Women think attractive men are most likely to be driving a black Ford pickup truck, according to a new poll by Insure, an independent consumer insurance website.
The survey asked 2,000 men and women what type, brand, and color of vehicle is driven by the "most fetching members of the opposite sex," with ladies saying desirable men are not likely to be driving a minivan, mail truck, or hybrid.
According to the poll, women ranked the following cars as what attractive men drive:
Pickup trucks: 32 percent
Sports cars: 27 percent
SUVs: 16 percent
Sedans: 11 percent
Hybrid or electric: 9 percent
UPS truck: 4 percent
Minivans: 2 percent
Mail truck: 1 percent
Ford (16 percent), Chevrolet (13 percent), and Porsche (11 percent) were the top brands women thought good-looking men would drive, and chose black as the color of car preferred by handsome men at 53 percent.
Experts said the findings were true. "The findings strike me as very accurate," said Joe Wiesenfelder, executive editor of Chicago-based Cars.com. "Among the general public, a black pickup truck is a reflection of a masculine owner."
"A woman walks up to a black pickup truck and says to herself, 'Here's a guy who can help me move, bring me large gifts from Crate & Barrel and do repairs around my condo,'" he said.
"There's just something about a truck, and it doesn't matter whether you're in Santa Monica or San Antonio," said Edmunds.com automotive editor Mike Magrath. "It's rugged, but it's still a guy who's put together enough resources to buy one and keep it on the road."
Edmunds.com senior analyst Jessica Caldwell also said "chick cars" are "especially troublesome for male drivers."
"I would think twice about dating a guy driving a VW Beetle, or anything labeled a chick car," Caldwell said. "Telling your friends, 'Yeah, my new boyfriend drives a VW Beetle,' that would be very humiliating."