A new survey shows that your daily drive and your sex drive are linked.

Turns out 1950s teenagers were right: a nice car does make you sexier. The confirmation comes from Continental Tyres, which recently conducted a survey of Australians to find out whether we judge people by the car they drive.

Your ride is especially important if you’re in your 30s, with those aged 30 to 39 most likely to judge a person on their choice of wheels. If you’re seeking a fast lane to the bedroom, a sports car is your best bet – 52 per cent of respondents said a drop-top made the driver more attractive.

The converse also applies: if you drive an ill-kept bomb, a van or a truck, 56 per cent of the population are likely to believe you are similarly unappealing.

The ‘wheel versus appeal’ equation doesn’t just apply to men – according to the survey, 64 per cent of men admitted to changing their minds about a girl’s attractiveness when they saw what car she drove.

Now, we’d imagine there are limits. If you have a head like a plucked chicken, there’s only so much the new Subaru BRZ or Chrysler 300C can do for you.

But what you drive says something about you. An old Subaru WRX, for instance, says, ‘I am a teenager of dubious repute who is about to lose his licence.’ A Toyota Camry says, ‘I am an old man, so don’t sit behind me on the freeway unless you want to do 80km/h.’ And a hybrid says, ‘I am a sanctimonious twit who doesn’t know the difference between carbon and carbon dioxide.’

Clearly if a car is going to make you more attractive to the opposite sex, it needs to be the right car. Here are some age-appropriate suggestions:

Young men: VW Golf GTI

What the car says: I have taste, style and a fast car, but I’m not going to wrap us around a telegraph pole.

Young women: Mazda2

What the car says: You think this car is cute? You should see the person driving it.

Older men: Audi S5

What the car says: I’m a gentleman of means who is still 20 years from complaining that sports suspension is uncomfortable.

Older women: BMW M3 convertible

What the car says: I have so much self-confidence that I look attractive even when my hair is a mess.