FETCHING the shopping is revealed as the number one use for our cars, with eight in 10 from the South of England admitting that this is the main use of our motors, according to research by Virgin Cars.

Seven in 10 Southerners use cars for travelling to work and 56 per cent use them for leisure trips out and about. A quarter of Southerners use cars for ferrying the kids to school, with just one in 10 using them to carry sports and hobby gear.

Given the different demands from a car, choosing the right one is a critical decision and with more than four in 10 of Southern households having two cars or more, it is double trouble, or double the fun for some!

Virgin Cars’ research highlights that women prefer hatchbacks and males prefer saloon or large executive cars. This is because women want something manoeuvrable that is easy to park and bundle kids and shopping into, while men like the power, speed and kudos of a larger car. 25-34 year olds admit to using a car as a way to impress and so more sports cars and cabriolets are driven by drivers in this age bracket than any other.

If money were no object, those in the South looking for a practical car would seek out the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus, while those doing a lot of city driving would give the Mini and SMART car the thumbs up.

The dream car for Southerners would be James Bond’s favourite, the sensational Aston Martin, with the rumbling roar of the Ferrari a close second.

For fun, people would buy the Audi TT or the Volkswagen Beetle, with the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S Class rated the best choices for stretches of motorway driving if the budget were limitless.

To check out great car deals with up to 27 per cent off the UK retail prices, visit www.virgin.com/cars or call 0845 270 2277.