50 Best Songs With Car Sounds
Best Songs Featuring Car Sound Effects in Music
There’s a certain headspace that clicks in when you hear an engine rumble through the speakers. It’s not nostalgia exactly, and it’s not adrenaline either. It’s that fuzzed-out space in between, like headlights cutting through dusk on a stretch of road you’ve driven too many times. Sometimes it’s the intro of a track that sneaks in a rev or a start-up that sounds way too close to your own busted Honda. Sometimes it creeps in under the beat like a warning, like something’s coming, and you’re not sure if you’re chasing it or running from it.
The best use of car sounds in music doesn’t feel clever. It doesn’t point at itself. It sits in the track like a passenger, like it belongs there, even when the mood is off-kilter. You’ve got pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that use it for texture, for tension, for that weird echo of motion you can’t get from synths or strings. And when it hits right, it takes the song off the ground. Suddenly you're not listening anymore—you’re moving. Even if you're sitting still.
These songs aren’t revving for drama or showing off. They stumble into something looser, messier, louder in spots than they probably meant to be. But that’s where the good stuff lives. If you’re looking for the ones that actually use engine noise, tire squeals, or the rhythm of the road in a way that feels baked into the track, here’s where to start.
Top 10 Car Songs
1. 'Highway Star'—Deep Purple
2. 'Drive My Car'—The Beatles
3. 'Cars'—Gary Numan
4. 'Radar Love'—Golden Earring
5. 'Low Rider'—War
6. 'Freeway of Love'—Aretha Franklin
7. 'Route 66'—Chuck Berry
8. 'Little Deuce Coupe'—The Beach Boys
9. 'I Can't Drive 55'—Sammy Hagar
10. 'Fast Car'—Tracy Chapman
Best Driving Songs #11—20
11. 'Pink Cadillac'—Bruce Springsteen
12. 'Mustang Sally'—Wilson Pickett
13. 'Greased Lightnin''—John Travolta
14. 'Born to Be Wild'—Steppenwolf
15. 'On the Road Again'—Willie Nelson
16. 'King of the Road'—Roger Miller
17. 'Life in the Fast Lane'—Eagles
18. 'No Particular Place to Go'—Chuck Berry
19. 'Brand New Cadillac'—The Clash
20. 'Chasing Cars'—Snow Patrol
Popular Songs About Cars #21—30
21. 'Rocket 88'—Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats
22. 'Hot Rod Lincoln'—Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
23. 'Fun, Fun, Fun'—The Beach Boys
24. 'Mercedes Benz'—Janis Joplin
25. 'Go Your Own Way'—Fleetwood Mac
26. 'She's A Fast One'—J. Geils Band
27. 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light'—Meat Loaf
28. 'Night Drive'—The George Baker Selection
29. 'Autobahn'—Kraftwerk
30. 'Motorcycle Mama'—Wet Willie
Top Vehicle Songs #31—40
31. 'Riding with the King'—B.B. King & Eric Clapton
32. 'Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car'—Billy Ocean
33. 'Everyday Is A Winding Road'—Sheryl Crow
34. 'Thunder Road'—Bruce Springsteen
35. 'White Line Fever'—Merle Haggard
36. 'GTO'—Ronny & The Daytonas
37. 'Drag City'—Jan & Dean
38. 'Dead Man's Curve'—Jan & Dean
39. 'The Little Old Lady from Pasadena'—Jan & Dean
40. 'California Dreamin''—The Mamas & The Papas
Excellent Road Trip Songs #41—50
41. 'Ventura Highway'—America
42. 'Take It Easy'—Eagles
43. 'Roadhouse Blues'—The Doors
44. 'Magic Carpet Ride'—Steppenwolf
45. 'Driver's Seat'—Sniff 'n' the Tears
46. 'Cars and Girls'—Prefab Sprout
47. 'The Passenger'—Iggy Pop
48. 'Trampled Under Foot'—Led Zeppelin
49. 'Jesus Just Left Chicago'—ZZ Top
50. 'Runnin' Down a Dream'—Tom Petty
© 2025 Carson McQueen
