Forget flowers, chocolate and any other traditional means of getting the girl, it turns out the real way to her heart is the kind of car you drive. And don't be discouraged by thinking you'll never be able to afford that Aston Martin because there's a good chance she'll find Toyota Prius more appealing anyway. So says a new survey conducted by on behalf of Challenge X anyway.

The collegiate engineering competition recently took a poll and learned that 88 per cent of female respondents prefer a green car over a souped-up sports car (are you paying attention James Bond?). Apparently a fuel-efficient car is also the ticket to a rich social life, with 80 per cent of the 500 people surveyed saying they'd rather keep company with someone driving a green car over the driver of a gas-guzzler. And it turns out it may not even matter how you're dressed, because it's actually driving an eco unfriendly car that is considered a major fashion faux pas and not the socks-with-sandals combination you're rocking (okay, maybe it's a little bit of both).

Other interesting findings from the survey: those surveyed plan to buy or lease a new car within the next two years, and those who are currently undecided about purchasing a fuel-efficient vehicle say the rise of gasoline prices to $4.00 per gallon would tip the scales in favor of the green vehicle. Several potential car buyers  - 73 per cent of them in fact - also said the cost of fuel would influence their choice of vehicle, and 86 per cent of respondents feel that the U.S. is behind the times when it comes to fuel-efficient vehicles and need to catch up.

So there you have it: evidence that the environmentally-conscious car will improve your chances of scoring. It's all coming together; now the reason Leonardo DiCaprio is so irresistible to supermodels (first Gisele Bundchen, now Bar Rafaeli) finally makes sense.

» Motor Trend