Drivers of some car brands have negative stereotypes, such as the bad reputation of their owners. While it is best to avoid sweeping generalizations, recent studies have interesting findings on this topic. In one study, they are some of the most stupid people with low IQ scores — and in another, they are the most mentally disturbed.
In the study, BMW drivers are some of the least intelligent drivers – with low IQ scores
Before we get to the BMW studies on “stupidity and psychopathy,” I want to make it clear that I have no personal vendettas or prejudice against BMW drivers. I am not here to belittle them.
Gran Turismo. It’s safe to say that I thoroughly enjoyed The Ultimate Driving Machine.
As the deep-voiced narrator of the classic commercial says, “If a car company can have a soul, this is ours” – the BMW 8 Series 850i. If BMW had a real soul, then the owners of the “Ultimate Driving Machine” couldn’t be so bad, right? But BMW killed the first generation of the 8 Series for the American market in 1997 and globally in 1999. Does this death mean that the spirit of the company died with it?
Of course, this is all a joke. Plus, I have family and friends who drive BMWs. They are all smart in their own way – and display no psychopathic or stupid traits.
However, BMW drivers have a bad reputation for aggressive and rude driving behavior – fair or not. With this in mind, the results of the studies he conducted are particularly interesting.
One study looked at the relationship between drivers’ intelligence levels and the vehicle they drive. This study involved 2,000 drivers of different car brands who were subjected to an IQ (intelligence quotient) test. Those with the lowest IQ scores are defined as the most stupid – while those with the highest IQ scores are defined as the smartest.
Car brand intelligence ratings
For the tests, BMW drivers are some of the stupidest, with the third lowest IQ score. Only Land Rover and Fiat drivers get lower scores.
Here are the IQ scores for drivers of the car brands in the study – ranked from lowest to highest:
- Land Rover: 88.58.58
- Fiat: 90.14
- BMW: 91.68
- Volkswagen: 92.25
- Volvo: 92.40
- Ford: 92.75
- Honda: 92.88
- Kia: 93.01
- Audi: 93.25
- Reno: 93.41
- Hyundai: 93.52
- Citroen: 94.29
- Seat: 94.71
- April: 94.71
- Mercedes-Benz: 94.74
- Vauxhall: 95.11
- Toyota: 95.76
- Mazda: 95.91
- Mini: 97.41.0000
- Peugeot: 97.79
- Suzuki: 98.09.2010
- Skoda: 99
Also, on the other end of the IQ spectrum are drivers. They had the highest IQ scores in the study, followed by Suzuki and Peugeot. Skoda is an automobile brand from the Czech Republic – and one of the oldest continuous automakers in the world.
BMW drivers are the most mentally disturbed BMW drivers in the study
Prior to studying intelligence, Scrap Car Comparison conducted another study that looked at the relationship between drivers’ psychopathy and car brands. Like the IQ research, the Psychopathy Study evaluated 2,000 drivers. He gave them the Psychopathy Test, which measures different traits of psychopathy. Examples include a high sense of self-worth, no feelings of remorse or guilt, and superficial charm.
With the highest scores on the tests, BMW drivers are the most mentally ill. This indicates that they are more aggressive and less considerate while driving. They are followed by the most psychopathic drivers of Audi and Fiat cars.
Here are the car brand’s scores for psychopathic drivers – ranked from highest to lowest:
- BMW: 12.1
- Audi: 11.7
- Fiat: 7.0
- Mazda: 6.4
- Honda: 6.3
- Ford: 6.1
- Mercedes-Benz: 5.9
- Citroen: 5.8
- Volkswagen: 5.4
- Hyundai: 5.3
- Renault: 5.3
- Other: 5.3
- Volvo: 5.2
- Nissan: 5.0
- Peugeot: 4.8
- Toyota: 4.7
- Vauxhall: 4.7
- Seat: 4.3
- Kia: 4.2
- Skoda: 3.2
Once again, Skoda drivers did well in one of the studies. They are the least psychologically disturbed, followed by Kia and Seat. The study points to the calm and measured demeanor of people behind the wheel of these car brands.
Bad reputation of BMW owners
As mentioned earlier, bikers have a bad reputation. If you do a Google search on the subject, you will find many queries, articles and social media discussions about how they are bad, aggressive and rude drivers. They have also become the avatar of the “rich fool,” an image that has been cemented in television shows, movies, and other media.
A funny example of this is in an episode of the iconic series Too bad Series you can watch in the video below. After seeing a sassy BMW driver nearly run over a frail old woman at a gas station, Walter White puts a wiper on the BMW convertible’s battery, causing it to explode.
Clearly, this negative image of BMW drivers has stuck – as shown by a poll it conducted, which asked respondents who they thought were the worst drivers. By an overwhelming margin (nearly 40%), respondents named BMW drivers the worst – far ahead of Audi drivers, the second-worst driver (14%).
According to studies, the dubious distinction of BMW drivers being one of the stupidest and most likely psychopathic drivers makes some people feel a sense of validation in their negative perceptions.
However, it is best to take the study results with a “grain of salt”. Studies were conducted by a single entity. An essential part of research validation is conducting multiple studies from different sources. Before any conclusions can be drawn, additional studies supporting BMW’s “stupidity and psychopathy” findings are necessary.
However, the notoriety of the “ultimate drive machine” wreaking havoc on the streets remains.
