The typical Christmas commute home clocks in at 94 miles, involves handing over 13 gifts, and has a playlist of 11 festive tunes. It also includes spending nearly eight hours behind the wheel and making two pit stops for fuel.
A survey of 2,000 Christmas-celebrating adults found that over a third will be hitting the road in their cars to get to the festivities, with half of them bringing their pet along for the ride.
A whopping three-quarters of people see the Christmas drive as a highlight, with 69 per cent regarding it as a crucial part of their holiday traditions.
Top reasons for driving this Christmas include quicker travel times (70 per cent), more direct routes (68 per cent), and the freedom to blast their own tunes (57 per cent). Almost half also value the extra space cars provide for stashing presents.
Marc Pell, managing director at temporary motor insurance company Tempcover – who conducted the poll- stated: “There’s a real joy in driving home for Christmas: reconnecting with others, singing along to festive tunes, and cramming the car full of gifts.”
“It’s these types of memorable car journeys that make the season extra special.,” he said.
When it comes to festive driving playlists, Chris Rea’s classic Driving Home for Christmas came in second, just pipped to the post by Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl.
Other popular picks included Wham!’s Last Christmas and Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You.
However, it’s not all smooth sailing, with 18 per cent confessing that family arguments often break out during these journeys, adding a touch of drama to the holiday cheer. Despite the occasional tiff, 60 per cent still favour driving over using public transport during the holiday period.
Marc Pell chimed in: “It’s positive to see so many people planning to car share on their drive home this Christmas – turning long journeys into shared moments of connection.”
He added: “For those hitting the road, whether in your own car or borrowing a mate’s, temporary car insurance is a way to share the driving and lighten the load, so one can take the wheel whilst the other helps to navigate the holiday playlist.”