Name Your Car Day 2015

No, they aren’t the next additions to the Kardashian-West brood, nor are they the latest Geely models to hit the streets.

After children (obviously) and pets (also, duh), we Australians have a huge affinity for naming our cars, so we are celebrating this October 2nd as National Name Your Car Day.

And no, we didn’t make that up.

It’s a day that has grown in popularity over the past 15 years, particularly in the USA, embraced by motorists as a four-wheeled nod to the centuries-old tradition of naming ships and boats.

We’ve all done it.

Whether there is a strong emotional connection to the car or just an amusing nickname born from its number plate, naming our cars is an integral part of Australian car culture.

Even at CarAdvice, our long-term test cars tend to be named as they become part of our family. Ralph, Traxy, Hulk, Klug and the ‘Flying Avocado’ – naming your car just seems like the right thing to do.

We recently conducted a survey, and found we spend about as much time and care on our cars as we do our pets and siblings, and that over 85 per cent of respondents named their car at one point in time.

So what are our four-wheel companions called?

Colour is a big driver, with monikers such as ‘White Lightning’ and ‘Red Rocket’ featuring heavily, as is power with the outright favourite name honours falling to ‘Beast’ - a name made even more famous and relevant by Australian actor Eric Bana and his red 1974 XB Ford Falcon coupe of the same name.

Beyond the obvious alliteration and rhymes (Rhonda the Honda, Terry the Territory), is a trend of light-hearted pop-culture humour, with over 15 per cent of names based on celebrities and fictional characters.

Taylor Swift, Tom Cruze, Ron the burgundy Commodore and our outright favourite, Neil Patrick Yaris, shows that fun is still paramount to enjoying our cars.

My own Nissan GT-R was called Golgo after the animated Japanese assassin, Golgo 13 (don't judge, it was the 90s).

So remember, that behind the badges and paint lies more than a machine. Our cars are an extension of our personality - and that personality needs a name.

This year, October 2nd is Name Your Car Day and it is time to give back to the vehicles that connect our world and our lives, and celebrate the Oscars, Ashleys, Breezys, Dexters and Rockys that travel our roads.

To join the fun, simply post a photo of your car and its name to Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtags #NameYourCarDay and #CarAdvice, and our two favourites will each win a $500 petrol voucher.

Check out http://www.nameyourcarday.com.au for more information.