Revealed: THIRTY SIX YEARS after its release, Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas is voted favorite song for a festive road trip, followed by Fairytale of New York

Britons’ favorite Christmas carols to listen to on the go have been revealed, and it’s Chris Rea’s classic – and aptly titled – Driving Home for Christmas at number one.

When Brits were asked in a poll to name their best festival circuit, they got almost half (47 per cent) of the vote, with The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York coming in second with a whopping 46 per cent. Third is Wizzard’s 1973 hit I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day with 39 percent.

Driving Home For Christmas was released 36 years ago in 1986 as the B-side to the song Hello Friend. It was then re-released in 1988 to try and crack the Christmas charts, but only peaked at number 53. However, popularity slowly increased – in 2021 it reached number ten in the UK Singles Chart.

Also on the list of party songs Brits like to listen to when they’re out are Last Christmas (fourth, 38 per cent), Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas (fifth, 37 per cent) and Bing Crosbie’s It’s Beginning To Look A Much as Christmas (sixth, 32 percent).

Webuyanycar’s survey of 2,000 Britons also found that the average British motorist drives 186 miles over the Christmas period to visit friends and family.

92 percent of respondents agreed that despite traffic jams and potentially inclement weather, there is no better feeling than going home for the Christmas holidays.

Music appears to be an integral part of our celebrations, with 85 per cent of people agreeing that it doesn’t feel like Christmas until they’ve heard a classic carol.

From a psychological perspective, the songs take us back to our early years, with 90 percent saying listening to some songs takes them back to childhood.

92 percent of respondents agreed that despite traffic jams and possibly inclement weather, there is no better feeling than going home for the Christmas holidays

When it comes to when to start listening to your favorite Christmas carols, opinion is split across the country, with 48 percent saying November is OK to play them, while 52 percent think December is the best time to do so , must persevere.

Significantly more people approve of Christmas carols in stores – 87 per cent say they enjoy listening to them when they’re out and about.

A growing percentage are making their own Christmas playlists, with 33 per cent saying they plan to listen, but that still leaves two-thirds listening to the tunes on the radio – or playlists created automatically by streaming services.

Seven out of ten people agree that at the end of Christmas they are glad that they don’t have to hear a carol for a year.

Richard Evans, head of technical services at webuyanycar, said: “This survey shows how much we think about music at Christmas, especially on the long-awaited drive home for the holidays while listening to our favorite carols.”