Britain’s roads are set for the busiest Christmas getaway on record, with millions of cars expected to hit UK roads in the days leading up to 25 December.
The AA predicts that Friday will see the peak, with approximately 24.4 million vehicles travelling across the UK.
Meanwhile, the RAC estimates a staggering 37.5 million leisure journeys by car are planned between Wednesday and Christmas Eve, marking the highest figure for this period since their records began in 2013.
Transport analytics company Inrix predicted there will be long delays on several major routes on Friday.
Many drivers leaving urban areas for their Christmas break will compete for road space with commuters.
On Saturday and Christmas Eve, drivers are being warned the worst hold-ups will be between 11am and 7pm.
Among the expected Christmas getaway traffic hotspots are:
– The M25 clockwise from Junction 15 to Junction 19, and from Junction 23 to Junction 28.
– The M4 eastbound from Junction 29.
– The M6 northbound from Junction 5 to Junction 10A, and from Junction 18 to Junction 24.
– The M1 northbound from Junction 22 to Junction 26.
– The M60 clockwise from Junction 7 to Junction 18.
The AA said roads are expected to remain busy into the start of next week.
Christmas Eve is anticipated to see a slight drop in journeys to 22.7 million, with an estimated 18.3 million cars on the road on Christmas Day.
The RAC forecast that December 24 will be the busiest day for leisure trips over the festive period, with 4.2 million of those journeys.
The AA’s figures are based on a survey of more than 10,000 of its members, while the RAC’s estimates follow a nationally representative survey of 2,191 UK adults.
Both organisations extrapolated the responses to the 34 million registered cars in the UK.
In addition to the usual mix of trips for last-minute shopping and family visits, between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of respondents planning to drive in the run-up to Christmas Day said they will do so for work, the AA poll indicated.
The survey also suggested most drivers are staying local, with the majority not intending to travel more than 50 miles.
Adding to the challenge will be the closure of the M27 motorway in both directions between Junctions 9 and 11 from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 4am on January 4 for major works, affecting journeys between Southampton and Portsmouth.
Shaun Jones, AA expert patrol, said: “It’s beginning to look a lot like traffic.
“Our advice is simple: plan ahead, check your route and allow extra time.
“Patience will be your best present this year.”
RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Nick Mullender said: “With record numbers predicted to be taking to the roads this Christmas, journeys have the potential to be Grinch-worthy without some careful planning.
“The week before Christmas is one of the few times of year when most of the UK hits the road simultaneously, with 2025 looking to be the busiest getaway period since our records began.”
National Highways, which manages England’s motorways and major A roads, said it will “remove as many roadworks as we safely can so everyone can get where they need to go this Christmas”.
Engineering work by Network Rail will lead to more pressure on the roads – particularly following Christmas Day – with several of the UK’s busiest railway lines disrupted.
Projects on multiple sections of the West Coast Main Line will affect journeys to and from London Euston from December 27 to January 4, as well as journeys between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s Day to January 14.
Elsewhere on the network, there will be no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and January 2.
No services will run between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport between Christmas Day and January 5.
London Waterloo, one of the UK’s busiest stations, will be closed to trains between Christmas Day and December 28, and will have a reduced timetable between December 29 and January 4.
In Scotland, there will be no trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, between Christmas Eve and January 2.
Some 95 per cent of Britain’s railways will be unaffected by engineering work, Network Rail said.
But, as usual, the entire network will shut down on Christmas Day.
Most operators will also run no trains on Boxing Day but a handful will have a very limited timetable.
UK airports are expecting their busiest Christmas getaway in history.
The Civil Aviation Authority said passenger numbers for December are forecast to exceed the record 22 million seen last year.
Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, is preparing for more than seven million passengers to travel through its four terminals this month.
The Port of Dover estimates nearly 30,000 cars will embark on outbound sailings during the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.
