"road rage" was received positively by the press, with particular praise given to the way that matthews rolled the r's in the chorus of the song. commercially, the song peaked at number 5 on the uk singles chart, eventually gaining silver certification from the british phonographic industry. it also reached the top 30 in ireland and the top 40 in australia. it received nominations for best song at the brit awards, and the ivor novello awards, winning at the q awards.