UK motorists will travel 5.9bn miles this Christmas

According to new research from webuyanycar.com, over the coming festive week, the majority (70 per cent) of Britons are expecting to spend 11 hours – one and a half working days – in the car.

The study found that visiting blended and extended families are behind this annual Yuletide exodus, with the average Brit set to celebrate Christmas THREE times, in three different locations, this December.

Nevertheless, we wouldn’t have it any other way, with over 90 per cent of us saying seeing family is vital at this time of year.

This means we’ll be travelling, on average, 311 miles there and back, just under the distance of London to Edinburgh, to see them.  Added together as a nation we’ll be travelling over 5.9bn miles in cars this Christmas.

Being in close proximity to our loved ones inevitably leads to some tension and we’re expecting to have at least two arguments in the car according to the 2,500 respondents.

Which is no surprise when you consider what we’ve been through at this time of year, with 11 per cent of us having gotten lost, one in ten of us having experienced a Christmas flat tyre and eight per cent have broken down.

Our biggest worries about the drive are icy roads (67 per cent), almost one third (32 per cent) are worried about traffic and around a quarter (24 per cent) are worried about breaking down.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, on average there will be ten presents in the back of the car, though 11 per cent of us will have forgotten some or all of the presents.

Richard Evans, head of technical services at webuyanycar.com said: ‘’Our cars play a huge role in making the Festive Season happen, from transporting the tree home, to filling the car with the Christmas shopping and most importantly, helping us to reach our loved ones.’’

‘’Understandably, some motorists may worry about how their car will fare at this time of year and what the onset of winter weather might throw at us. At webuyanycar.com we like to make life as stress free as possible, that’s why we offer motorists a hassle free, quick way to sell their car.’’

Evans added: ‘’Motoring can cause any number of worries but selling your car doesn’t need to be one of them. Especially at this time of year, when time is best spent doing things you enjoy with your nearest and dearest. We pride ourselves on offering a service where our customers can sell their car in under an hour and get back to doing the things they enjoy with their time. ’’

While we’re driving towards our beloved family, there’s only one track which is a sure-fire hit on the stereo, ‘’Driving Home for Christmas’’ by Chris Rea, was chosen by a quarter of motorists to be the ultimate soundtrack to the journey.

Of course, not everyone will like that, and seven per cent of journeys will feature an argument over the choice of music.

Perhaps surprisingly, 75 per cent of us say we would never dream of decorating the exterior of our car over Christmas.

Despite all the worries about travelling at Christmas and the inevitable family tensions, only 15 per cent of people say they actively dislike the journey home for the Festive season, while nearly half (49 per cent) of us get excited just by the thought of packing the boot of our car with presents.

Ultimate sound track for the Christmas drive

1. Driving Home For Christmas – Chris Rea 25%
2. Fairytale of New York – The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl 20%
3. All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey 7%
4. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day – Wizzard 5%
5. It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – Michael Buble 5%
6. Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid (1984) 4%
7. Merry Christmas Everybody -Slade    4%
8. White Christmas – Bing Crosby 4%
9. Last Christmas – Wham 4%
10. Stop the Cavalry – Jona Lewie 3%