British cars took five of the top six places in the study from Best of the Best, the in-airport and online competition operator that gives away cars as prizes.

And among the amazing turn-ups that emerged from the 55,000-person study focusing on desirability, no Ferrari even made the top 20.

Oddball results are everywhere, with top spot going to the Range Rover Sport TDV6, which isn't even the best car within its own range.

Consider the full-size Range Rover, which in Vogue guise only made fourth, and again with the entry-level V6 diesel engine, and the Sport's position looks extremely odd.

In second place is the Aston Martin Vantage V8, which is the cheapest and least prestigious of all the brand's cars.

Third went to the Range Rover Evoque, which transcends price and gender boundaries to stay a firm favourite among those who prefer their cars to have a world-leading lack of visibility.

Fifth place was won by the Mercedes A220 CDI AMG Sport, which is a compact car designed with aggressive detailing to tempt sales reps away from the BMW 1 Series.

William Hindmarch, who founded Best of the Best in 1999 and has since given away more than £15m of dream cars, said he was amazed with the results.

"It's great to see how popular British motors are, particularly when they are in direct competition with your ordinary motoring fan who dreams of winning his ultimate car," he said.

"There is no better test of their popularity and proof that the ones we would assume are top of the list are nowhere near.

"One of the really exciting things about this survey is that more than 80 nationalities took part, which means the British brand really is valued across the globe."