When is the best time to drive the M42?

The quietest daytime hour on the M42 is Saturday at 20:00, when traffic averages 63 mph. Measured from National Highways roadside sensors.

When is the M42 busiest?

The slowest daytime hour on the M42 is Tuesday at 08:00, when traffic averages 48 mph.

The best time to drive the M42

Name: M42 congestion by hour of week
Creator: National Highways
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Measured from roadside sensors between 1 May and 15 June 2026, not estimated. The quietest daytime hour is Saturday at 20:00, averaging 63 mph. The worst is Tuesday at 08:00, averaging 48 mph.

The whole week at a glance

Darker means slower

Average speed on the M42 for each hour of the week, shaded by how far below normal it runs.
Day	00	1	2	3	4	5	06	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23
Mon	Mon 00:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Mon 01:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Mon 02:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Mon 03:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Mon 04:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Mon 05:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Mon 06:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal	Mon 07:00, 54 mph, 12% below normal	Mon 08:00, 53 mph, 14% below normal	Mon 09:00, 56 mph, 9% below normal	Mon 10:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Mon 11:00, 58 mph, 7% below normal	Mon 12:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Mon 13:00, 58 mph, 7% below normal	Mon 14:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Mon 15:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Mon 16:00, 56 mph, 9% below normal	Mon 17:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Mon 18:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Mon 19:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Mon 20:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Mon 21:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Mon 22:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Mon 23:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal
Tue	Tue 00:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Tue 01:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Tue 02:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Tue 03:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Tue 04:00, 59 mph, 5% below normal	Tue 05:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Tue 06:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Tue 07:00, 50 mph, 19% below normal	Tue 08:00, 48 mph, 22% below normal	Tue 09:00, 54 mph, 12% below normal	Tue 10:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Tue 11:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Tue 12:00, 58 mph, 7% below normal	Tue 13:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Tue 14:00, 56 mph, 8% below normal	Tue 15:00, 56 mph, 9% below normal	Tue 16:00, 52 mph, 15% below normal	Tue 17:00, 54 mph, 12% below normal	Tue 18:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Tue 19:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Tue 20:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Tue 21:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Tue 22:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Tue 23:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal
Wed	Wed 00:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Wed 01:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Wed 02:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Wed 03:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Wed 04:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal	Wed 05:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Wed 06:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Wed 07:00, 52 mph, 15% below normal	Wed 08:00, 52 mph, 15% below normal	Wed 09:00, 56 mph, 9% below normal	Wed 10:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Wed 11:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Wed 12:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Wed 13:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Wed 14:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Wed 15:00, 55 mph, 11% below normal	Wed 16:00, 52 mph, 16% below normal	Wed 17:00, 52 mph, 15% below normal	Wed 18:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Wed 19:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Wed 20:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Wed 21:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Wed 22:00, 58 mph, 7% below normal	Wed 23:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal
Thu	Thu 00:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Thu 01:00, 56 mph, 8% below normal	Thu 02:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Thu 03:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Thu 04:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Thu 05:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Thu 06:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Thu 07:00, 54 mph, 12% below normal	Thu 08:00, 54 mph, 13% below normal	Thu 09:00, 56 mph, 10% below normal	Thu 10:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Thu 11:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Thu 12:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Thu 13:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Thu 14:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Thu 15:00, 54 mph, 13% below normal	Thu 16:00, 49 mph, 21% below normal	Thu 17:00, 49 mph, 20% below normal	Thu 18:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Thu 19:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Thu 20:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Thu 21:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Thu 22:00, 59 mph, 5% below normal	Thu 23:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal
Fri	Fri 00:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Fri 01:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Fri 02:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Fri 03:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Fri 04:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal	Fri 05:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Fri 06:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Fri 07:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Fri 08:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal	Fri 09:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal	Fri 10:00, 57 mph, 7% below normal	Fri 11:00, 57 mph, 9% below normal	Fri 12:00, 56 mph, 10% below normal	Fri 13:00, 54 mph, 12% below normal	Fri 14:00, 53 mph, 14% below normal	Fri 15:00, 51 mph, 17% below normal	Fri 16:00, 49 mph, 19% below normal	Fri 17:00, 52 mph, 16% below normal	Fri 18:00, 57 mph, 8% below normal	Fri 19:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Fri 20:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Fri 21:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Fri 22:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Fri 23:00, 59 mph, 5% below normal
Sat	Sat 00:00, 59 mph, 5% below normal	Sat 01:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Sat 02:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Sat 03:00, 58 mph, 5% below normal	Sat 04:00, 59 mph, 4% below normal	Sat 05:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Sat 06:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sat 07:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sat 08:00, 61 mph, 0% below normal	Sat 09:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Sat 10:00, 59 mph, 5% below normal	Sat 11:00, 58 mph, 6% below normal	Sat 12:00, 59 mph, 5% below normal	Sat 13:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Sat 14:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Sat 15:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Sat 16:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Sat 17:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sat 18:00, 62 mph, -1% below normal	Sat 19:00, 63 mph, -1% below normal	Sat 20:00, 63 mph, -1% below normal	Sat 21:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sat 22:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Sat 23:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal
Sun	Sun 00:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Sun 01:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Sun 02:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Sun 03:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Sun 04:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Sun 05:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Sun 06:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sun 07:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sun 08:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sun 09:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sun 10:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Sun 11:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Sun 12:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Sun 13:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Sun 14:00, 60 mph, 3% below normal	Sun 15:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Sun 16:00, 61 mph, 2% below normal	Sun 17:00, 61 mph, 1% below normal	Sun 18:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sun 19:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sun 20:00, 62 mph, -1% below normal	Sun 21:00, 62 mph, 0% below normal	Sun 22:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal	Sun 23:00, 60 mph, 2% below normal

FasterSlower

Each square is one hour, shaded by how far below its normal speed that stretch runs. Hover or tap a square for the exact figure.

The hour to avoid, day by day

Daytime only, 06:00 to 22:00

SunAvoid 12:00 (60 mph)Clearest 20:00

MonAvoid 08:00 (53 mph)Clearest 19:00

TueAvoid 08:00 (48 mph)Clearest 19:00

WedAvoid 16:00 (52 mph)Clearest 19:00

ThuAvoid 16:00 (49 mph)Clearest 20:00

FriAvoid 16:00 (49 mph)Clearest 20:00

SatAvoid 11:00 (58 mph)Clearest 20:00

The hour to avoid is listed first because it is the one that actually varies. The clearest hour tends to be whichever end of the day you look at, so on most roads it lands on the last hour before the cut-off and says the same thing every weekday. Night is excluded for the same reason: 3am is fastest on every road in the country, which is true and useless.

The five quietest daytime hours

Saturday 20:0063mph

Running at its normal speed · about 1,067 vehicles an hour

Saturday 19:0063mph

Running at its normal speed · about 1,339 vehicles an hour

Saturday 18:0062mph

Running at its normal speed · about 1,806 vehicles an hour

Sunday 20:0062mph

Running at its normal speed · about 1,387 vehicles an hour

Sunday 19:0062mph

Running at its normal speed · about 1,780 vehicles an hour

See what is closed on the M42 now