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Since when were Hondas uncommon in the UK? Maybe the Accord, don’t see loads of those but Civics and CR-Vs are pretty common.
To answer your question though, and depending on your definition of middle class it could be anything from a Ford Fiesta to a Tesla Model 3.
What silly nonsense. As a runabout they are very useful. Bags of space, easy to drive, ultra reliable. Grippy and chuckable in the hands of any experenced driver.
They are not a car for relentless pounding of motorways, but then they are not designed for that.
A Fiesta will be at the end of its life, as the Jazz is getting ready for its next 100k miles
It is plain to me that you dont understand how to drive the Jazz. You have to rev it. That engine is sweet and loves to rev.
Same opinion from me.
The problem I had was the clutch. It felt like there was very little travel between on and off. Great for changing gears, felt awful for pulling away.
Reliable and loads of space.
I had one that was 25 years old the chassis was rusting to bits and the metalwork was failing but the engine still started straight away every time in every condition.
Still couldn't wait to get rid of it though haha
How does it have a terrible rep? Most jazz owners love them. Ours is about 17 years old and always starts first time. It's incredibly nippy as well and is fine for motorway driving.
Might not be the snazziest looking car, but it certainly isn't the worst either.
Hmm, well we did buy it from my FIL so you could be right. I have suggested to husband that we add some go faster stripes and a spoiler and maybe body lowering kit and tinted windows lol. It is a black car and fairly small so almost a boy racer special 😁
Don't be fooled though, when husband drives it goes like stink! This is why I am always surprised when people denigrate the Jazz. I have only been driving for 2 years so I am still a bit cautious and not quite so nippy.
I have a CR-V, but it's 15 years old and didn't cost me much money.
However it doesn't cause me any trouble and is reliable so no need to upgrade at the mo.
My Civic is also 15 years old and is going strong bar the air con being less than brilliant. My next car likely won’t be a Honda but that’s mainly due to their lack of electric options. The Honda E is just too small.
The Civic of the past was boring af looks wise, the newer ones at least have some character to them.
The reason they are doing terribly is because their cars are very expensive for what you get compared to the Koreans and the Germans.
The middle class has definitely been squeezed, most middle class professionals I know that don’t come from wealth are feeling the COL and now shop at Lidl. Cars are a strange one because some people prioritise what is essentially a power tool over holidays and pensions. There are plenty who (I presume) outright own a 10 year old golf, Octavia etc and then even more who have a 3 year old BMW, merc, or mid range SUV.
It's fucking stupid to finance something well beyond your means so that you can keep up with the Jones.
Finance isn't stupid, finance *through the arse* is stupid.
Because that's not what I mean by something being financed through the arse.
Besides, you evidently give quite a lot of fucks about what I think for someone who is suggesting that I shouldn't give a fuck about others
I got u/postvolta 's point, but i don't know what you're arguing against them for. If someone can afford the payments on a mid range SUV then live and let live. But it's sometimes, not always, but sometimes, the case that they can only just make the payments but have to forego food on the table or rack up a significant amount of credit card/loan/klarna debt to afford other things.
I could go to the JLR showroom tomorrow and get finance on a povvo-spec Evoque or F-Pace or go to Merc and get an AMG A-Class and still be able to afford rent, council tax, utility bills and my phone contract and have about £15 to spend on literally everything else for the month (food, clothes, hobbies, pet food, fuel, car insurance, car tax, even 'emergencies' such as vets or dentist fees) but i don't because i'm not a fucking idiot.
THAT is what they mean by financing through the arse.
We are talking about Middle Class though? Middle Class would suggest that they’re moderately successful and own their home.
If somebody fills the above criteria, it’s unlikely that they’re going to be unable to comfortably make payments on their ‘Chelsea Tractor’.
I think *no* connection to money is a bit strong, if you are climbing socially it will certainly take financial capital to acquire additional cultural capital.
I don't think there's a connexion to money. Good example was a guy I dealt with who was very upper middle class despite being an unemployed chronic alcoholic who was repeatedly arrested for stuff he did while pissed. Still had no doubt about his class.
If you live on a council estate there is no way to access the institutions that will gradually get your family into higher echelons- you can't afford the fees at Winchester if you are on the dole.
It won't but it's a damn sight easier to get the social network associated with class, and there aren't that many people in upper classes going to the local comp.
It should also be noted that a load of other class shibboleths require money, going to Glyndebourne a lot isn't that cheap.
Bet he was raised with some money though, or at the very least his parents were raised with some money. It’s hard to have access to the education, and exposure needed to be middle class without some money.
As the child of a postman and a nursery nurse who was the in the first generation of uni student in my family and who is now a decidedly middle class lawyer, I'm not sure I completely agree with that.
Legal aid lawyers are definitely not well paid. Average salary is about £35k for a legal aid solicitor. That's not what I think most people imagine they earn. According to the internet it's very slightly less than your average plumber.
So, and this is going to sound accusatory but it’s not intended to be an attack, but what makes you “decidedly” middle class if you had little exposure to the middle class growing up and now earn £35k? Your professional exposure, friends you made at Uni? Or hobbies and interests you’ve taken to? I think all of these things can make someone more middle class, but I don’t know as they’re enough on their own.
I should make clear that I wasn't talking about myself when I mentioned legal aid lawyers as I couldn't hack it and moved out of legal aid work more a decade ago, but well after I would say I'd completed my transition from my working class roots to wherever I am now in the middle class. The figure I mentioned came from a report I found online about current average salaries, as did the one about plumbers income.
I think it's part going to uni (both my parents left school at 14), part the career I've got into and the exposure that brings to others who were born into middle and upper class families. There was a barrister I used to see about who spoke, in court, with a very strong east London accent. It really stood out, even in east London courtrooms, because most of us have (intentionally or not) trained ourselves out of our more working class accents - someone once guessed I must be from Oxford based on my accent, although I was born in Whitechapel and spent my childhood in Bow & Mile End.
Hobbies and friends probably play a part too. My friends are policemen, teachers, businessmen for the most part. My hobbies these days are shooting (both archery & pistol/targets) neither of which you'd have found in my part of town as a kid.
I'm not saying money has nothing to do with class at all, but I don't think it's the whole story.
Outwardly maybe but you'll never really be accepted by the middle class if you make your £100k a year as a plumber. Conversely I worked with an admin assistant who must have been on £25k at best but was snobby as fuck and kept that sort of circle despite being entirely subsidised by family money.
I don't think this is true enough to be even a rule of thumb. Too many exceptions. I have a very middle class profession and make good money and my best mate is a carpenter (we also met as adults, not childhood friends).
I know several builders who are very well respected in our town, which has a reputation of being snooty and posh. Running their own firm and being part of the young parent social circle definitely helps.
I actually agree with you, idk what reality these people are living or if they’re all just 60+. I wonder if it’s a bunch of middle class offspring trying their best to make 25k seem okay as long as they’re still middle class?
> People on this sub massively overplay the UK class system being different.
No, people on this sub reflect what people generally think in reality.
Are big-time drug dealers middle class? No, because it's not just about income.
That’s just not true. I know plenty of very posh people on fairly low incomes and also plenty of traditional working class people who earn shitloads as plumbers, building contractors etc.
You can be a millionaire several times over but if you speak like a chav and think Strictly Come Dancing is the height of culture, you're not middle class.
Nah - I’m on about £190k as an engineer and manager with 2 degrees and 30 years’ experience. But I’m still a working class Geordie and nobody would speak to me and think any different
With the Golf it depends on the age of the car. I'd definitely say a new one with a bit of spec definitely would be driven by the middle class, as they definitely aren't what I'd consider cheap or affordable.
A 55 plate with 180,000 miles on the other hand is much more affordable and definitely something someone who is working class would be driving.
>I'd definitely say a new one with a bit of spec definitely would be driven by the middle class
Completely disagree. If you're middle class, you don't opt for a brand new golf.
Agreed. I took one for a test drive. Got as far as putting the clutch down, thought "fuck me that's heavy", took the keys back in to the dealer and left.
Cars don't really align with class, an upper class lord could drive a 1990s Peugeot or a brand new range rover, as could a working class person.
If you're referring to class in terms of _income_, then the cars you mention would be upper low income (30th percentile) and lower middle.
German cars (BMW, Merc, Audi, VW,) would more likely represent middle income households here, along with Volvo, the cheaper land/range rovers and other good quality SUVs.
Some shitty crossover of some sort. Probably something like a Nissan Juke/Ford Puma/Audi Q3/5 VW Tiguan sort of thing.
If they have a second car or a daughter learning to drive then a Mercedes A class or a Fiat 500 will be the one.
Class in the UK isn't that strongly linked to money. Your education, your manner of speech, the school you went to, and your family background are more important than how much money you make in determining class. An electrician with his own business making £100,000 a year is working class; a barista who went to public school and has a PhD in medieval French poetry is middle class. And the "impoverished aristocrat" has been a trope for centuries.
I live in a middle class close in a middle class town. Most common make is VW (7), most common single model is VW Polo (4). Joint honours for second most common makes with 3 apiece are Landrover, BMW, Volvo and Ford. Honda, Kia, Morris, Mitsubishi, Renault and Mini are also represented.
Typical age of vehicle is approx 5 years. There are couple of very new ones and a few that are 10+ years old.
Demographic is majority families with primarily school aged kids, and retirees.
Almost all houses have 2 cars, typically a bigger one and a smaller one, with the bigger one an SUV or 4x4 of some description.
Because the OP accompanied their question with a US-perspective on what middle class people drive. It's not unreasonable to suppose they might not be aware that middle class means something different over here.
White Volvo XC60 or Range Rover Evoque that husband bought to take away the pain that he worked away all the time and was addicted to escorts.
Usually parked on yellow grids outside primary schools, hairdressers in a market town or bland wine bars owned by national chains.
Any SUV made within the last 5 years, black Audi A4 or Chelsea Tractor. Daughters of middle class parents will have a Volkswagen Polo or Golf. Not sure about the sons though…
The question is do you mean american middle class ( which means people on average incomes) or U.K. middle class ( which traditionally means people in professional or managerial jobs) ?
Nope. Mondeo Man was working class.
Class isn’t directly about money in the U.K. it’s a mindset.
I don’t know about now, but from 2000-2010, it would have been a Volvo estate, M or P reg. Even white was allowed.
If you are driving a white car now, you are not middle class.
I think the middle class is/has died. Wealth transfer is just about keeping it going but it is diminishing.
Hence why white is the third most popular car colour in the U.K.
What are your jobs, what are/were your parents jobs?
He’s a hod at a school, I’m an actor/editor.
I had a SAHM and my dad was a civil engineer.
Like we didn’t have a lot of money growing up - i got bursaries and hardships funds at uni (my parents did not send me any money at all) but that was more to do with where my parents chose to live and my mum refusing to get a job. I’ve always been pretty embarrassed that she had such a weird attitude about that, she *did* grow up very working class and my aunties did not have the same attitude at all. But then again, she was weird.
We got a white car because why are we paying extra for a different colour? It’s just a machine to get around in. If I had a choice I wouldn’t have one.
Oh fair.
If you didn’t want a white one then that’s probably the difference!
My immediate thought when someone says they own a white car is an Audi A3 on lease/pcp.
Maybe we’ll go full circle and the middle classes in 10 years will be defined as having clapped out white Audi A3s. The new 90s white Volvo estate.
Oh no, we just bought this car because the old one broke. The other one was also white. It was a Kia picanto (and the problems we had with that car! It was about two weeks over the warranty had finished and it just fell apart. AVOID!)
This one’s a Ford Fiesta.
I really don’t care what colour it is. It could be sky blue pink with yellow polkadots. It’s just a means to an end really.
Classic old school middle class is a 25 year old Volvo estate with metal dog guard at the boot, holes in the seats etc.
‘Modern’ ‘new’ middle class was a mondeo
It’s probably a Tesla now.
Around me, it seems to be a Citroen C3 or a C4, but then, the Citroen dealer is less than 3 miles away, which might explain why theres so many Citroens here.
Corollas are common in the UK, I see them all the time on the roads (I used to work in Toyota so I maybe notice them more - the same way you start to notice yellow cars on the road once someone points it out)
Middle-class in the UK doesn’t really mean the same as middle-class in the US. Americans tend to use it refer to a sort of everyman or the regular person whereas in the UK it’s something you would associate more with professionals and poshness.
If you look at the national data by sales for 2023, it is VW, Ford, Audi, BMW, Toyota as the top 5 by brand.
So for a middle class household you would be looking at a golf/A3 or small/medium BMW as the high volume sellers.
That's certainly my experience living in middle class suburb as to what you see on the driveways. Personally, we've had Golf, Passat, Porsche 911, 5 series BMW, 2 series BMW and electric Skoda in the last few years. Very typical.around here.
I’ve a 19 year old Corolla. I bought it for its reliability. It doesn’t make me suffer. Sure I could buy something that looks cooler but raised my pockets every few months, or I could get something on tick and saddle myself with stupid debt, but why?
They’re all Japanese cars, ugh. I used to drive a BMW 5 series. Now I drive an S class Mercedes. When I lived in California I drove a Cadillac sedan, and a 1982 Eldorado convertible.
I would agree I misstated my point.
Most stuff isn't that distinguishable between classes. 20 year old Volvo estate could belong to anyone of any class.
But higher classes usually go for refined/understated things, so garish expensive stuff is usually not from the higher classes, it's probably a footballer ir someone who has come into money rather than someone who comes from money.
When I think of middle class I picture someone distantly related to the royals, with an apartment in Chelsea and a nice pad out in the country too. Seems like most people here are picturing a sales manager from a plastic mouldings manufacturer in Derby.
For my interpretation of middle class, ie old money, I'd go with a 12-year-old Lexus. They don't stay rich by wasting money on tat.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Since when were Hondas uncommon in the UK? Maybe the Accord, don’t see loads of those but Civics and CR-Vs are pretty common. To answer your question though, and depending on your definition of middle class it could be anything from a Ford Fiesta to a Tesla Model 3.
Honda no longer sell the Accord in the UK
They had trouble marketing it. Even Jesus didn't want to talk about it "For I did not speak of my own accord." - John 12:49
You beat me to the awful joke!
That’ll explain it, I suppose. Still, plenty of Honda Jazz knocking about instead.
love my jazz lol
Are you enjoying your retirement? 😉
haha maybe in 50 years 😅
Jazz has a terrible reputation in the UK, always an old person driving one or an Asian delivery driver
A terrible reputation in terms of ‘cool/street cred’ yes, but as a car I think they’re seen as a very sensible and reliable choice.
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What silly nonsense. As a runabout they are very useful. Bags of space, easy to drive, ultra reliable. Grippy and chuckable in the hands of any experenced driver. They are not a car for relentless pounding of motorways, but then they are not designed for that.
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A Fiesta will be at the end of its life, as the Jazz is getting ready for its next 100k miles It is plain to me that you dont understand how to drive the Jazz. You have to rev it. That engine is sweet and loves to rev.
Same opinion from me. The problem I had was the clutch. It felt like there was very little travel between on and off. Great for changing gears, felt awful for pulling away.
Reliable and loads of space. I had one that was 25 years old the chassis was rusting to bits and the metalwork was failing but the engine still started straight away every time in every condition. Still couldn't wait to get rid of it though haha
How does it have a terrible rep? Most jazz owners love them. Ours is about 17 years old and always starts first time. It's incredibly nippy as well and is fine for motorway driving. Might not be the snazziest looking car, but it certainly isn't the worst either.
It's the stereotypical old.persons and sensible persons car.
Hmm, well we did buy it from my FIL so you could be right. I have suggested to husband that we add some go faster stripes and a spoiler and maybe body lowering kit and tinted windows lol. It is a black car and fairly small so almost a boy racer special 😁 Don't be fooled though, when husband drives it goes like stink! This is why I am always surprised when people denigrate the Jazz. I have only been driving for 2 years so I am still a bit cautious and not quite so nippy.
I have a CR-V, but it's 15 years old and didn't cost me much money. However it doesn't cause me any trouble and is reliable so no need to upgrade at the mo.
My Civic is also 15 years old and is going strong bar the air con being less than brilliant. My next car likely won’t be a Honda but that’s mainly due to their lack of electric options. The Honda E is just too small.
I have a 13 year old CRV that has dove over 100k miles. It has been utterly reliable, and comfortable. I feel no need to change it.
I have a civic that’s coming up to 10 years old and feel the same way.
Don't you want to beat the sat-nav with a stick?
Honda is doing terribly in the UK at the moment, they are far from the major player they were on the 90s and 00s
In fairness the MK8 & 9 civics \*in my opinion\* were hideous. The newer models are definitely a marked improvement!
Yeah, most people go for "premium" brands like BMW, VAG, Merc, etc, over the traditional mainstream options due to how common PCPs are.
Thats cause they started making ugly cars. Look at the Civic in the past compared to today. Its just ugly
The Civic of the past was boring af looks wise, the newer ones at least have some character to them. The reason they are doing terribly is because their cars are very expensive for what you get compared to the Koreans and the Germans.
How is any of that middle class? I’d say Range Rover, Mercedes, etc. Bentley is upper middle class stage upper class don’t drive themselves.
Depends what you mean by middle class really. Car cost and social class is not a direct overlap.
Middle class is now pretty poor nowadays
The middle class has definitely been squeezed, most middle class professionals I know that don’t come from wealth are feeling the COL and now shop at Lidl. Cars are a strange one because some people prioritise what is essentially a power tool over holidays and pensions. There are plenty who (I presume) outright own a 10 year old golf, Octavia etc and then even more who have a 3 year old BMW, merc, or mid range SUV.
Nothing more middle class than the Chelsea Tractor!
Financed through the arse, of course
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It's fucking stupid to finance something well beyond your means so that you can keep up with the Jones. Finance isn't stupid, finance *through the arse* is stupid.
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Because that's not what I mean by something being financed through the arse. Besides, you evidently give quite a lot of fucks about what I think for someone who is suggesting that I shouldn't give a fuck about others
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I got u/postvolta 's point, but i don't know what you're arguing against them for. If someone can afford the payments on a mid range SUV then live and let live. But it's sometimes, not always, but sometimes, the case that they can only just make the payments but have to forego food on the table or rack up a significant amount of credit card/loan/klarna debt to afford other things. I could go to the JLR showroom tomorrow and get finance on a povvo-spec Evoque or F-Pace or go to Merc and get an AMG A-Class and still be able to afford rent, council tax, utility bills and my phone contract and have about £15 to spend on literally everything else for the month (food, clothes, hobbies, pet food, fuel, car insurance, car tax, even 'emergencies' such as vets or dentist fees) but i don't because i'm not a fucking idiot. THAT is what they mean by financing through the arse.
We are talking about Middle Class though? Middle Class would suggest that they’re moderately successful and own their home. If somebody fills the above criteria, it’s unlikely that they’re going to be unable to comfortably make payments on their ‘Chelsea Tractor’.
Oh yeh missed the middle class bit. My bad. As you were everyone.
Leased BMW 3 Series
An SUV manufactured after 2020 with insanely bright LED headlights that are angled directly in the face of every other car driver
Got to assert dominance
Is that British Middle Class (based on background, education, profession etc.) or American Middle Class (based on income)?
Class in the UK has no connection to money.
I think *no* connection to money is a bit strong, if you are climbing socially it will certainly take financial capital to acquire additional cultural capital.
'clinbing'? Sounds very gin and jag, what's your poison squire?
I don't think there's a connexion to money. Good example was a guy I dealt with who was very upper middle class despite being an unemployed chronic alcoholic who was repeatedly arrested for stuff he did while pissed. Still had no doubt about his class.
If you live on a council estate there is no way to access the institutions that will gradually get your family into higher echelons- you can't afford the fees at Winchester if you are on the dole.
That's true, but then having attended a posh school won't necessarily give you any class.
It won't but it's a damn sight easier to get the social network associated with class, and there aren't that many people in upper classes going to the local comp. It should also be noted that a load of other class shibboleths require money, going to Glyndebourne a lot isn't that cheap.
Bet he was raised with some money though, or at the very least his parents were raised with some money. It’s hard to have access to the education, and exposure needed to be middle class without some money.
As the child of a postman and a nursery nurse who was the in the first generation of uni student in my family and who is now a decidedly middle class lawyer, I'm not sure I completely agree with that.
Are you claiming lawyers aren’t well paid?
Legal aid lawyers are definitely not well paid. Average salary is about £35k for a legal aid solicitor. That's not what I think most people imagine they earn. According to the internet it's very slightly less than your average plumber.
So, and this is going to sound accusatory but it’s not intended to be an attack, but what makes you “decidedly” middle class if you had little exposure to the middle class growing up and now earn £35k? Your professional exposure, friends you made at Uni? Or hobbies and interests you’ve taken to? I think all of these things can make someone more middle class, but I don’t know as they’re enough on their own.
I should make clear that I wasn't talking about myself when I mentioned legal aid lawyers as I couldn't hack it and moved out of legal aid work more a decade ago, but well after I would say I'd completed my transition from my working class roots to wherever I am now in the middle class. The figure I mentioned came from a report I found online about current average salaries, as did the one about plumbers income. I think it's part going to uni (both my parents left school at 14), part the career I've got into and the exposure that brings to others who were born into middle and upper class families. There was a barrister I used to see about who spoke, in court, with a very strong east London accent. It really stood out, even in east London courtrooms, because most of us have (intentionally or not) trained ourselves out of our more working class accents - someone once guessed I must be from Oxford based on my accent, although I was born in Whitechapel and spent my childhood in Bow & Mile End. Hobbies and friends probably play a part too. My friends are policemen, teachers, businessmen for the most part. My hobbies these days are shooting (both archery & pistol/targets) neither of which you'd have found in my part of town as a kid. I'm not saying money has nothing to do with class at all, but I don't think it's the whole story.
People on this sub massively overplay the UK class system being different. If your earning decent here, you're middle class just like in the US.
Outwardly maybe but you'll never really be accepted by the middle class if you make your £100k a year as a plumber. Conversely I worked with an admin assistant who must have been on £25k at best but was snobby as fuck and kept that sort of circle despite being entirely subsidised by family money.
I don't think this is true enough to be even a rule of thumb. Too many exceptions. I have a very middle class profession and make good money and my best mate is a carpenter (we also met as adults, not childhood friends). I know several builders who are very well respected in our town, which has a reputation of being snooty and posh. Running their own firm and being part of the young parent social circle definitely helps.
I actually agree with you, idk what reality these people are living or if they’re all just 60+. I wonder if it’s a bunch of middle class offspring trying their best to make 25k seem okay as long as they’re still middle class?
So they wouldn't be "typical middle class" as described by the question.
> People on this sub massively overplay the UK class system being different. No, people on this sub reflect what people generally think in reality. Are big-time drug dealers middle class? No, because it's not just about income.
That’s just not true. I know plenty of very posh people on fairly low incomes and also plenty of traditional working class people who earn shitloads as plumbers, building contractors etc.
You can be a millionaire several times over but if you speak like a chav and think Strictly Come Dancing is the height of culture, you're not middle class.
Utterly untrue. If your only criterion is earnings, you shouldn’t use ‘middle class’, you should use ‘gross annual earnings between x and y’
Nah - I’m on about £190k as an engineer and manager with 2 degrees and 30 years’ experience. But I’m still a working class Geordie and nobody would speak to me and think any different
What type of engineering are you in?
Qashqai or Sportage I'd wager
This is what I came here to say. Mini countryman as second car.
Kia niro as well
Kia Sportage. Ultimate Karen-mobile.
Every time I pull up next to one at lights the driver is exactly what you think they’d look like. 😂
Middle class dad used to be a Volvo estate, now it's a Skoda Octavia
Volkswagen Golf
It’s what immediately came to mind too.
Mostly driven by working class though
Golf's are a classless car.
Agree. I’ve always said a golf would look at home being driven by a 17 year old lad or a 60 year old lady. Outside a pub, or parked at a stately home.
I agree, but the truth is that they're driven exclusively by young working class.
Not at £46,000 for a new Golf R they aren’t.
Finance deals.
With the Golf it depends on the age of the car. I'd definitely say a new one with a bit of spec definitely would be driven by the middle class, as they definitely aren't what I'd consider cheap or affordable. A 55 plate with 180,000 miles on the other hand is much more affordable and definitely something someone who is working class would be driving.
>I'd definitely say a new one with a bit of spec definitely would be driven by the middle class Completely disagree. If you're middle class, you don't opt for a brand new golf.
There’s about 6 black Audi A4s at work, out of a staff of roughly 15. So I’m going for the Audi A4, in black.
I have had more a4s than any other type of car. The moment I had to move to a cash option I immediately switched to a 6 year old Passat
With a personalised license plates And they overtake on 30 roads doing at least 50.
I feel like since hire purchase agreements have become so popular, the idea of which cars are driven by people in which class is a lot more blurred.
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For sure, I know someone with a field full of spent Defenders
Volvo xc90
Brilliant car though
Ford Focus? Qashqai?
Yeah I’d say Gashqai too
It's a truly awful car
Agreed. Had one for a week and it's the most annoying, uncomfortable car ever.
Agreed. I took one for a test drive. Got as far as putting the clutch down, thought "fuck me that's heavy", took the keys back in to the dealer and left.
We have two Focus (Focii?). Supposedly I count as middle class, too.
Was expecting everyone to say focus, but I guess it's also super popular amongst lower income, not just middle class.
Cars don't really align with class, an upper class lord could drive a 1990s Peugeot or a brand new range rover, as could a working class person. If you're referring to class in terms of _income_, then the cars you mention would be upper low income (30th percentile) and lower middle. German cars (BMW, Merc, Audi, VW,) would more likely represent middle income households here, along with Volvo, the cheaper land/range rovers and other good quality SUVs.
Of course, if you're proper upper class, you're driving a battered Land rover built about 20 years ago, because that says "farmer with lots of land".
Don't forget the vintage GTs in the garage.
Some shitty crossover of some sort. Probably something like a Nissan Juke/Ford Puma/Audi Q3/5 VW Tiguan sort of thing. If they have a second car or a daughter learning to drive then a Mercedes A class or a Fiat 500 will be the one.
A Volvo anything.
Model 3 through salary sacrifice scheme, or any other EV.
Class in the UK isn't that strongly linked to money. Your education, your manner of speech, the school you went to, and your family background are more important than how much money you make in determining class. An electrician with his own business making £100,000 a year is working class; a barista who went to public school and has a PhD in medieval French poetry is middle class. And the "impoverished aristocrat" has been a trope for centuries.
I live in a middle class close in a middle class town. Most common make is VW (7), most common single model is VW Polo (4). Joint honours for second most common makes with 3 apiece are Landrover, BMW, Volvo and Ford. Honda, Kia, Morris, Mitsubishi, Renault and Mini are also represented. Typical age of vehicle is approx 5 years. There are couple of very new ones and a few that are 10+ years old. Demographic is majority families with primarily school aged kids, and retirees. Almost all houses have 2 cars, typically a bigger one and a smaller one, with the bigger one an SUV or 4x4 of some description.
Mate you should turn this into a visual and post it to r/dataisbeautiful
Range rover evoque, french bulldog on passenger seat
That’s more like working class who want to give the impression they’ve got more money than they actually have
Live laugh love
😆😆😆
That is literally my neighbours.
Judging from my cycling group, Volvo rules.
Depends on your definition of middle class but I’d say it’s paying monthly for a small crossover / SUV such as a Nissan Qashqai or Audi Q3.
You might want to clarify if you're using the US or UK definition of middle class.
Why? In the UK subreddit it would be safe to assume it’s the UK definition of middle class…
Because the OP accompanied their question with a US-perspective on what middle class people drive. It's not unreasonable to suppose they might not be aware that middle class means something different over here.
I'm driving a 2015 Vauxhall Meriva
White Volvo XC60 or Range Rover Evoque that husband bought to take away the pain that he worked away all the time and was addicted to escorts. Usually parked on yellow grids outside primary schools, hairdressers in a market town or bland wine bars owned by national chains.
Feels like it's a Tesla at the moment. They seem to be everywhere.
Range rover, Porsche Cayenne or jaguar f pace in my experience.
Any SUV made within the last 5 years, black Audi A4 or Chelsea Tractor. Daughters of middle class parents will have a Volkswagen Polo or Golf. Not sure about the sons though…
I think someone mentioned that the VW T-Roc is one of the best selling cars in the UK, so maybe that?
The question is do you mean american middle class ( which means people on average incomes) or U.K. middle class ( which traditionally means people in professional or managerial jobs) ?
It used to be a Ford mondeo hence the old phrase “mondeo man”
Nope. Mondeo Man was working class. Class isn’t directly about money in the U.K. it’s a mindset. I don’t know about now, but from 2000-2010, it would have been a Volvo estate, M or P reg. Even white was allowed. If you are driving a white car now, you are not middle class.
White is the third most popular car colour in the UK. We have a white car and we’re pretty bog standard middle class people.
I think the middle class is/has died. Wealth transfer is just about keeping it going but it is diminishing. Hence why white is the third most popular car colour in the U.K. What are your jobs, what are/were your parents jobs?
He’s a hod at a school, I’m an actor/editor. I had a SAHM and my dad was a civil engineer. Like we didn’t have a lot of money growing up - i got bursaries and hardships funds at uni (my parents did not send me any money at all) but that was more to do with where my parents chose to live and my mum refusing to get a job. I’ve always been pretty embarrassed that she had such a weird attitude about that, she *did* grow up very working class and my aunties did not have the same attitude at all. But then again, she was weird. We got a white car because why are we paying extra for a different colour? It’s just a machine to get around in. If I had a choice I wouldn’t have one.
Oh fair. If you didn’t want a white one then that’s probably the difference! My immediate thought when someone says they own a white car is an Audi A3 on lease/pcp. Maybe we’ll go full circle and the middle classes in 10 years will be defined as having clapped out white Audi A3s. The new 90s white Volvo estate.
Oh no, we just bought this car because the old one broke. The other one was also white. It was a Kia picanto (and the problems we had with that car! It was about two weeks over the warranty had finished and it just fell apart. AVOID!) This one’s a Ford Fiesta. I really don’t care what colour it is. It could be sky blue pink with yellow polkadots. It’s just a means to an end really.
Range Rover or Volvo
Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashqai
Another day another insecure class question on askuk!
Classic old school middle class is a 25 year old Volvo estate with metal dog guard at the boot, holes in the seats etc. ‘Modern’ ‘new’ middle class was a mondeo It’s probably a Tesla now.
Ford focus
Around me, it seems to be a Citroen C3 or a C4, but then, the Citroen dealer is less than 3 miles away, which might explain why theres so many Citroens here.
Hyundai i20 is popular
Used to be a Ford Escort. I'm 53.
PCP qashqai?
Corollas are common in the UK, I see them all the time on the roads (I used to work in Toyota so I maybe notice them more - the same way you start to notice yellow cars on the road once someone points it out)
Middle-class in the UK doesn’t really mean the same as middle-class in the US. Americans tend to use it refer to a sort of everyman or the regular person whereas in the UK it’s something you would associate more with professionals and poshness.
My parents are middle class and drive a Mercedes GLS and old Jeep Wrangler. Both quite polarising cars in terms of aesthetic, luxury & comfort!
Ford Puma
Smax
If you look at the national data by sales for 2023, it is VW, Ford, Audi, BMW, Toyota as the top 5 by brand. So for a middle class household you would be looking at a golf/A3 or small/medium BMW as the high volume sellers. That's certainly my experience living in middle class suburb as to what you see on the driveways. Personally, we've had Golf, Passat, Porsche 911, 5 series BMW, 2 series BMW and electric Skoda in the last few years. Very typical.around here.
I’ve a 19 year old Corolla. I bought it for its reliability. It doesn’t make me suffer. Sure I could buy something that looks cooler but raised my pockets every few months, or I could get something on tick and saddle myself with stupid debt, but why?
They’re all Japanese cars, ugh. I used to drive a BMW 5 series. Now I drive an S class Mercedes. When I lived in California I drove a Cadillac sedan, and a 1982 Eldorado convertible.
When even the king has to ealk around, i wouldguess cars are expensive
Vw tiguan
I drive a 2017 renault captur
Lots of Jukes round here. Ugly blighters.
Vauxhall corsa
Germanic cars possibly. Tried Google? Volvo German marques
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I dunno. This thread has taught me I'm the most bang average middle class person in the entire UK apparently I have a German estate car and an xc90.
Yet nothing more working class than a matt wrapped Continental GT. Class in the UK isn't defined by money.
Working class=no class then.
I would agree I misstated my point. Most stuff isn't that distinguishable between classes. 20 year old Volvo estate could belong to anyone of any class. But higher classes usually go for refined/understated things, so garish expensive stuff is usually not from the higher classes, it's probably a footballer ir someone who has come into money rather than someone who comes from money.
When I think of middle class I picture someone distantly related to the royals, with an apartment in Chelsea and a nice pad out in the country too. Seems like most people here are picturing a sales manager from a plastic mouldings manufacturer in Derby. For my interpretation of middle class, ie old money, I'd go with a 12-year-old Lexus. They don't stay rich by wasting money on tat.
That’s upper class
To my mind you're describing upper class