THE power of the small screen has defeated Hollywood legends in a poll to determine who is the greatest automotive icon.

From a top ten that included no less than three James Bond stars, Steve McQueen and Vin Diesel it was former Top Gear frontman Jeremy Clarkson who came out on top.

In fact, the BBC motoring programme - first screened in a different format in 1977 - dominated the star-studded list with Clarkson's fellow presenters Richard Hammond coming third and James May sixth.

The poll was commissioned by Hyundai to see how petrolheads are keeping themselves busy while non-urgent car journeys have been banned.

A Hyundai spokesman said: "Steve McQueen is nicknamed The King of Cool and he's responsible for some of Hollywood's most iconic moments, whether it's the bike scene in The Great Escape or the famous chase in Bullitt.

"But he plays second fiddle to Jeremy Clarkson, whose legendary adventures from behind the wheel of a car have crowned him as our favourite automotive screen icon.

"The best cars and films are always the subject of fierce and fun debate and thanks to the Internet and streaming services there is no shortage of shows and websites to keep us occupied."

Clarkson has been involved in some of the most impressive TV moments over the past 25 years, whether it was driving to the North Pole or riding motorcycles from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

McQueen, whose films such as Bullitt, The Great Escape and Le Mans featured some of film's most iconic car and motorbike scenes, was second - ahead of Hammond with Fast and the Furious leading man Vin Diesel fourth and 007's Sean Connery making up the top five.

Sean Connery was one of three James Bond actors to make the top ten greatest automotive screen icons, with Daniel Craig at number eight and the late Sir Roger Moore in at number nine.

Jason Statham, who forged his automotive credentials in the Transporter series before joining the Fast and Furious franchise, was tenth on the list.

Paul Walker, who was tragically killed in a car crash, was also on the top ten.

The very best car film according to the 2,000 Brits surveyed was The Italian Job, followed by Steve McQueen-starring Bullitt and the Fast and the Furious franchise.

In addition to being named the greatest car movie, the Italian Job also features the most popular car chase to ever appear on the big screen.

Not only that, the Michael Caine classic is also the most watched car automotive film since self-isolation came into effect.

On the small screen, Top Gear was voted the greatest with Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard in second and third place.

James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 was named greatest movie car ahead of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the De Lorean from Back to the Future.

On top of watching car films, the poll also found the average car fan typically spend around 50 minutes per week browsing vehicles on classified websites.

The full Top 10 of automotive icons according to the poll is: Jeremy Clarkson, Steve McQueen, Richard Hammond, Vin Diesel, Sir Sean Connery, James May, Paul Walker, Daniel Craig, Sir Roger Moore and Jason Statham.