS CITIES
Leicester (58 percent)
Belfast (56 percent)
Norwich (55 percent)
Bristol (55 percent)
Brighton (52 percent)
All figures are from market research conducted by Perspectus Global. The sample size was 2,000 car owners, polled between 19 May and 23 May, 2023.