The stars in your own car – Brits’ ideal holiday companions revealed

New research has revealed the celebrities with whom the British people would most like to share a UK holiday journey. Of the famous names known for their driving or love of cars, Jeremy Clarkson is the nation’s top choice to get behind the wheel, with TV and sports stars, along with a particular royal, also among the favourites.

The research, carried out for Kwik Fit, the UK’s leading automotive servicing and repair company, also asked people who they would like to join them as fellow passengers to ensure the journey was a happy one.  Peter Kay, comedian and star of the TV sitcom ‘Car Share’, came out on top, followed by two other TV stars loved for their broad knowledge and variety of stories – Stephen Fry and Bob Mortimer.

The research found that although there is agreement between men and women on their favourite driver, the top five varies between the sexes. Jeremy Clarkson is top choice for both men and women, with David Beckham and Lewis Hamilton also in both top fives. 

However, the rest of the top five differed, with men choosing comic actor and car fanatic Rowan Atkinson and Clarkson’s long time co-presenter James May. Women opted for style and prestige, with James Bond star Daniel Craig and Princess Anne completing their top five.

As with the choice of driver, Kwik Fit found that men and women are aligned when picking their favourite passenger to keep them entertained.  Peter Kay is the top choice for both, perhaps appropriate after he created the award winning sitcom Peter Kay’s Car Share, based entirely on the hilarious conversations between two work colleagues during their car journeys. 

Men opt for people known for storytelling in their top four choices, with Kay joined by Stephen Fry, and comedians Bob Mortimer and Frank Skinner.  Their top five is completed by Harry Potter actress Emma Watson.

The research found that women are more likely to want to spend some of their journey enjoying music with their top choices more geared towards singers. Adele, Ed Sheeran and Stacey Solomon join Peter Kay and Stephen Fry in their top five.  

While there were many consistent favourites throughout the country and across different age groups, there were some notable differences.  The choice of Scots suggests many of those north of the border are looking for some excitement on their holiday journey.  Their top pick for holiday driver is actor Jason Statham, known for his roles behind the wheel in a variety of action films including The Transporter and The Italian Job.

Although Peter Kay was top choice of passenger for most people, he lost out to Ed Sheeran in the singer’s home region of Eastern England, as well as in Northern Ireland.  In London, Kay didn’t make the top five, despite his sell out residency at the O2.  Top spot in London goes instead to local girl Adele.

Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “It’s been fun to see who the nation would choose as their driver and fellow passengers to ensure happy journeys this summer holiday.  The choices give an indication of how we like to spend our time in the car – sharing stories and songs – but we don’t need celebrities with us to do that.

“While it might be nice to imagine handing over driving duties to a celebrity, the reality for most of us holiday motorists is that we are ultimately responsible for the happiness of our passengers.  As well as making sure they’ve got the right audiobooks and music downloaded, drivers mustn’t forget to make all the pre-travel checks on their car. The one sure fire way to remove any happiness from a holiday journey is to end up stranded on the hard shoulder.”

For advice on pre-travel car checks, drivers can find a wide range of information at kwik-fit.com and can also book a free vehicle health check. For the latest news and updates from Kwik Fit, customers can also follow the company on Twitter at @kwik_fit.

Notes:
1 – Research carried out by Opinium among a nationally representative sample of 2000 UK adults – 28 June – 2 July 2024