Hertz Survey Reveals That 1 in 3 Men Rent Items To Fool Their Dates

-- Fast cars and fancy clothes top the list of hired or borrowed items to impress prospective partners

LONDON, Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hertz Corporation (NYSE: HTZ), the world's largest general car use brand, has revealed that British men are feeling the pressure after almost one third (31%) admitted to trying to pass off hired or borrowed items as their own just to impress a date.

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The new findings, released today, have found that cars and then clothing topped the list of the most frequently hired or borrowed objects, with one in six men admitting to temporarily obtaining these to entice potential partners. Their efforts might be worth it however, as more than 40% of women agree that the car a person drives can make them more attractive, while nearly 60% agreed that a man's outfit would impress them.

Other lengths that guys would go to included renting a house or apartment and even taking on a temporary pet to play up their emotional side.

It's not just the men who are playing the game though as 1 in 5 women (19%) also admit to renting or borrowing items to look the part. The study also reveals that the trend is more common among younger respondents, with 40% of those between 18 and 25 confessing that they had invested to impress.

Respondents from Swansea were found to be the most likely to rent to woo their dates, with 43% admitting to the practice, followed closely by Aberystwyth and Leeds. Conversely, Gloucester, Cambridge and Wolverhampton ranked as the least likely to invest to impress.

The survey also found that Lamborghinis topped the list of cars that people would most love to be driven in this Valentine's Day. The Hertz Supercar Collection (www.hertzsupercars.com) comes to the rescue for Valentine sweethearts everywhere with the Lamborghini LP570-4 Performante Edizione Tecnica for hire by the day. Other desired supercars on offer include the Jaguar XKR-S, Range Rover Vogue Autobiography and Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster.

Notes:

Most commonly rented or borrowed items used to impress a date:

1. Clothing/accessories
2. Cars
3. A house or apartment
4. A cat, dog or other pet
5. Expensive technology

Towns most likely to hire or borrow items to impress

1. Swansea
2. Aberystwyth
3. Leeds
4. Liverpool
5. Birmingham

Towns least likely to hire or borrow items to impress:

1. Gloucester
2. Cambridge
3. Wolverhampton
4. Chelmsford
5. Plymouth

Most desired cars to be driven in on Valentine's Day:

1. Lamborghini
2. Jaguar
3. Bentley
4. Rolls Royce
5. Ferrari

*1,000 respondents from the UK were polled by OnePoll.com on behalf of Hertz, January 2013.

About Hertz      

The Hertz Corporation (www.hertz.com) operates its car rental business through the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands from approximately 10,400 corporate, licensee and franchisee locations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental brand, operating from approximately 8,800 corporate and licensee locations in 150 countries. Hertz is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 111 major airports in Europe. Dollar and Thrifty have approximately 1,580 corporate and franchisee locations in 80 countries.

Hertz is in its 94th year of delivering quality car rental solutions to leisure and corporate customers. Product and service innovations such as Hertz #1 Club Gold, Worldwide Online Check-in, specially designed NeverLost® satellite navigation systems, and unique cars offered through the company's Prestige, Family, Fun/Adrenaline and Green Collections, set Hertz apart from the competition.

CONTACT: Luke Campbell, Ketchum, +44(0)207-611-3735, luke.campbell@ketchum.com; or Nicola Hanley, Ketchum, +44(0)207-611-3597, nicola.hanley@ketchum.com