Top Ten Christmas Driving Tunes of All Time

Like a game of Monopoly or the question of whether Christmas cake should be eaten with cheese (it should), the best Christmas songs of all time are a source of tension for many families who struggle to agree which ones should make it onto the list - and which is the best of all.

At FixMyCar, we decided to weigh in by coming up with the ten best Christmas driving tunes of all time.

10. Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin’ Stevens

This festive song by Welsh singer-songwriter Shakin’ Stevens was released on 25th November 1985 and took the top spot in the charts that year as Christmas number one. It’s upbeat and easy to sing for the whole family, making it number ten on our list.

9. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon

John Lennon came together with the Harlem Community Choir and The Plastic Ono Band for this track, first released in 1971. Surprisingly, the song only reached number four in the UK then, but it has been back in the charts many times since - notably after Lennon’s death in December 1980 when it reached number two.

8. Do They Know It’s Christmas? - Band Aid

Rumour has it that it’s actually impossible to listen to Band Aid’s 1984 hit without belting out the lyrics, and we’re inclined to agree.

7. Step Into Christmas - Elton John

Elton John’s 1973 single Step Into Christmas is a riotous good laugh from start to finish. Believe it or not, this track only made it to number 24 in the UK charts; it wasn’t until December 2018 that it entered the top ten for the first time.

6. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney

No song lifts the mood quite like McCartney’s 1979 single Wonderful Christmas Time. The influence of electropop on this song is evident. Though it strays away from the traditional tinkling of bells we associate strongly with Christmas, McCartney’s experimentation paid off.

5. All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is the unquestionable Queen of Christmas. This particular song was released in 1994 and, believe it or not, was written in just fifteen minutes. In 2019, it broke three Guinness World Records, including the most streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours. Few of us have the vocal range to do it justice, but it’s one of those bops you have to sing your heart out to.

4. Last Christmas - Wham!

We love eighties nostalgia. The hair, the clothes, the cheesy Christmas songs. Perfection. Wham’s 1984 hit is the biggest-selling Christmas song in the UK (apart from Do They Know It’s Christmas), but it didn’t reach number one until January 2021.

3. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues

Variety is essential in any playlist, so The Pogues’ Irish folk-style ballad comes third in our list. It ditches the warm, fuzzy glow of many Christmas songs in favour of a more gritty tale about two New York lovers down on their luck. The duet format of the song is great if you’re driving with your partner and fancy a sing-along.

2. Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

Released in 1973, Merry Xmas Everybody was Slade’s sixth and final number-one single. It charted for nine weeks and has become a staple of every Christmas playlist in the years since. Few songs have such a powerful feel-good factor.

1. Driving Home for Christmas - Chris Rhea

Of course, we couldn’t round off our top ten Christmas driving tunes without including this as number one. Rhea told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the song is a “car version of a carol”, and it was first dreamt up while he was stuck in traffic travelling from London to his hometown of Middlesbrough.

If you enjoyed this guide, you might also like:

• Driving home for Christmas

• Car themed Christmas gift guide