Christmas getaway traffic is expected to be the busiest on record this year, new figures suggest, with drivers warned to “plan ahead” and “allow extra time” for travel.

The RAC estimates a total of 37.5 million leisure trips by car are planned between Wednesday, 17 December, and Christmas Eve – the most in the week before Christmas since the company began recording data in 2013.

“Our advice is simple: plan ahead, check your route and allow extra time,” said Shaun Jones, AA expert patrol. “Patience will be your best present this year.”

Adding to the challenge will be the closure of the M27 motorway in both directions between Junctions 9 and 11 from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 4am on 4 January for major works, affecting journeys between Southampton and Portsmouth.

National Highways, which manages England’s motorways and major A roads, said it will “remove as many roadworks as we safely can so everyone can get where they need to go this Christmas”.

Which roads are expected to be the busiest before Christmas?

Among the expected Christmas getaway traffic hotspots are:

• The M25 clockwise from Junction 15 to Junction 19, and from Junction 23 to Junction 28.

• The M4 eastbound from Junction 29.

• The M6 northbound from Junction 5 to Junction 10A, and from Junction 18 to Junction 24.

• The M1 northbound from Junction 22 to Junction 26.

• The M60 clockwise from Junction 7 to Junction 18.

When will the busiest day be?

Christmas Eve will be the busiest day for leisure trips over the festive period, with 4.2 million of those journeys expected by the RAC on 24 December.

Traffic for all purposes in the run-up to Christmas Day will peak on Friday, 19 December, according to the AA’s forecast, when about 24.4 million cars are expected on the UK’s roads.

Transport analytics company Inrix predicted there will be long delays on several major routes on Friday. The worst hold-ups on Saturday and Christmas Eve are expected between 11am and 7pm.

What should you have in your car in case you’re delayed?

Should you be stuck on the road for hours, the AA and RAC have both recommended essential items to keep in your car.

Non-perishable snacks like granola bars, nuts or dried fruit are useful for long journeys or unexpected delays, the AA said. It is a good idea to have some water on you as well.

While this perhaps applies more to breakdowns than delays, the breakdown cover provider also recommends keeping a wind-up torch and warm clothing and blankets, particularly for the winter months.

A phone charger, either one you plug into your car or a power bank, is also important if you’re going to be on the road for a while, so you can continue to make calls and look for directions when needed.

The RAC says there is still a place for a good old fashioned paper road Atlas should you get a flat battery on your journey.

What about other forms of transport?

Engineering work by Network Rail over the festive period is expected to add more pressure to the roads.

The impact will be particularly noticeable after Christmas Day – with several of the UK’s busiest railway lines disrupted.

Projects on multiple sections of the West Coast Main Line will affect journeys to and from London Euston from 27 December to 4 January, as well as journeys between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s Day to 14 January.

Elsewhere on the network, there will be no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and 2 January.

No services will run between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport between Christmas Day and 5 January.

London Waterloo, one of the UK’s busiest stations, will be closed to trains between Christmas Day and 28 December, and will have a reduced timetable between 29 December and 4 January.

In Scotland, there will be no trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, between Christmas Eve and 2 January.

Some 95% of Britain’s railways will be unaffected by engineering work, Network Rail said, but, as usual, the entire network will be shut down on Christmas Day.

Most operators will also run no trains on Boxing Day but a handful will have a very limited timetable.

Meanwhile airports in the UK are expecting their busiest Christmas getaway in history, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

The aviation regulator says passenger numbers for December are set to exceed the record 22 million seen last year.

Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, is preparing for more than seven million passengers to travel through its four terminals this month.

To put this into context, Heathrow set a new record in August 2025 when eight million passengers passed through the airport that month.

Meanwhile the Port of Dover estimates nearly 30,000 cars will embark on outbound sailings during the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.

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