Almost a third of male drivers and a fifth of female motorists now resent their cars, according to a Nationwide Autocentre survey.
Rising fuel costs (74%) and road tax (53%) were sited as the main reasons for this new-found attitude.
Road rage was also highlighted as a turn-off, with 38% of women and 29% of men finding it a problem.
The survey, which questioned around 1000 motorists, also showed that nearly 50% of the UK is spending money on essentials like food and clothing instead of maintaining their vehicles.
Duncan Wilkes, Nationwide Autocentre managing director, said: “Cars have had such bad press recently with rocketing running costs, poor environmental performance and increased road safety legislation, so we wanted to find out exactly how motorists in Britain feel about their cars.
“We were surprised to find that so many motorists have such a strong negative opinion.”
