A new British study claims drivers of Mini Coopers have bigger IQs than everyone else on the road, with Mazda and Toyota close behind.
(Photo by National Motor Museum/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
And if you want to broadcast your smaller brain, the study reveals, those who opt for vanity license plates are likely to be dimmer bulbs than the rest of us, although I personally like this one:
Vanity License plate
First off, don’t panic, or sell your Land Rover (a low scorer) for fear someone else might think you’re a chowderhead. Real-world smarts on the road have nothing to do with IQ and everything to do with awareness, obeying speed limits and traffic laws, and getting where you’re going without incident.
But the results are amusing and interesting anyway.
Conducted by Scrap Car Comparison, the study tasked more than 2,000 Brit motorists with an IQ test, to gauge their levels of intelligence. The IQ scores were then averaged out depending on car owned.
Here are the key points of the survey, which was then adjusted for American auto brands.
· The most intelligent drivers include those that own MINIs, Mazdas and Toyotas.
· Land Rover (88.58), Fiat (90.14) and BMW (91.68) drivers were found to have lower average IQ scores
· People who own a personalised number plate will likely have a lower average IQ than those that don’t
· White and grey cars are driven by smarter people.
The study tasked 2,000 drivers of varying car makes and model to complete a standard IQ test, to help define their level of intellect. The results were then averaged out depending on car driven, colour and other factors such as whether or not the respondent owns or personalised number plate.
MINI and Mazda drivers scored highest on the IQ test, followed by Toyota, Mercedes Benz and Nissan drivers. Are we sure about those Toyotas, though?
Toyota Prius covered in stickers
In addition to studying car brands, the Scrap Car Comparison team also analyzed whether chosen car color, or even the style of number plate motorists go for could also have a bearing on their intelligence.
The results were as conclusive as those for the manufacturers, clearly showing that those who own a white (average IQ of 95.71) or grey (94.97) car are likely to have a higher IQ than those that opt for less monochrome choices. In particular, owners of green cars scored unfavourably on the IQ test, with an average IQ of 88.43.
The results also outlined personalised number plates as another defining factor when it comes to intelligence. A love or hate choice for many, the study shows that those who don’t chose to spend their money on number plate personalisation generally have a higher IQ (94.15) than those that do (91.95).
Here’s what Dan Gick, Managing Director of Scrap Car Comparison has to say:
“For us, being smart behind the wheel boils down to one thing – keeping yourself and other drivers safe, and not making decisions that would put anyone in danger…the main thing is to be a smart and sensible driver no matter what car you own”.
Methodology
Scrap Car Comparison partnered with Censuswide to survey 2,024 UK drivers and analyse the brand and color of the car they currently drive, in addition to whether they owned a personalized number plate or not. 27 car brands were researched in total. However, five brands were discounted due to there not being sufficient data.
Each participant then undertook a twenty question IQ test inspired by the test hosted on and were each given an equivalent IQ score. Average IQ scores were then calculated for car brands, car colours and types of number plate, to reveal which drivers are the smartest.