Drivers are committed to making the most of the upcoming four-day Easter bank holiday despite sharply rising fuel prices.
About 21m leisure journeys planned, according to a new study of drivers’ getaway plans by the RAC.
With over a million more trips planned than last year, this Easter weekend is set to be the busiest on the roads since 2022 – which was the first full getaway after the Covid lockdowns.
RAC data suggests traffic will be at its busiest on Good Friday with drivers planning around 3.3m leisure trips. Over 2.3m trips are planned on Thursday to beat the getaway, while drivers are expected to make 3m journeys on Saturday. The number of trips planned drops slightly on Easter Sunday to 2.3m, before increasing again to a further 3m on bank holiday Monday as travellers return home.
A further 6.7m journeys are anticipated at some point over the Easter bank holiday weekend, with drivers undecided on their exact date of travel. But with some early indications that the weather could warm up in time for the weekend, the number of ad hoc journeys could rise.
New separate research by the RAC also shows that while 31% of drivers are increasingly worried about rising fuel costs – driven by the current conflict in the Middle East that has seen pump prices soaring – most aren’t changing their plans.
Only 6% expect to drive shorter distances and another 6% say they won’t drive at all, as a direct result of the higher prices. This is despite the fact that filling up a typical diesel family car this Easter will cost at least £19 more than it did on Good Friday in 2025, and a tank of petrol nearly £8 more, with further increases likely.
On Thursday – the day when many schools break up for the Easter holidays – some of the worst delays of more than 40 minutes are expected on the M25 clockwise between J15 and J19 around 2.45pm, and on the M4 westbound across the Prince of Wales Bridge towards Bridgend with delays of an hour and a quarter in the evening, according to data from INRIX. The anticlockwise stretch from J17 to J12 will also see similar delays closer around 4pm, close to the evening rush-hour.
Meanwhile, on Good Friday, many major roads are expected to be busy throughout the day from 10am-7pm. The M5 southbound between J15 at the RAC tower north of Bristol and J23 for Bridgwater – a key holiday route – could see journey times extended by more than 50 minutes at lunchtime, while the M25 anticlockwise between J17 and J12 may see delays of 30 minutes mid-morning, nearly trebling normal journey times.
On Saturday, drivers are advised to avoid 10am to midday when traffic will be at its busiest. The M40 northbound from J12 to the Umberslade interchange with the M42 will see delays of around 48 minutes at 11am, with journey times almost four times longer than usual.
The roads are expected to be busy for most of Easter Monday as families return from their Easter trips or sporting events are held. Delays of over an hour (65 minutes) are expected at midday in the South West on the M5 northbound between J25 for Taunton and J15 at the RAC tower. Elsewhere, the M25 clockwise between J15 to J19 will be hit with queues at 5.30pm, with journeys taking over 38 minutes longer than usual, double usual travel times.
