Dire warning for motorists as Christmas 2025 expected to be busiest ever on UK roads
Britain’s roads are gearing up for the busiest Christmas getaway, with millions of cars expected to hit British roads in the days leading up to 25 December.
The AA predicts that Friday will see a peak of around 24.4 million vehicles traveling in the UK.
Meanwhile, the RAC estimates a staggering 37.5 million leisure trips were planned by car between Wednesday and Christmas Eve; This is the highest figure for this period since records began in 2013.
Transport analytics company Inrix predicted long delays on many major routes on Friday.
Many drivers leaving urban areas for the Christmas holidays will be competing with commuters for road space.
On Saturday and Christmas Eve, drivers are warned that the worst stoppages will occur between 11am and 7pm.
Hot spots for anticipated Christmas getaway traffic include:
– M25 clockwise from Junction 15 to Junction 19 and from Junction 23 to Junction 28.
– M4 motorway eastbound from Junction 29.
– M6 northbound from Junction 5 to Junction 10A and from Junction 18 to Junction 24.
– M1 northbound from Junction 22 to Junction 26.
– M60 clockwise from Junction 7 to Junction 18.
The AA said the roads were expected to remain busy until the beginning of next week.
There is a slight decline in journeys on Christmas Eve, to 22.7 million, and an estimated 18.3 million cars are expected to be on the road on Christmas Day.
The RAC predicts 24 December will be the busiest day for leisure travel over the festive period, with 4.2 million journeys.
The AA’s figures are based on a survey of more than 10,000 members, while the RAC’s estimates follow a nationally representative survey of 2,191 UK adults.
Both organizations estimated responses based on 34 million registered cars in the UK.
In addition to the usual trips for last-minute shopping and family visits, 25 per cent to 30 per cent of respondents planning to drive ahead of Christmas Day said they would do so for work, according to the AA survey.
The survey also found that most drivers are staying local, with the majority not considering traveling more than 50 miles.
Adding to this challenge, the closure of the M27 motorway in both directions between junctions 9 and 11 from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 4am on January 4 will also affect journeys between Southampton and Portsmouth.
AA specialist patrolman Shaun Jones said: “It’s starting to look a lot like traffic.
“Our advice is simple: plan ahead, check your route and allow extra time.
“Patience will be your best gift this year.”
RAC mobile service and repair team leader Nick Mullender said: “With record numbers predicted to hit the roads this Christmas, journeys without careful planning have the potential to become Grinch-worthy.
“The week before Christmas is one of the few times when most of the UK heads out at the same time, with 2025 looking set to be the busiest breakout period since our records began.”
National Highways, which manages England’s motorways and major A roads, said it would “remove as much roadwork as we can safely so everyone can get where they need to go this Christmas”.
Network Rail’s engineering work will lead to further pressure on roads as many of the UK’s busiest rail lines are disrupted, especially after Christmas Day.
The projects on multiple sections of the West Coast Main Line will affect journeys to and from London Euston from 27 December to 4 January, as well as journeys between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s until 14 January.
Elsewhere on the network, there will be no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and January 2.
There will be no services 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 from Christmas Day until 28 December and its timetable will be shortened from 29 December to 4 January.
In Scotland, there will be no train services between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central or Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich between Christmas Eve and January 2.
Network Rail said around 95 per cent of Britain’s railways would not be affected by the engineering works.
However, as usual, the entire network will be shut down on Christmas Day.
Most operators will not run trains on Boxing Day either, but a very small number will have a very limited timetable.
UK airports are expecting the busiest Christmas getaways in history.
The Civil Aviation Authority said December passenger numbers 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 around 30,000 cars will hit the road over the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm Friday to Sunday.
