Rooney, Angelina and Prince William are among the famous names Britons give their cars, according to a study.

Sheila, The Beast and Gaga also proved popular, as did Babes, Archie and Herbie after the famous Volkswagen Beetle.

The nicknames emerged in a study of 3,000 drivers aged 17 to 45 by NCP car parks which found almost half (43 per cent) thought it was normal to name their cars.

Betty, Bertie and Bob were the top three most popular names, followed by Percy and Susie in fourth and fifth place respectively. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) chose to name their cars after celebrities, while 11 per cent named them after cartoon characters, four per cent after footballers and three per cent after politicians.

Bizarrely, three per cent named their motors after work colleagues.

Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell said: “I named my son’s Ford Ka The Kpod but it has since become Karen. It’s just something you have to do.”

NCP chief executive officer Jo Cooper said: “Our research highlights how creative we Brits are when it comes to naming our cars.

“Historically, sailors would always name their ships and pilots often named their planes, so it follows that many people name their cars too.”