A recently released autoTRADER.ca survey suggests steering clear of car-sharing services, taxis and even public transit this Valentine’s Day.

Ninety-two percent of Canadians say they find it appealing when their date shows up driving their own car, according to the website’s online survey — Revving Up for Romance — which examines the role of the automobile in modern-day dating.

Almost half of the respondents surveyed — 48 percent — reported that they would find a borrowed vehicle either unattractive or “embarrassing beyond words.”

“People, regardless of their age, tend to equate certain ideals with certain possessions,”  Jess O’Reilly, who is a “sexologist,” said in an autoTRADER.ca news release.

“Owning a car symbolizes freedom, success and reliability, all qualities that look good to the opposite sex when one is on a date.”

The Revving Up for Romance survey was conducted among Angus Reid Forum panelists in late January.

Survey results have been statistically weighted according to education, age, gender and region Census data to guarantee a sample representative of the adult population of Canada.

Additionally, the survey also examined Canadian dating sentiment amongst millennials in particular.

Ninety-five percent of Canadians ages 18 to 34 say it's appealing for their date to have their own vehicle, according to the survey.

"It's too easy to say that we are what we drive — or in this case, we are how we drive. Vehicles play an integral role in our everyday routine, but their place in the lives of Canadians on the dating scene is quite telling," autoTRADER.ca senior editor Jacob Black said.

"If people want their dates to arrive in their own car, drivers should also want to take care of their date and show them consideration, sophistication and class."

Along with owning a car, Canadians also say safe driving is important when out on a date.

Drinking alcohol or using drugs is seen by 74 percent of Canadians as being the worst activity a date could do while driving, followed by texting at 12 percent and road rage at 11 percent.

Eighty-three percent responded that a second date would be unlikely if their date drove in an aggressive or unsafe manner.

For other survey trend highlights and more information visit Revving Up for Romance on the autoTRADER.ca website.