Easter 2024 travel advice: Best and worst days to travel + roads to avoid

The Easter bank holiday is fast approaching. Here’s our top tips on when to travel and which routes to avoid so you can have a cracking Easter! 🐣 (Sorry…)

Easter travel

Traditionally, the Easter weekend has always been a busy period for travel, but in recent years the holiday has been particularly hectic on the roads - and UK drivers should expect more of the same this year.

Post-Covid Britain has seen a surge in staycations, resulting in busier roads during holidays. 2022, for example, saw in excess of 21 million leisure journeys, the busiest Easter since 2014.

And warnings were issued before 2023's Easter weekend too, with the RAC claiming "Good Friday could turn bad" due to busy roads with millions getting behind the wheel.

In 2024 we can expect more of the same - so to help you navigate the holiday, we've highlighted the days and routes you should try to avoid.

Busiest days and times on the road at Easter

Based on historic data and trends, here are the best and worst days and times to travel.

We've used INRIX and RAC 'expected trips' data from 2022 and 2023 to highlight when and when not to hit the road.

Busy roads over Easter weekend

It’ll come as no surprise that motorways up and down the country will be taking the brunt of the Easter traffic. However, some roads look like they’ll be worse hit than others, based on historic data.

Roads to avoid:

• M6 north between Liverpool and the Lake District
• M6 south towards Stoke-on-Trent
• M25 between Surrey and the M40 exit
• A303 near Stonehenge
• M3 north to Basingstoke

Top tips for Easter travel

If you've not driven much recently, it pays to check both you and your vehicle are safe to hit the road.

There have been several important changes to the Highway Code in the last couple of years, and it’s wise to ensure you read up on these.

Vehicle checks

There are several simple, yet critical, vehicle checks you should do if you’re planning an Easter getaway:

• Fuel - make sure you have plenty of fuel, and remember that motorway services can charge around 30p more per litre than a non-motorway petrol station
• Oil - check your oil levels
• Coolant - check you are topped up
• Screenwash - ditto
• Tyres - ensure they are inflated to the correct pressure and that the tread is at least 3mm deep. Don’t forget to check the spare
• Lights - check your lights all work correctly
• Wiper blades - check they clear your windscreen properly

Passenger checks

To help your break go as smoothly as possible, here are some tips from our experts to ensure an easy ride:

• Mobile phone - make sure your phone is fully charged before you set off in case of a breakdown. Just remember, since January 2022 it's been illegal to even touch your phone while driving - even if you're just changing your music or swiping away a notification.
• Sat nav - with petrol stations, destination and other stop offs programmed in
• Insurance and breakdown cover details - keep them in a handy place
• Face covering and hand sanitiser - be safe
• Water or juice - it’s important to remain hydrated, especially travelling long distance
• Snacks - who doesn’t love a treat?
• First aid kit - this is essential
• Entertainment - if you have children with you, don’t forget to pack something to keep them happy; the “are we there yet?” can rapidly increase your stress levels!

Get insured

Snacks and fuel are important but there is one golden rule you need to abide before hitting the road this Easter: you must be insured - and Cuvva's policies from 1 hour to 28 days might be able to help, with cover starting from just £11.90.

• Temporary car insurance for borrowing or lending a car in minutes.
• Learner driver cover for driving lessons, getting practice in with a supervisor, or taking the driving test.
• Drive away insurance for getting your new car home from the dealership.
• Temporary van insurance for moving home, dropping things to the recycling centre, or carrying a heavy load.

And it only takes a few minutes to get a quote.