One in five youngsters wears headphones on car journeys to escape his or her parents’ antics.
And one in 10 even chooses to walk rather than get in the car with his or her mother and father.
The study, by car insurer 1st Central, found dads are the worst offenders, with 37 per cent of youngsters saying they make them cringe in the car, compared to 33 per cent who are embarrassed by their mothers singing in the car.
Children say their parents are at their most embarrassing when they want to sing in the car (36 per cent), drop them outside the school gates (19 per cent) or shout out of the car window at them (18 per cent).
Andy James, of 1st Central, said: “Driving your children around in the car can be a great time to chat, as long as they don’t ignore you out of embarrassment.”