Music and cars have gone together like bread and butter since the invention of the in-car radio in 1952. Over time, as specific brands became status symbols, cars started to play a huge part in contributing to a music artist’s aesthetic.

But which cars are the favourite choice amongst singers and songwriters? To find out, Peter Vardy analysed the lyrics to over 40,000 songs belonging to 23 parent and subgenres to discover the favourite car brand of each music genre.

This is your perfect car, according to your fave music genre

Parent genre
Car brand
Number of songs car brand is mentioned in
Hip-Hop
Mercedes-Benz
115
R&B
Mercedes-Benz
43
Rock
Jaguar
24
Country
Cadillac
16
Pop
Maybach
7
World Music
Alfa Romeo
6
Dance
Ferrari
3
Mercedes-Benz is the car for Hip-Hop & R&B lovers
Mercedes-Benz is name-dropped a staggering 163 times across both Hip-Hop & R&B genres, appearing especially popular in those released in the noughties. A ‘Benz’ is often favoured mostly by hip hop artists, often dropped in lyrics as a status symbol associated with the rich and famous – once even sung by Puff Daddy as the “Benz he ain’t even drove yet”.

Jaguar is the car for the budding rockstar
If you fancy yourself a bit of a rockstar, then an iconic Jag is the car best suited to you. Topping the list is Jaguar, all appearing in songs by legends such as Pink Floyd, Oasis and Madness. Rock star Sting was heavily affiliated with brand Jaguar throughout the 2000’s, with his song ‘Desert Rose’ appearing in Jaguar’s advertisements regularly – the partnership enabled sales of Jaguars but also helped make the song and it’s album a top hit.