The top 15 car icks that could be ending relationships for millions of people across the country

January 20, 2023 by FIAT

• Tailgating, road rage and vehicles filled with stuffed toys were the most common car icks, according to Fiat

•Other more amusing car icks include driving with gloves on and stopping too far away from a ticket machine at a car park or toll road, meaning drivers are unable to stretch for a ticket

•The term ick was coined by Olivia Atwood on season three of Love Island and is something someone does that is an instant turnoff and potentially leads to the end of a relationship

•Four in 10 (40%) admitted to getting 'the ick', with 74% of those breaking up with a partner because of it

•Given Fiat 500 has long been synonymous with love and romance for over 65 years, the team at Fiat have lent a helping hand to couples, revealing features on all-electric 500 that can steer couples away from giving their partner the ick

The most common driving icks which could be ending relationships for millions of people across the country, have been revealed by Fiat.

This comes following a Fiat survey of 2,000 people which revealed more than a third of people (40%) are suffering from 'the ick' when they're in relationships, with 74% of those subsequently breaking up with a partner.

With winter Love Island on, which is where the term ick shot to prominence, the study by Fiat has identified the top 15 most common car icks and also looked at how widespread 'the ick' is.

For over 65 years, Fiat 500 has long been synonymous with love and romance. As a result, the team at Fiat have also lent a helping hand to couples, revealing features on the all-electric 500 which can help steer people away from falling victim to the most common car icks.

'The ick' is when attraction to a current or potential partner suddenly changes to a feeling of disgust, lessening or completely eradicating your romantic feelings towards them, because the individual did something either disturbing or annoying. It typically occurs in the early stages of a relationship.

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Tailgating (31%) road rage (28%) and vehicles filled with stuffed toys (26%) were the top three most commons icks drivers should avoid if they want to keep hold of their partner.

The research found other commons driving behaviours people need to get right to ensure they don't give people 'the ick' were watching someone unsuccessfully parallel park (19%) , when someone honks the second the traffic light goes green (19%), playing loud music with the window down (17%) and revving the engine at a red light (11%).

Some of the more amusing or bizarre actions that apparently led to 'the ick' were driving with gloves on (21%), stopping too far away from a ticket machine at a car park or toll road, meaning drivers are unable to stretch for the ticket (7%) and having windscreen wipers on their fastest mode when it is only drizzling (4%).

Top 15 car icks:

1.Tailgating

2.Road rage

3.Vehicles filled with stuffed toys

4.When people return to their cars with their hands full and struggle to get the door open and end up dropping everything from their hands

5.Driving with gloves on

6.Watching someone unsuccessfully parallel park

7.When someone honks the second the traffic light goes green

8.Playing loud music with the window down

9.When drivers speed through puddles, splashing pedestrians

10.Honking while in a traffic queue

11.When someone revs their engine while at a red light or while stopped

12.Driving extremely slowly below the speed limit

13.Stopping too far away from a ticket machine at car park / toll road and unable to reach the ticket

14.Having windscreen wipers on their fastest mode when it is only drizzling

15.Filling the car with fuel using gloves

Giuseppe Cava, Marketing Director, Fiat and Abarth said: 'To do our bit for those in the early stages of relationships, we wanted to find out what the most common car icks are so drivers can perhaps avoid giving their partner the ick. Tailgating, road rage and a vehicle stuffed with toys really are a no no for drivers.

'Fiat 500 has long been synonymous with romance, with many couples opting for the iconic car as a way of transport to and from their big day. We hope that our findings helping couples acknowledge some of the biggest car icks to avoid a faux pas with their partner.

'For drivers of all-electric 500, the car offers a few gizmos which can alleviate fears for drivers over falling victim to some of the biggest car icks, such as its parking technologies, e-latch fitted doors and quiet electric power train.'

Fiat also looked at how the ick was impacting budding relationships across the UK and which age groups and genders were suffering with it the most.

Research by Fiat found 'the ick' was affecting Brits young and old. Among those who got 'the ick', 50% of 18 to 24 year olds have ended one relationship.

In addition, 25 to 34 (48%), 35 to 44 (51%), 45 to 54 (41%), 55 to 64 (33%) and 65+ (37%) year olds have done the same thing.

However, of those who got 'the ick', it was the older age groups that topped the charts when it came to ending multiple relationships.

65+ year olds were the most prominent age bracket to end numerous relationship (47%) with 55 to 64 year olds (40%) close behind. Conversely, only 15% of 18 to 24 year olds cast a partner aside multiple times.

When it came to how long it took to break up with a partner, the older demographic was also more ruthless. 45 to 54 (34%), 55 to 64 (44%) and 65+ (49%) year olds ended a relationship within two days. Yet, only 7% of 18 to 24 year olds and 21% of 25 to 34 year olds ended a relationship in the same amount of time.

Breaking the findings down by gender, of those that got 'the ick' Fiat found that women and men were equally likely (74%) to break up with a partner one or more times. Although, women were more likely (14%) to break up with someone only a day after getting the ick (7%).