Brand new research by PassMeFast reveals the most and least distracting Christmas driving songs, with surprising results!
Christmas is a hectic time for travel, with many commuting across the country to spend the holidays with loved ones. In fact, as many as 2.8 million journeys are expected to be made on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day by Brits this year, returning to roughly the same levels as 2019.
The out-of-office email is set, you pack your belongings into the boot and load up your favourite festive playlist to pass the long journey time. You’ve even scheduled some rest stops. But are Christmas songs driving you to distraction?
It’s bad news for Shakin’ Stevens fans, with Merry Christmas Everyone revealed as the most dangerous Christmas song to drive to, with a distraction score of 76%. José Feliciano and Feliz Navidad take the second spot with 76%. But it’s a surprising entry at number three, with the relatively new All You’re Dreaming Of released by Liam Gallagher in 2020, totting up a distraction score of 70%.
You can discover the most distracting, least distracting, and all-time most popular Christmas driving songs here – https://www.passmefast.co.uk/most-distracting-christmas-songs
10 Most Distracting Christmas Driving Songs
Using Spotify data, PassMeFast analysed the most popular Christmas playlists (combining a whopping 835 songs) and scored them in terms of danceability, high energy, and how emotionally charged they are. Those with a high distraction percentage score are energetic, emotionally charged but with low danceability. The last factor means it has an irregular beat or tempo. These scores were then averaged together to create an overall distraction score for each song.
| Rank | Song Name | Artist | Distraction Score |
| 1 | Merry Christmas Everyone – Remastered | Shakin’ Stevens | 76.4% |
| 2 | Feliz Navidad | José Feliciano | 75.7% |
| 3 | All You’re Dreaming Of | Liam Gallagher | 69.5% |
| 4 | Rockin’ Robin | Michael Jackson | 67.1% |
| 5 | Oh Santa! (feat. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson) | Mariah Carey | 66.3% |
| 6 | Driving Home For Christmas – 2009 Remastered Version | Chris Rea | 66.1% |
| 7 | Incredible Christmas | Gary Barlow | 66.1% |
| 8 | The More You Give (The More You’ll Have) | Michael Bublé | 65.8% |
| 9 | Step into Christmas | Elton John | 65.7% |
| 10 | Christmas Wrapping (Single Edit) – Remastered | The Waitresses | 65.3% |
Hard luck Shakin’, it’s that irregular tempo that’s done it for you. But at least you’re joined by some heavyweight performers including Elton, Chris Rea, Michael Bublé, Mariah (but not the one you might think), and Michael Jackson who also make the top ten.
10 Least Distracting Christmas Driving Songs
| Rank | Song Name | Artist | Distraction Score |
| 1 | All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) | Nat King Cole Trio | 13.2% |
| 2 | Baby It’s Cold Outside | Ella Fitzgerald | 17.7% |
| 3 | The Little Drummer Boy | Bing Crosby | 19.3% |
| 4 | Walking In a Winter Wonderland | Bing Crosby | 23.6% |
| 5 | Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow – Recorded At Electric Lady Studios NYC | Liam Payne | 24.1% |
| 6 | Please Come Home for Christmas – 2013 Remaster | Eagles | 24.8% |
| 7 | Lonely This Christmas | Mud | 26.1% |
| 8 | Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day | Brenda Lee | 26.6% |
| 9 | Oh Santa | Kylie Minogue | 26.7% |
| 10 | It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas | Bing Crosby | 27.2% |
That classic Xmas crooner Bing Crosby makes it into the top ten three times. While Nat King Cole with All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) takes the top spot with a distraction score of just 13%. It’s followed by Ella Fitzgerald’s Baby It’s Cold Outside with 18% and Bing Crosby’s The Little Drummer Boy with a distraction score of 19%. Soothing, classic, and perfect when you’re behind the wheel this festive season.
It’s tempting to get carried away when an upbeat song comes on in the car, but if this leads to driving without due care and attention, you could land yourself with a hefty £5,000 fine. That won’t fill anyone with festive cheer!
I don’t think energy is the determining factor in distraction. A song that stands out in any way will tend to be a distraction. All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) should be right near the top, along with Santa Baby.
I think catchy lyrics and beats are more distracting. But it’s a mix between I want happy music when I’m driving but still need to pay attention haha!