Car expert reveals the best day to drive home for Christmas

With 81% of Brits relying on their vehicles to get around during the festive season, millions of UK motorists will be hitting the road over the Christmas holidays.

People in Northern Ireland are the most dependent on fuel-powered or electric cars to make their way home (91%), followed closely by drivers in the South West, East Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber (85%). Londoners are the least likely to jump behind the wheel over Christmas (25%) – and that might be just as well.

Using data from TomTom, cinch, the faff-free way to buy a car online, has looked at the biggest towns and cities in the UK to see what time you should be driving home for Christmas and what times you should ideally avoid being on the road. The research shows that motorists in London spend the most time in traffic than any other drivers in the country, averaging a total of 156 hours each year.

Specifically, the most congested time of the week is Thursday between 5pm and 6pm, meaning the capital’s roads are likely to be very busy on the evening of 21 December. So, what’s the best time to beat the Christmas rush and drive home to mulled wine, crackling fireplaces and festive gifts?

Best time to travel home for Christmas:

• London Monday 18th December at 5am (10km in 10 minutes and 10 seconds)
• Bristol Monday 18thDecember at 5am (10 km in 9 minutes and 7 seconds)
• Manchester Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 9 minutes and 17 seconds)
• Birmingham Tuesday 19th December at 4am (10 km in 8 minutes and 30 seconds)
• Belfast Monday 25th December at 5am (10 km in 8 minutes and 43 seconds)
• Nottingham Tuesday 19th December at 5am (10 km in 9 minutes and 35 seconds)
• Hull Wednesday 20th December at 4am (10 km in 10 minutes and 18 seconds)
• Edinburgh Wednesday 20th December at 6am (10 km in 11 minutes and 29 seconds)
• Bournemouth Tuesday 19th December at 5am (10 km in 10 minutes and 45 seconds)
• Leicester Tuesday 19th December at 5am (10 km in 9 minutes and 43 seconds)
• Cardiff Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 8 minutes and 37 seconds)
• Leeds Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 8 minutes and 51 seconds)
• Southampton Tuesday 19th December at 5am (10 km in 8 minutes and 9 seconds)
• Sheffield Wednesday 20th December at 4am (10 km in 9 minutes and 14 seconds)
• Brighton and Hove Thursday 21st December at 6am (10 km in 10 minutes and 54 seconds)
• Liverpool Wednesday 20th December at 5am (10 km in 10 minutes and 33 seconds)
• Stoke-On-Trent Tuesday 19th December at 4am (10 km in 7 minutes and 24 seconds)
• Coventry Monday 18th December at 4am (10 km in 7 minutes and 55 seconds)
• Reading Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 7 minutes and 49 seconds)
• Newcastle Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 8 minutes and 57 seconds)
• Preston Thursday 21st December at 4am (10 km in 6 minutes and 39 seconds)
• Portsmouth Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 8 minutes and 18 seconds)
• Glasgow Monday 18th December at 6am (10 km in 9 minutes and 48 seconds)
• Swansea Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 8 minutes and 21 seconds)
• Middlesborough Monday 18th December at 5am (10 km in 7 minutes and 56 seconds)

With millions of Brits heading back to their family homes, the roads in the run-up to Christmas can be a real nightmare.

But Sam Sheehan, motoring editor at cinch, said that picking the perfect time in the week to travel can spare you a few headaches:

“Based on our findings, across the whole of the UK, the least congested time to travel between 18 December and 24 December is likely to be Monday 18th at 5am.

“If you’re a Reading resident, you’ll be happy to know that leaving the town on Monday morning is predicted to be a more seamless experience than in any other location in the UK. In fact, hitting the streets at 5am will allow you to cover a 10km stretch in an average 7 minutes and 49 seconds.

“Alternatively, the early mornings of Tuesday 19th and Thursday 21st are a good option, too.

“If you live in Preston and turn on the engine at 4am on Thursday 21st, our research says you’re likely to be able to cover 10km in less than 7 minutes. This makes it the best UK city for congestion-free driving in the build-up to Christmas.”  

Worst time to drive home for Christmas
The worst time to sit in the driving seat when cruising home for Christmas is likely to be the afternoon of Wednesday 20 December.

According to data from TomTom, Wednesday 20 December between 4pm and 6pm is the timeframe to avoid if you’re hoping to skip long queues and tooting horns. For instance, Manchester city centre is most congested between 5pm and 6pm on Wednesdays, where you can expect to drive at an average speed of just 22km/h during rush hour.

Tuesday mornings between 8am and 9am are also busy times for your festive commutes. If you’re from Bristol or Sheffield, travelling on the morning of the 19 December is likely to take you longer than other times in the week leading to Christmas, as data says you’ll be averaging a plodding 24km/h.

But what’s the worst time for Londoners, who lose 156 hours in traffic jams each year? If you’re leaving or returning to England’s capital city for the Christmas holidays, make sure to avoid the roads on Thursday 21 December between 5pm and 6pm. Data tells us you’re likely to go at an average speed of 14km/h.  

Average petrol money lost to congestion in December
In the past few months, petrol prices have crept up. Drivers with a long festive journey ahead will have to pay more than usual, especially during the hectic Christmas rush.

However, depending on where they are based across the UK, some motorists will feel the petrol price pinch less than others.

Middlesbrough drivers, for example, lose an average £54 per year in petrol on congested roads – with £5 of this coming in December. Drivers in Newcastle and Coventry, however, can expect to use £6-worth of fuel waiting in traffic during the Christmas month.

Unsurprisingly, London motorists will have the priciest bill at the end of the month. On average, Londoners spend £805 on petrol each year, losing £200 of this to congestion (and £17 in December alone).