Worst time to travel home for Christmas and the UK's traffic hotspots to avoid

20 December 2023 , 09:07

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Traffic is expected to be busy on various motorways, including M6, this weekend (Image: Getty Images)

Roads across Britain are expected to be extremely busy this weekend as Brits look to travel ahead of Christmas.

Brits are expected to make 21 million trips on the road in the coming days and, with Christmas Day on Monday, it's anticipated travel will be crammed in over the weekend. More than 3.2 million motorists will take to the roads on Friday, according to the RAC, though this is likely to be a combination of parents on the school run, commuters and festive travellers.

Similar numbers will head home on Saturday December 23 and Christmas Eve, the industry expects. Alice Simpson, of the RAC, said: "There’s no need for drivers to use annual leave for getaway trips as they can travel over the weekend before. Christmas falls on a Monday this year. For that very reason, our research suggests these days (Saturday and Sunday) will be the busiest times to drive."

Brits are encouraged to leave with plenty of time on Saturday and Sunday, especially if they face long journeys. Motorways and A-roads are likely to be the busiest routes across the UK, especially in and around London and the southeast of England.

INRIX data whizz Bob Pishue said: "On average, drivers could see travel times up to 20% longer this holiday season. Travellers around Greater London could experience more than double typical drive times."

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Roads will also be busy on Christmas Day itself and Boxing Day, with around 3.5million journeys planned. Serious delays are less likely, as few drivers will be heading to work.

AA president Edmund King has urged drivers to carry out vehicle checks before setting off to avoid a breakdown. He added it is especially important to check your tyres, fuel, oil, coolant and screen wash.

Worst times to travel and roads to watch

• Delays of around 40 minutes between Friday December 22 and Christmas Eve are likely on the M25 clockwise west of London

• An hour-long queue is expected along the M25 clockwise between the M23 for Gatwick and M40 for Birmingham on December 23

• Drivers heading anti-clockwise on the M25 between J17 – J12 on the same day should also prepare themselves for longer waits of around half an hour

• It'll be busy on the M1 north between Woburn to Daventry and the M6 south from Wigan to Stafford across the weekend

• The busiest time to travel each day will be between midday and 2pm

• The best time to travel will be before 11am or after 6pm on December 22 and December 23.

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