If you’re planning some fabulous festive journeys to see loved ones, do some Christmas shopping or make the most of the festivities a little further from home, do it without tailbacks, congestion and stress by choosing the best time to travel. 

Here’s our bumper festive guide to driving on the motorway this Christmas, including the best times to travel.

Which days of the week are quieter on the motorway? 

Statistics show that motorway traffic tends to be lighter on certain days of the week, and this is no different during December! 

As a general rule of thumb, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday tend to be quieter on the motorway, particularly overnight between 8pm and 6am. 

The busiest day of the week to travel on the motorway is usually a Friday, and this typically makes them more dangerous too, with 20% more accidents than any other day of the week! 

If you need to travel over a weekend, the best time to travel on a motorway to avoid weekend congestion is early morning Saturday or Sunday, ideally before 11am. 

For more information on what time to travel on the motorway, check out this article. 

Driving home for Christmas? Here’s when to do it! 

This year, Christmas falls across a weekend, meaning the busiest weekend to travel this Christmas is likely to actually be a whole week before the big day! 

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th of December are set to be busy days on the motorway as shoppers up and down the country head here, there and everywhere to pick up presents, supplies and treats! For a lot of families, this will also be the first weekend of the Christmas break, making it a perfect time to visit family and friends a little further afield. 

Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th of December are likely to be busy times to travel too, as we all head home for Christmas! 

And don’t forget, with Christmas Day and Boxing Day falling over a weekend, Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th of December are bank holidays this year, so with more people off work than usual, this will impact travel too. We recommend using a journey planner ahead of time to plan your routes, including those all important rest stops. 

The same is true for New Years Day, which this year falls on a Sunday, making Monday 2nd of January a bank holiday. Normal service is likely to resume bright and early for rush hour (between 7am and 10am on the motorway) on Tuesday 2nd January. 

But most importantly, wherever, and whenever you’re travelling this Christmas – take a smile with you!