Milestone in life matched by car change

MOST DRIVERS in the UK mark key milestone moments in their life with a change of car. Four out of five British drivers say they will change their car to give their first-born child a more comfortable drive home, while others say they would swap cars if they won the Lottery.

A survey by the AA found that 26% of drivers will change to a new car if they start a new job, while 21% decide on a different car because of retirement. Seventeen percent of drivers said they had changed car when children arrived and 5% when the kids leave home.

Other reasons for deciding on a car move are because of marriage (4%), divorce (5%) and others because they were getting a dog, a horse or it was an important birthday.

Edmund King, AA president, added: ‘Everyone seems to remember their first car and their parents' cars. Our research shows that we can plot our life milestones against changes in our cars to reflect these periods in our lives. Passing our driving test, having children, changing jobs, retiring or even winning the lottery, are all catalysts for car change.’

By Press Association reporters