England’s motorways and A roads · 35 roads
The best time to drive on a weekday
On a typical weekday, England’s motorways and major A roads are quietest at 7pm, running 1% below their normal speed, and slowest at 8am, 10% 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. Monday to Thursday, which follow almost the same pattern. Friday is different and has its own page.
Hour by hour on a weekday
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 weekday runs about 1.4 percentage points further below free-flowing than the average day, so it is one of the harder times to travel.