Trust and royalty

UK car buyers apparently trust the royal family for used car advice. What celebs do we trust, asks Damien O’Carroll.

Car buyers in the United Kingdom prefer to take advice on their vehicle purchases from people who most likely know almost literally nothing about cars, if the latest results from a survey by car shopping website CarGurus.co.uk are to be believed.

A 93-year old man who never even passed his driving test tops the list of the most trusted ‘‘celebrities’’ to recommend a used car, while a man who actually used to review cars can only make 11th.

Mind you, when you see who those two men are, their relative level of public trust makes more sense; David Attenborough tops the list, while it is UK prime minister Boris Johnson – a man widely regarded as the worst car reviewer ever to draw breath – who clocks in at 11th.

In between them is a veritable who’s who of people who know nothing about cars, with quite a few who almost certainly would never have bought a used car or, quite possibly, even have sat in one.

For example, Prince William and Kate Middleton together take out second place, followed by the Queen, David Beckham and Judi Dench.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also make the list (in 8th place), while one of the only royals with an actual acknowledged proper interest in cars – Prince Charles – is nowhere to be seen.

At least the Queen scoring 3rd spot is a high point – the monarch was a mechanic in the army and has always enjoyed driving, even if it has quite possibly only ever been in Land Rovers.

Her husband, Prince Philip, also enjoyed driving, but hasn’t had the best track record of late . . .

And as for asking a Premier League footballer (Beckham) for car advice, well, we would imagine the answer to any and every question would simply be ‘‘a Bentley Continental GT with 22-inch wheels’’. Asking his wife (Victoria Beckham pops up at 15th place on the list) would only probably elicit a reference to the fact that she ‘‘designed’’ the interior of the Range Rover Evoque.

Would you really expect them to offer useful used car buying advice though? After all, these people live in a world so privileged it is perfectly reasonable to trademark their children’s names.

Quite why Boris Johnson even makes the list is also a mystery, given his track record as a liar and for penning a scattering of reviews in which he largely just wrote about himself (although he did once manage to write what is probably the most offensive sentence to be published in a car review – you have been warned if you go looking for it.)

Car buyers did however consider him more trustworthy in his used car recommendations than two other

UK politicians; Jeremy Corbyn (12th) and Nigel Farage (13th), which is not really surprising, as Corbyn looks like a particularly fervent Nissan Leaf driver and Farage comes across like a dodgy used car salesman.

Given all of those entries, it really is no wonder David Attenborough topped the poll.

Nearly a quarter of British car buyers said the iconic broadcaster would be trusted to get them a good used car deal, even though the 93-year-old has never passed his driving test.

Weirdly though, considering they still command a hefty celebrity profile, the former-Top Gear/ current-Grand Tour trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond don’t even rate a mention.

High-profile celebrity car fans like Rowan Atkinson and Steve Coogan are strangely absent as well.

While details about the survey are scant, other than CarGurus interviewed ‘‘more than 2000 people’’, we can only assume the respondents had to choose from a set list of celebs, making it a ‘‘best of a bad lot’’ kind of choice.

Here is the complete, deeply strange list of the most trusted ‘‘celebrities’’ to recommend a used car:

■ David Attenborough

■ Prince William and Kate Middleton

■ The Queen

■ David Beckham

■ Judi Dench

■ Ed Sheeran

■ Holly Willoughby

■ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

■ Adele

■ Mary Berry

■ Boris Johnson

■ Jeremy Corbyn

■ Nigel Farage

■ Stormzy

■ Victoria Beckham

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also make the list (in 8th place), while one of the only royals with an actual acknowledged

proper interest in cars – Prince Charles – is nowhere to be seen.

SUPPLIED Sir David Attenborough and the Queen possibly chatting about cars. Probably not though.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF Prince Harry and Meghan Markle most definitely not discussing the relative merits of the Toyota Highlander behind them.

AP Boris Johnson mainly wrote about himself when reviewing cars, but managed to include a few offensive sentences as well.

SUPPLIED Jeremy Corbyn looks like the kind of man who is never happier than when patiently waiting for his Leaf to charge at a mall car park.