My first love? She leaked oil and was covered in rust.

Boyfriends and girlfriends may come and go, but Britain’s first love is always going to be with its cars.

According to research by the British International Motor Show, getting our first set of wheels ranks higher than our first boyfriend or girlfriend – and even our first kiss – as our fondest memory from our teenage years.

More than 40 per cent of the 2,011 adults surveyed were so enamoured with their first car, they could still recall its number plate in full.

Damon Fox, 23, a primary school sports co-ordinator from Boultham Avenue, says he remembers more about his first car than his first kiss, explaining that when he laid eyes on his first car, he knew he had to have it there and then.

“It was a blue Peugeot 106. It cost me £1,000 and I drove it home there and then,” he said.

“I knew I had to have that car – there was no way I was leaving without it.

“It was a really good ride, but I can’t really say I enjoyed my first kiss as much.

“It was too forgettable. I know it was very gentle and very, very moist, but that’s about it. I didn’t enjoy it at all.”

Surprisingly, however, Damon said if he had to choose, he’d rather see the girl he had his first kiss with again than his first car.

“I’d rather see my first kiss again. We were just young kids, but with a bit of work it could have had some potential,” he said.

“My first car was already a well-oiled machine.”

Stacey Anderson, 21, an NHS administration assistant from Sincil Bank, says she remembers her first car and first kiss equally.

“I still drive my first car now and I’ll have it till it’s time to take it to the scrap yard,” she said.

“I love my first car and I’ll never forget it. We’ve had a consistently good relationship and, although it might let me down every now and again, I know it’s here for a while.”

Stacey said, however, her first kiss was a completely different experience – and she’ll always remember it for the sheer embarrassment.

“I remember it being the biggest deal in the world and everyone was talking about it in class,” she said. “It was a disaster and we ended up bumping teeth.

“I was so embarrassed. I’ll always remember both though, for different reasons.

“They’re major achievements in my teenage life.”

Twelve per cent of those surveyed felt more attractive to the opposite sex once they had qualified to drive, while more than a third of people said they had sex in the back seat of their first car.

Kirsty Perkinson, one of the show organisers, said: “People develop powerful bonds with their cars, especially their first. First cars represent an explosion of independence and a gateway to untold adventures, which is why they are so special.”