Whether you’re “a car person” or not, your ride sends messages. Here are just a few examples of choices that have a distinctive vibe. The impressions and stereotypes listed below were gathered from various websites and, like most stereotypes, do not necessarily reflect the truth.
Prius
I’m starting with Prius because I own one—two, in fact. Non-Prius owners tend to stereotype Prius owners as 1) tree-huggers and 2) bad drivers.
According to urbandictionary.com, the top definition of Prius includes: “Hippies hipsters, and less-intelligent liberals buy them under the impression they’re saving the environment.” If you remember (or have heard of) the 1970’s hippies, VW buses, etc., then you know tree-hugger stereotypes have been around long before the Prius. True, it is an environmentally friendly car, very economical. But fYI: as a group, Prius owners are not environmental activists.
Also according to urbandictionary.com, top definition of Prius: “Prius is most often seen doing 40 in the carpool lane with an obese neckbeard at the wheel, a 24-pack of PSR in the truck [sic], and an anti-Bush sticker on the trunk lid.” In fact, bad drivers are everywhere and drive anything. No doubt you’ve seen accidents with luxury cars, pickup trucks, mini vans, compact cars, and anything else that’s on the road. Enough said.
Famous Prius Owners
- Tom Hanks
- Ryan Gosling
- Cameron Diaz
- Julia Roberts
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Danny DeVito
- Jeff Goldblum
Ford F-150
America’s #1 selling vehicle since 1977
- Work vehicle
- Towing capacity
- Off-road capability
- Can handle massive cargo
- Luxury and modern tech
- Great outdoors, rugged strength, old-school Americans
Other Ford Models
- More unathletic and ugly than any other driver
- Older
- Modest
- Far from the executive suite
Cadillac
Ten stereotypes as identified by Nigel Presnyakov in October of 2019 (city-data.com), are humorous. He categorizes by model and year. Who knows how closely they reflect reality? But worth a read.
- Escalade drivers: a rap star or a housewife. Stereotypers agree this car attracts either hip-hoppers or soccer moms.
Subaru
- Outdoorsy, granola types who go camping biweekly and cover their car with social justice stickers.
And here are the views summarized by Joe Djoremy on quara.com
Audi
- Attractive and audacious
- A car for “climbers”
- More playful than Mercedes or BMW drivers
- Younger and less wealthy than Mercedes drivers
BMW
- Wild and male (only the Porsche is more so)
- Likely to be speeders
- Athletic and arrogant
- Not (yet) as professionally successful as Porsche
- Only moderately ten with efficient dynamics and ecology
Fiat
- Slim and restrained
- A “women’s car”
- Low salary, no university degree
Mercedes
- Serious and bourgeois
- Older
- Likely self-employed, arrogant, conservative, unathletic, and overweight
Mini
- Young and sexy
- Typically female
- Pretty, cosmopolitan, cheerful, athletic, daredevil
- Presumed low-income, with someone else providing for their needs
- Often a student
Opel
- Honest and good humored
- Modest
- Unattractive, unathletic, philistine
- Happier than Mercedes drivers
Peugeot (per German opinions)
- Happy and modest
- Employed female
- Mid-30s
- Polite, modest, pretty, slim
- Good-humored
Volkswagen
- Happy and modest
- Middle class, moderately educated, average income
- Otherwise, the image of Volkswagen drivers is all over the map
- Neither young nor old
- Modest yet cosmopolitan
- Shy yet audacious
Motorcyclist Stereotypes
(Mentioned in Last Week’s Blog)
- Riders wear leather to look cool:
- Could be for style, but leather riding gear is both protective and practical
- A bunch of stunt hooligans
- The vast majority are careful riders, obeying traffic laws
- Actual gatherings for reckless or flamboyant riding are usually kept on the down low
- Motovlogs on YouTube: journalistic, motorcyclist, or just plain fun
- Bikers hate cars
- In reality, most motorcycle riders hate that too many people don’t use them properly, especially not sharing the road
- All are road-rage barbarians
- Some are, most not, just as any other vehicle driver
- Generally, motorcyclists disapprove of those who make all look bad
- Bikers have a death wish
- Not so: bikers want to ride because they get so much in return, despite the risks
- Accidents tend to be more dangerous when they occur simply because motorcyclists are not surrounded by the protective metal and fiberglass shell of other vehicles
And Rounding us out: caranddriver.com, 25 Best-Selling Cars,Trucks,and SUVs of 2020
Vehicle popularity is heavy on SUVs and trucks, with a smattering of cars. Here, without further comment:
.
- Toyota 4Runner
- FordTramsot
- Jeep Cherokee
- Nissan Altima
- Mazda CX-5
- Subaru Outback
- Subaru Forester
- Ford Escape
- Honda Accord
- Jeep Wrangler
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Toyota Highlander
- Ford Explorer
- Nissan Rogue
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota Tacoma
- GMC Sierra
- Honda Civic
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Toyota Camry
- Honda CRC
- Toyota RAV4
- Dodge Ram Pickup
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Ford F-series
NB: for the sake of brevity, most of these makes/models aren’t mentioned above, but their profiles are out there!
BOTTOM LINE: As a society, we are prone to classify tings—often for silly reasons. Something to be aware of in our lives and take advantage of in our writing.