Survey Reveals 40% of Car Owners Name Their Vehicle
Capital One® Releases National Name Your Car Day Survey Findings
McLEAN, Va. (Oct. 2, 2019) – In honor of National Name Your Car Day on Oct. 2, Capital One® (NYSE: COF) surveyed drivers across the country to uncover some of the interesting rituals that come with having a personal connection to your vehicle. The survey, commissioned on behalf of the GM BuyPower Card®, asked roughly 2,000 licensed drivers in September of this year all about their cars, revealing that 40 percent have given their vehicle a name.
Nearly a quarter of drivers surveyed say they have formed a strong emotional attachment to their car since picking a name, but almost half wait until they spend a month getting to know their car before establishing a moniker.
- Gender Reveal: 74 percent of drivers say their car has a gender, with 53 percent identifying it as female
- Heavens to Betsy: Compared to the 2018 Capital One survey, for the second year in a row, Betsy was the most popular car name.
- No Real Reason: The majority (57 percent) of drivers say that naming their car is simply a fun thing to do, with no other clear motivation driving their decision.
- From the Red Carpet: The greatest inspiration for car names is from a TV or Movie character (19 percent) or a friend or family member (13 percent)
The survey uncovers a marked divide between people who name their cars and those who don’t. Women are more likely to name their car than men (56 to 44 percent), one in five car-naming drivers are from the South, with slightly less than that hailing from the West Coast.
The survey also revealed that, once drivers are ready to move forward with a new vehicle, they narrow down their purchasing motivations to a very specific list. 88 percent of people say test driving the car is very or extremely important, and when weighing the features of a car, fuel efficiency came in as the most important feature (64 percent), followed by Safety Rating (47 percent) and On-Road performance (42 percent).
Nearly half (47 percent) of drivers say they start saving money six months in advance of a vehicle purchase, and almost a quarter (24 percent) start to save more than a year ahead of time. As drivers plan ahead financially, Capital One and GM encourages the consideration of a rewards card like the GM BuyPower Card, which provides cardmembers the ability to accumulate five percent Earnings on their first $5,000 in purchases every year, with two percent unlimited Earnings on purchases after that.
“With the GM BuyPower Card, you can earn rewards on everything you buy. We all know how everyday purchase can add up quickly,” said consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch. “With Earnings like this, you can be on your way to naming your next new car sooner than you think.”
Capital One and GM also recently announced new ways GM BuyPower Card cardmembers can use their Earnings to get statement credits for qualifying purchases on most OnStar and Connected Services plans, SiriusXM subscriptions3, customer-paid Certified Service, and parts and accessories purchased at authorized Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealerships.
Qualifying purchase examples include:
- OnStar** Safety & Security, which includes Automatic Crash Response, Stolen Vehicle Assistance and much more.
- Connected Services*** Plans which include access to the vehicle’s mobile app, in-vehicle app experiences, and more.
- In-dealership purchases of Vehicle accessories, such as tonneau covers and bedliners for pickups, bike racks, all-weather floor mats and wheels.
- Scheduled maintenance such as oil changes, tire rotations and battery replacement, and mechanical repairs, including brake jobs and air conditioning service at GM dealerships.
- SiriusXM (www.SiriusXM.com)
Cardmembers can redeem their Earnings for statement credits of up to $250* per calendar year (January 1 through December 31) for qualifying purchases on vehicle care and GM extras.
BuyPower Card Earnings do not expire as long as the account is open, and can be combined with most other offers, leaving consumers with added flexibility to make vehicle decisions that fit their lifestyle. All GM dealers participate and there is no annual fee (or foreign transaction fees).
Capital One, N.A. is the issuer of the BuyPower Card. General Motors is responsible for the operation and administration of the Earnings program. BuyPower Card Earnings may not be used with fleet vehicle incentive programs or with some other offers and discounted sale programs, such as the GM Employee Discount or Supplier Discount.
For more information, visit BuyPowerCard.com.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $254.5 billion in deposits and $373.6 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2019. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
*Starting August 20, 2019, redeem your Earnings for statement credits of up to $250 per calendar year, January 1 through December 31, for qualifying purchases on vehicle care and GM extras. Qualifying purchases on vehicle care and GM extras include customer paid Certified Service, parts and accessories purchased at an authorized U.S. GM dealership, as well as eligible GM subscription services, including most purchased OnStar and Connected Services plans and SiriusXM subscriptions. Does not include data plans. To redeem, log in to your BuyPower Card Earnings account and select the Redeem page. Redemptions must be made within 90 days from the date your qualifying purchase was made. Please allow up to 3 business days after purchase for this transaction to appear on your BuyPower Card Account. Your statement credits are usually applied to your balance within 2 to 3 business days after redemption. All redemptions are final. Available on an open BuyPower Card Account in good standing. Combine with most other offers. Other exclusions may apply.
** OnStar plan, working electrical system, cell reception and GPS signal required. OnStar links to emergency services. See onstar.com for details and limitations. Automatic Crash Response: not all vehicles may transmit all crash data. Stolen Vehicle Assistance: requires armed GM factory-installed theft-deterrent system, contact method on file and enrollment to receive alerts. Additional messaging and data rates may apply. Services are intended to assist with vehicle recovery and do not prevent theft or protect against damage or loss.
*** Connected services vary by vehicle model and require active service plan, working electrical system, cell reception and GPS signal. Does not include emergency or security services. See onstar.com for details and limitations.
3GM owners receive a three-month subscription to SiriusXM All Access with the purchase of equipped vehicles. If a consumer decides to continue service after his or her initial SiriusXM subscription, the selected subscription plan will automatically renew thereafter, at then-current rates. Fees and taxes apply. Consumers should see our Customer Agreement for complete terms and how to cancel, which includes calling SiriusXM at 1-866-635-2349. All fees and programming subject to change. ©2019 SiriusXM Radio Inc. All rights reserved.
General Motors: Jim Cain, 313-407-2843
Capital One: Julia Greco, (571) 340-1677