It’s what’s on the outside that counts: RAC Cars uncovers Britain’s ‘superficial society’ of motorists

Keeping up appearances is king when it comes to car cleaning as research from RAC Cars* reveals three-quarters of Brits (73%) would rather go the extra mile to make the outside of their motor gleam than tackling the inside (27%) where the filth is allowed to flourish.

Among those that admitted to cleaning their cars in the last seven days, more opted to wash the outside (24%) rather than do away with the dirt inside (14%), with two-fifths (39%) saying they think it's “important to have a clean-looking car from the outside” – suggesting we live in a ‘superficial society’ where it’s what’s on the outside that counts.

If you only had time to clean the inside or wash the outside of the vehicle you drive most regularly, which would you do?

Shockingly though, 9% of those surveyed said they hadn’t cleaned their cars in more than six months, which combined with the 2% who never clean theirs at all, means there are 3.3m* TLC-neglected motors on Britain’s roads.

When was the last time the outside of the vehicle you drive most regularly washed?

Strangely, both sexes agree nothing beats a DIY clean, with the RAC Cars research showing most motorists (48%) prefer to wash the outside of their cars themselves, followed by 29% who opt to have the dirt wiped away by a hand-wash expert. And, it appears the automated carwash may be going down the drain as just seven per cent say it’s their top choice for a regular rinse. Asked to compare the quality of their own handiwork to an automated car wash, three in 10 (29%) said their cleaning was equivalent to a gold or executive standard whereas more than a third (35%) admitted it was really only bronze level.

How would you describe the results of the last time you cleaned the vehicles you drive most regularly, in automatic car wash terms?

The devil is in the detail when it comes to car washing, wiping or waxing as almost half of motorists (47%) say they do it to make their cars feel brand new again. Some do it for love by cleaning their motors before going on a date (2%) and just five per cent feel pressured into washing their vehicles if they’re giving a colleague a lift.

RAC Cars spokesman Pete Williams said: “The importance of cleaning the car clearly varies from household to household but our research has found much greater preference for washing the outside as opposed to vacuuming and dusting the inside. We suspect the reason for this is not wanting to be seen driving around in a filthy-looking car which means if there’s only limited time to give the car some TLC, the outside takes precedence.

“Unless you give friends or colleagues lifts, not many people get to see the inside of your car so you can get away with it not being that clean. And, interestingly, despite the prevalence of automatic car washes and independent car cleaning companies, the DIY clean was still preferred by many.

“Clearly, some people just don’t prioritise cleaning their cars at all as 1% say they never have and 6% haven’t done so in more than six months. Those that do, have varying standards with a healthy amount (29%) saying their work was a good as a gold or executive automatic car wash.

“But the best motivation for getting the car cleaning equipment out has to be having a nice new motor to take pride in, whether that’s a brand new model straight out of the showroom or a ‘new to you’ used vehicle from a dealer or private seller. RAC Cars gives buyers the chance to find their perfect four-wheel match together with the buying confidence the RAC name brings.”