Christopher James Harris was born on 20 January 1975 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, and grew up in Bristol. His father, Ian Harris, was an accountant, and his mother, Angela Wilding, was a Cypriot autocross racer — an early and formative influence. At age six, while waiting for his father in a car park, he picked up a copy of What Car? magazine and has credited that moment as the birth of his passion for cars. He failed his first driving test at 16 but passed on the second attempt.

Harris attended Clifton College in Bristol, a prestigious independent school, where he graduated with a degree in English and Book Publishing — though his intended course of English and Psychology was reportedly the result of his father accidentally completing the application form incorrectly. He has joked that his father “bribed him” to attend university. After graduating, he entered automotive journalism at Autocar, beginning with menial duties, earning the nickname “Monkey” before working his way up to become the magazine’s Road-Test Editor.

He left Autocar in 2008 and co-founded Driver Republic, a digital automotive platform that closed after a year.  In 2012 he co-founded the DRIVE YouTube channel and launched “Chris Harris on Cars,” which grew to over two million subscribers. That series was adapted for BBC America in July 2016. He joined the BBC’s Top Gear in 2016 as a guest presenter and was promoted to lead co-host from Series 24 (2017–2022) alongside first Matt LeBlanc and Rory Reid, then Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff.

Harris currently lives in Monmouthshire, Wales with his wife and their three children. He is an active racing driver, having competed in the 24 Hours Nürburgring and driven for teams including Glickenhaus and Aston Martin Racing. He appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience in May 2024 and continues to write, race, speak, and create automotive content.