Brits love singing in the car with Adele and Ed Sheeran voted top carpool karaoke partners
If you’re anything like us you probably love a bit of car karaoke on the drive home from work – and we can officially reveal that most Brits use their car as a rolling music studio!
A recent study of ours found that 64%* of the population belt out their favourite songs whilst behind the wheel. And more than half of us (56%) have been caught singing whilst stuck in traffic or waiting at the lights.
Our data insights team have also found that Adele and Ed Sheeran are the artists people would most want to duet with for their own private carpool karaoke.
Other popular choices were Dolly Parton (6%), Tom Jones (5%) and Elton John (5%), whilst younger people were found to be more interested in celebrity duets.
In fact, 83% of 18 to 34 year olds would like to sing with a music icon in the passenger seat, versus just 59% of people aged between 65 and 75 years old.
Nostalgia leads the way on the car radio, with 80s tunes (33%) and 90s music (30%) more popular than any other genre for British drivers, but Indie (11%) and Musicals (11%) finished bottom of the table.
Our research also found that music is used by drivers to help them relax and to stay occupied, with 40% saying it helps them unwind, 36% saying it prevents boredom and 22% suggesting it helps with concentration.
Road Trip Companions
Former Top Gear host turned farmer Jeremy Clarkson was found to be the icon that people would most want to have in the passenger seat for a road trip (8%), followed by Stephen Fry (5%) and Ed Sheeran (5%). However former US president Donald Trump was named the least popular driving companion among British people, with a massive 23% of respondents singling out the 75-year-old.
Whilst most drivers are happy to give anyone a lift, our research revealed that having a passenger comment on your driving was the nation’s ultimate pet peeve (52%).
Having someone looking scared or clutching onto their seat (32%) and arguing passengers (31%) were also found to be highly irritating for drivers.
Regional findings
People living in Wales and the South West are most likely to be the stars of their own cars, with 69% of respondents in these regions saying they find themselves singing in the car – more than any other region.
Meanwhile, people in the South East are most likely to be caught singing in their car (59%). However, when it comes to playing nostalgic music, people in the Midlands are Britain’s biggest fans of 90s music (36%) and Scottish drivers are most likely to be listening to 80s music (42%).
But people north of the border are least complimentary about their partners’ singing abilities, with just 10% of respondents from Scotland believing their other half is the better singer.
What do the experts say?
Our Head of Marketing Charlotte Cheeseman explained that many people view their cars as safe spaces for private reflection and expression.
She said: “Our personal vehicles have become more important than ever over the past 18 months but it’s wonderful to see that the time we spend in our cars is being used positively, too.
“Britain’s love of driving is clearly alive and well and as commuting starts to become more frequent, I’m sure lots of people are looking forward to expressing themselves with more solo singalongs!
“I think our research highlights that car journeys allow people to escape from everyday life and these insights illustrate the power of having a private space in which to relax on a regular basis.”
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*The data for this study was collected between 22nd October 2021 and 24th October 2021 and comprises responses from 2,000 British respondents.
