According to the results, the happiest people in the UK (the most likely to rate their overall happiness as 10 out of 10) are male, aged 25-34, living in Edinburgh and driving a silver BMW.

Alternatively, the least happy person in the UK can be profiled as male, aged 45-54, living in Nottingham and driving a green Fiat.

People with alloy wheels and tinted windows on their cars were most likely to give their general happiness a high score of nine out of 10.

The majority of survey participants (60%) specified that driving a car gives them the sense of being ‘free’, whilst having the joy of not having to rely on somebody else to get around.

Although many also gain happiness from the convenience of owning a car – everything from picking the kids up from school to avoiding public transport – a third (32%) actually stated the car’s interior comfort was something that put a smile on their face.

Those rating their overall happiness as 10/10 have highlighted the optimum formula for the perfect drive – driving blissfully down winding, country lanes, in calm weather and purely for pleasure, with no destination in mind.