England’s motorways and A roads · 35 roads
The best time to drive on a Friday
GO8pmQuietest hour, running 1% below their normal speed
AVOID4pmSlowest hour, 11% below normal
On a typical Friday, England’s motorways and major A roads are quietest at 8pm, running 1% below their normal speed, and slowest at 4pm, 11% below. That is the middle road of 35, each measured by at least five National Highways roadside sensors between 1 May 2026 and 15 June 2026, not estimated.
Hour by hour on a Friday
Daytime, 06:00 to 22:006am2% slower
7am6% slower
8am6% slower
9am6% slower
10am7% slower
11am8% slower
12pm8% slower
1pm9% slower
2pm9% slower
3pm10% slower
4pm · busiest11% slower
5pm7% slower
6pm4% slower
7pm1% slower
8pm · quietest1% slower
9pm3% slower
Each bar is how far below its own free-flowing speed the middle road runs at that hour. Every road gets one vote whatever its sensor count, so the M25 cannot decide the answer on its own. The small hours are left out because they are the fastest on almost every road and saying so helps nobody plan a journey.
How it compares with the rest of the week
Across the day, a Friday runs about as close to free-flowing as the average day of the week.