England’s motorways and A roads · 35 roads
The best time to drive on a Saturday
On a typical Saturday, England’s motorways and major A roads are quietest at 7pm, running at their normal free-flowing speed, and slowest at 11am, 5% 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 Saturday
Daytime, 06:00 to 22:00Each 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 Saturday runs about 3.5 percentage points closer to free-flowing than the average day, so it is one of the easier times to travel.