The 100 Most Popular Road Trip Songs - Backed by Data
by Ellie Smith / March 3, 2025
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Your road trip needs the perfect playlist. We’ve rounded up the best songs to keep the good vibes rolling!
Road trips are all about the memories you create along the way. And no road trip is complete without a killer playlist blasting through the speakers. If you're the DJ of your trip? No pressure, but your music choices could set the tone for the whole adventure.
So, we’ve done the heavy lifting (or should we say heavy listening?) to bring you the ultimate road trip playlist.
Table of contents
How We Picked the Songs
We used a nifty tool called Playlist Miner, which combed through 48,903 Spotify playlists with titles like ‘road trip’ and ‘driving’. The result? A data-backed list of the most popular songs people love to crank up when hitting the open road.
Our top 10 is a mix of everything. "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers takes the top spot, a song that has stayed in the UK charts since 2004. "Stick Season" by Noah Kahan follows close behind, a newer folk hit with plenty of road trip vibes. AC/DC’s "Thunderstruck" keeps the energy high, and "Riptide" by Vance Joy is a laid-back favorite, perfect for windows-down cruising. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears brings 80s nostalgia to the mix.
Other well-loved tracks include "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield, a feel-good anthem that found new life on TikTok, and "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus, a guaranteed sing-along crowd-pleaser.
So whether you're cruising down Route 66, winding through the Amalfi Coast, or driving along Hana Highway, this playlist has you covered.
Rank | Title | Artist | Combined Score |
1 | Mr. Brightside | The Killers | 44 |
2 | Stick Season | Noah Kahan | 43 |
3 | Unwritten | Natasha Bedingfield | 37 |
4 | Thunderstruck | AC/DC | 35 |
5 | Riptide | Vance Joy | 31 |
6 | Everybody Wants To Rule The World | Tears For Fears | 29 |
7 | We Didn't Start the Fire | Billy Joel | 28 |
8 | Naive | The Kooks | 25 |
9 | Party In The U.S.A. | Miley Cyrus | 25 |
10 | Something in the Orange | Zach Bryan | 25 |
11 | No Scrubs | TLC | 24 |
12 | Take It Easy | Eagles | 24 |
13 | Replay | Iyaz | 24 |
14 | Iris | The Goo Goo Dolls | 26 |
15 | Livin' On A Prayer | Bon Jovi | 22 |
16 | Shut Up and Dance | WALK THE MOON | 22 |
17 | Take on Me | a-ha | 22 |
18 | All Star | Smash Mouth | 21 |
19 | I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) | The Proclaimers | 21 |
20 | Africa | TOTO | 20 |
21 | Don't Stop Believin' | Journey | 20 |
22 | Highway to Hell | AC/DC | 19 |
23 | Sweet Home Alabama | Lynyrd Skynyrd | 19 |
24 | American Pie | Don McLean | 19 |
25 | Drive By | Train | 19 |
26 | Dreams - 2004 Remaster | Fleetwood Mac | 19 |
27 | Californication | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 18 |
28 | Mr. Blue Sky | Electric Light Orchestra | 18 |
29 | Summer Of '69 | Bryan Adams | 18 |
30 | Under the Bridge | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 18 |
31 | Don't Stop Me Now - Remastered 2011 | Queen | 17 |
32 | The Chain - 2004 Remaster | Fleetwood Mac | 17 |
33 | Yellow | Coldplay | 17 |
34 | Hey There Delilah | Plain White T's | 17 |
35 | Piano Man | Billy Joel | 17 |
36 | Counting Stars | OneRepublic | 16 |
37 | Say You Won't Let Go | James Arthur | 16 |
38 | Feel Good Inc. | Gorillaz | 16 |
39 | How You Remind Me | Nickelback | 16 |
40 | The Pretender | Foo Fighters | 16 |
41 | A Horse with No Name | America | 16 |
42 | Hotel California - 2013 Remaster | Eagles | 16 |
43 | Back In Black | AC/DC | 15 |
44 | Go Your Own Way - 2004 Remaster | Fleetwood Mac | 15 |
45 | Dancing In the Dark | Bruce Springsteen | 15 |
46 | Life is a Highway | Rascal Flatts | 15 |
47 | You Give Love A Bad Name | Bon Jovi | 15 |
48 | Can't Stop | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 15 |
49 | A Bar Song (Tipsy) | Shaboozey | 14 |
50 | Shotgun | George Ezra | 14 |
51 | Locked out of Heaven | Bruno Mars | 14 |
52 | Someone You Loved | Lewis Capaldi | 14 |
53 | Before He Cheats | Carrie Underwood | 14 |
54 | I Will Wait | Mumford & Sons | 14 |
55 | High Hopes | Panic! At The Disco | 14 |
56 | Brown Eyed Girl | Van Morrison | 14 |
57 | Losing My Religion | R.E.M. | 13 |
58 | A Sky Full of Stars | Coldplay | 13 |
59 | Hey, Soul Sister | Train | 13 |
60 | Demons | Imagine Dragons | 13 |
61 | Uptown Girl | Billy Joel | 13 |
62 | You Shook Me All Night Long | AC/DC | 13 |
63 | Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton) | Macklemore | 13 |
64 | Sk8er Boi | Avril Lavigne | 13 |
65 | Wannabe | Spice Girls | 13 |
66 | Snow (Hey Oh) | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 13 |
67 | Fortunate Son | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 13 |
68 | Thnks fr th Mmrs | Fall Out Boy | 13 |
69 | Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time) | Elton John | 13 |
70 | Bitter Sweet Symphony - Remastered 2016 | The Verve | 13 |
71 | Cruel Summer | Taylor Swift | 13 |
72 | Creep | Radiohead | 13 |
73 | Scared To Start | Michael Marcagi | 13 |
74 | Best Day Of My Life | American Authors | 13 |
75 | Scar Tissue | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 13 |
76 | In the End | Linkin Park | 12 |
77 | Dial Drunk (with Post Malone) | Noah Kahan | 12 |
78 | Free Fallin' | Tom Petty | 12 |
79 | Shallow | Lady Gaga | 12 |
80 | Castle on the Hill | Ed Sheeran | 12 |
81 | Hall of Fame (feat. will.i.am) | The Script | 12 |
82 | Kids | MGMT | 12 |
83 | Good Luck, Babe! | Chappell Roan | 12 |
84 | Pumped Up Kicks | Foster The People | 12 |
85 | 24K Magic | Bruno Mars | 11 |
86 | Ms. Jackson | Outkast | 11 |
87 | Safe And Sound | Capital Cities | 11 |
88 | Thinkin’ Bout Me | Morgan Wallen | 11 |
89 | Tennessee Whiskey | Chris Stapleton | 11 |
90 | How to Save a Life | The Fray | 11 |
91 | Something Just Like This | The Chainsmokers | 11 |
92 | I'm Still Standing | Elton John | 11 |
93 | Bohemian Rhapsody - Remastered 2011 | Queen | 11 |
94 | Not Fair | Lily Allen | 11 |
Your Ride Matters as Much as Your Playlist
A great playlist can make a road trip unforgettable, and so can the right ride. That’s where Blacklane comes in. We offer long-distance services for effortless travel between cities, ensuring a seamless and comfortable journey. Our City-to-City service is the perfect alternative to short-haul flights, providing a premium, door-to-door travel experience without the airport hassle.
Forget the stress of navigating unfamiliar roads, sit back, relax, and let our professional chauffeurs take the wheel. Discreet and knowledgeable, they’re always ready with local tips to make your trip even better.
And with every journey carbon offset, you’re not just traveling in style, you’re doing it responsibly.
