Traffic · live

Measured over Christmas 2025 · 35 roads

Christmas getaway traffic: when to travel

GOThu 25 DecQuietest day: 57% less traffic than a normal day
AVOIDSat 27 DecSlowest day: the A1 fell to 30 mph at 12:00 (normally 62)

Last Christmas the getaway days carried about normal traffic (1% to 4% less than a normal day), but the rush moved into the middle of the day. The slowest day was Saturday 27 December 2025, after Boxing Day. Measured from National Highways roadside sensors, not estimated. Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday, so the weekdays will fall differently.

Every day of Christmas 2025

Daytime traffic against a normal day
-60%-30%0%+10%Mon 15 DecMon 15 Dec: 0% against a normal dayTue 16 DecTue 16 Dec: +1% against a normal dayWed 17 DecWed 17 Dec: -1% against a normal dayThu 18 DecThu 18 Dec: -3% against a normal dayFri 19 DecFri 19 Dec: -2% against a normal daySat 20 DecSat 20 Dec: -1% against a normal daySun 21 DecSun 21 Dec: -2% against a normal dayMon 22 DecMon 22 Dec: -1% against a normal dayTue 23 DecTue 23 Dec: -4% against a normal dayWed 24 DecWed 24 Dec: -26% against a normal dayThu 25 DecThu 25 Dec: -57% against a normal dayFri 26 DecFri 26 Dec: -33% against a normal daySat 27 DecSat 27 Dec: -3% against a normal daySun 28 DecSun 28 Dec: -4% against a normal dayMon 29 DecMon 29 Dec: -16% against a normal dayTue 30 DecTue 30 Dec: -16% against a normal dayWed 31 DecWed 31 Dec: -32% against a normal dayThu 1 JanThu 1 Jan: -48% against a normal dayFri 2 JanFri 2 Jan: -24% against a normal daySat 3 JanSat 3 Jan: -15% against a normal daySun 4 JanSun 4 Jan: -18% against a normal day
Vehicles between 06:00 and 22:00 on the typical road, each day against ordinary days of the same weekday from 1 to 18 December 2025. Darker bar: Sat 27 Dec, the slowest day.

A getaway day, hour by hour

Monday 22 December 2025
01,5003,00000:0006:0012:0018:0023:00MondayNormal00:00: 223 vehicles an hour (normal 227)01:00: 148 vehicles an hour (normal 134)02:00: 142 vehicles an hour (normal 129)03:00: 172 vehicles an hour (normal 178)04:00: 290 vehicles an hour (normal 339)05:00: 668 vehicles an hour (normal 928)06:00: 1,376 vehicles an hour (normal 1,964)07:00: 1,883 vehicles an hour (normal 2,508)08:00: 1,849 vehicles an hour (normal 2,302)09:00: 1,806 vehicles an hour (normal 2,052)10:00: 2,115 vehicles an hour (normal 1,920)11:00: 2,232 vehicles an hour (normal 1,896)12:00: 2,292 vehicles an hour (normal 1,919)13:00: 2,281 vehicles an hour (normal 1,996)14:00: 2,302 vehicles an hour (normal 2,077)15:00: 2,294 vehicles an hour (normal 2,256)16:00: 2,316 vehicles an hour (normal 2,460)17:00: 2,249 vehicles an hour (normal 2,376)18:00: 1,767 vehicles an hour (normal 1,737)19:00: 1,321 vehicles an hour (normal 1,217)20:00: 1,051 vehicles an hour (normal 865)21:00: 859 vehicles an hour (normal 691)22:00: 657 vehicles an hour (normal 552)23:00: 417 vehicles an hour (normal 339)
Vehicles an hour per sensor on the typical road, Monday 22 December 2025 against ordinary Mondays earlier in December.

Day by day, with the slowest roads

19 December 2025 to 4 January 2026
DayTrafficBusiest hourSlowest roads against normal
Fri 19 Dec-2%16:00 (normally 16:00)M60 37 mph at 14:00 (normally 51); M56 51 mph at 14:00 (normally 59)
Sat 20 Dec-1%11:00 (normally 12:00)A2 42 mph at 13:00 (normally 57); M18 60 mph at 12:00 (normally 68)
Sun 21 Dec-2%12:00 (normally 12:00)M5 50 mph at 13:00 (normally 59); M40 49 mph at 14:00 (normally 56)
Mon 22 Dec-1%16:00 (normally 07:00)M55 38 mph at 10:00 (normally 55); M18 50 mph at 15:00 (normally 64)
Tue 23 Dec-4%14:00 (normally 07:00)A1 30 mph at 11:00 (normally 59); M18 37 mph at 17:00 (normally 60)
Wed 24 Dec-26%13:00 (normally 07:00)A27 52 mph at 12:00 (normally 60); M3 57 mph at 12:00 (normally 61)
Thu 25 Dec-57%11:00 (normally 07:00)M23 52 mph at 20:00 (normally 59); M55 59 mph at 06:00 (normally 60)
Fri 26 Dec-33%11:00 (normally 16:00)M25 48 mph at 12:00 (normally 52); M11 53 mph at 12:00 (normally 55)
Sat 27 Dec-3%12:00 (normally 12:00)A1 30 mph at 12:00 (normally 62); M11 33 mph at 12:00 (normally 55)
Sun 28 Dec-4%11:00 (normally 12:00)A1 34 mph at 13:00 (normally 62); M18 60 mph at 12:00 (normally 68)
Mon 29 Dec-16%11:00 (normally 07:00)A1 40 mph at 12:00 (normally 58); A2 42 mph at 12:00 (normally 55)
Tue 30 Dec-16%14:00 (normally 07:00)A1 50 mph at 16:00 (normally 59); A2 47 mph at 15:00 (normally 53)
Wed 31 Dec-32%14:00 (normally 07:00)M18 46 mph at 18:00 (normally 65); A3 62 mph at 06:00 (normally 63)
Thu 1 Jan-48%13:00 (normally 07:00)M11 51 mph at 21:00 (normally 58); M27 54 mph at 18:00 (normally 60)
Fri 2 Jan-24%12:00 (normally 16:00)M54 48 mph at 06:00 (normally 52); A2 53 mph at 12:00 (normally 56)
Sat 3 Jan-15%12:00 (normally 12:00)M5 54 mph at 15:00 (normally 60); M621 57 mph at 09:00 (normally 62)
Sun 4 Jan-18%12:00 (normally 12:00)M621 52 mph at 15:00 (normally 59); M67 52 mph at 21:00 (normally 57)

“Traffic” is vehicles between 06:00 and 22:00 on the typical (median) road of 35, against ordinary days of the same weekday from 1 to 18 December 2025. The slowest roads are those whose speed fell furthest below their normal for that hour; a single day can include a crash or roadworks. Roadworks due to finish before Christmas are on long-running roadworks, and every other bank holiday is on bank holiday traffic.

Questions about Christmas traffic

What is the busiest day for the Christmas getaway?

Measured over Christmas 2025, the getaway days from Friday 19 to Tuesday 23 December carried 1% to 4% less traffic than a normal day of the same weekday: about the same amount, not a surge. What changed was the timing, with the busiest hour moving into the middle of the day. The slowest day of the whole holiday was Saturday 27 December 2025, when the typical road’s worst hour ran 4 mph below normal.

Are the roads quiet on Christmas Day?

Yes. On Thursday 25 December 2025 the typical road carried 57% less traffic in the daytime than a normal day, and its busiest hour was 11:00.

What about Christmas Eve?

On Wednesday 24 December 2025 the typical road carried 26% less traffic than a normal day, busiest at 13:00.

Will Christmas 2026 be the same?

Not exactly. Christmas Day 2025 was a Thursday; Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday, so every weekday shifts. These are the measured days of Christmas 2025 with their real dates, a guide to the pattern rather than a forecast.

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