Sharing Cars: Are You ‘Car-Compatible’ With Your Partner?

Whether you’re a one-car couple or occasionally use your partner's car, you’re bound to bump heads over car sharing. The brand Mazda commissioned a survey for its Driver Personalization System that was conducted by Talker Research. The poll of 2,000 married or cohabitating car drivers yielded surprising findings about what couples argue about when it comes to sharing a vehicle.

Of course, many of us would love to think we are “car-compatible” with our partners. But this study may have opened my eyes a bit.

The study found the average couple shares a vehicle eight times per month. One in four Americans consider themselves “car-incompatible” with their spouses or partners. Interestingly, the study has found that 10% of men would consider it a dealbreaker if they weren’t “car-compatible.”

The poll of married or cohabitating car drivers found that 25% are incompatible with how they treat vehicles. This means they have different ideas on how to use and treat what they drive.

They found that 45% of couples admit they argue over a shared vehicle, and 28% have gotten into disagreements and arguments specifically over how the car’s settings are adjusted.

When getting into the vehicle after their spouse has been driving, respondents said they frequently have to readjust several settings in their vehicle before driving if their spouse was in it before them, including seat positions (62%), mirrors (55%), seatbacks (51%) and stereo (50%).

These disagreements can be particularly stressful with 25% of married or cohabitating people defining them as serious. However, 59% said they probably wouldn’t argue if their spouse would just give them a heads-up about the vehicle's state.

Many said they’d reward their spouse for properly readjusting vehicle settings after driving it by cleaning the vehicle once a week (25%), taking them out on a romantic dinner date (21%), watching a movie their spouse loves that they themselves hate (18%) and handle chores for their spouse (16%). Eight percent said they’d even renew their wedding vows.

The study also identified who in relationships is most likely to be responsible for different driving situations.

Respondents said they’re more likely to be the better driver of the two of them (57%), fill the gas tank (52%), and are more likely to sing while driving than their spouse (42%).

Meanwhile, they claimed their spouses are likely not to reset the seat position (50%), not reset the mirror positions (45%), backseat drive (45%), dictate what route to take (43%), drive too aggressively (39%) and not fill the gas tank (37%).

On average, drivers said it takes them two minutes to readjust everything when they get in the car after their spouse. Thirteen percent said having to readjust everything has even caused them to run late to wherever they were heading.

So, what else did they find during their study? Check out the complete study here.