Around 15 million leisure car journeys are expected to be taken in the run-up to Good Friday, with a further 12 million across the bank holiday weekend itself, new figures from the RAC show.

Research of drivers’ travel plans* suggests that while tomorrow (Monday) will be particularly busy with some 4.7m individual getaway trips by car taking place, there is expected to be sustained levels of leisure traffic in the run-up to Good Friday, a day when there are around 4.4m journeys expected to be taken by road.

Traffic data from mobility analytics provider INRIX indicates that jams will peak on Good Friday, with major routes clogging up between 11am and 4.30pm. The worst delays on this day are expected on the M5 southbound, passing west of Bristol (J16 to J19) – part of the popular holiday route towards Devon and Cornwall – the M25 anticlockwise from Bromley (J4) through the Dartford Tunnel to the A13 (J30), the M6 north between Preston (J31) and Lancaster (J34), and the M62 west between Leeds (J27) and Manchester (J18) where delays of around an hour are expected.

Fortunately for drivers, 99% of the motorways and major A-roads in England will be free of roadworks, with Highways England removing more than 450 miles of cones in time for the Easter bank holiday.

RAC Traffic Watch spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “This week we’re expecting a significant second wave of Easter getaway traffic, following that which we saw at the start of April when schools broke up. This will mean the coming week and the bank holiday will likely be characterised by lengthy queues in some spots.

“Traffic jams are frustrating at the best of times and while we can predict where some of these will crop up, it only takes a single bump or breakdown for huge tailbacks to form.

“But there’s a lot drivers can do to reduce the likelihood their car will fail them, and in fact a lot of the breakdowns our patrols attend are completely avoidable if drivers had checked over their cars before they set out. Wrongly inflated tyres, or those with a lack of tread, along with low oil and coolant levels and even a lack of fuel are all typical breakdowns at this time of year. It’s therefore vital motorists spend a few moments checking these things before getting behind the wheel.”

Dan Croft, Incident Group Operations Manager at INRIX, said: “Drivers in the UK are all too familiar with traffic jams. In fact, the average UK driver lost more than 170 hours to congestion last year. During peak hours over Easter, journeys could take UK drivers three times longer than usual. We are predicting Good Friday will be the worst for traffic from late morning into the afternoon. For drivers looking to avoid the worst congestion, the best options are to travel on Saturday, set off early in the morning and keep updated with real-time traffic data.”

Highways England’s customer service director Melanie Clarke said: “We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible this Easter and that’s why we’re keeping around 99% of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.

“Safety is our top priority and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns can easily be avoided if motorists carry out simple vehicle checks before setting off over this period.”

At-a-glance: Easter traffic

Estimated 11.9m leisure trips by car between Monday 15 and Wednesday 17 April

DateLeisure trips by carWorst times to travel on major roadsBest times to travel on major roadsExpected longest delays on major roads (breakdowns or collisions can significantly increase journey times across the road network)
Thursday, 18 April3.4mBetween 2.30pm and 7pmBefore 11am or after 9pmM25 clockwise J8 to J16: 57-minute delay from 1.45pm M25 anticlockwise J20 to J11: 50-minute delay from 4.30pm
Good Friday, 19 April4.4mBetween 11am and 4.30pmBefore 9.30am or after 7pmM62 west between J27 and J18: 56-minute delay from 12.45pm M6 north between J31 and J34: 39-minute delay from 3.30pm
Saturday, 20 April2.8mBetween 11am and 2pmBefore 9.30am or after 5pmA303 west between Amesbury and Chicklade: 22-minute delay from 11.15am M4 west between J22 and J29: 17-minute delay from 5.15pm
Easter Sunday, 21 April2.8mBetween 11am and 12.30pmBefore 10am or after 3.30pmM25 anticlockwise between J20 and J11: 17-minute delay from 12pm A303 west between Amesbury and Chicklade: 13-minute delay from 12pm
Easter Monday, 22 April2.2mBetween 12.30pm and 2.30pmBefore 10.30am or after 6.30pmM25 clockwise between J8 and J16: 22-minute delay from 2pm M25 anticlockwise between J4 and J30: 21-minute delay from 2.15pm

Data sources: INRIX and RAC

In full: roads with the longest expected delays

Date and regionRoadPeak congestion fromTravel time (mins)Total delay (mins)
Thursday 18 April    
Greater LondonM25 clockwise J8 to J161.45pm9157
Greater LondonM25 anticlockwise J20 to J114.30pm8850
East MidlandsM1 north J21 to J262.45pm8149
West MidlandsM6 south J20 to J167.45am6439
South WestM5 south J16 to J194.15pm2717
Good Friday, 19 April    
North WestM62 west J27 to J1812.45pm8556
North WestM6 north J31 to J343.30pm6239
North EastA64 north Fulford to Barton Hill1.30pm4732
Greater LondonM25 anticlockwise J4 to J3011.45am4430
South WestM5 south J16 to J1911.45am3021
Saturday, 20 April    
South WestA303 west Salisbury Road to A35011.15am5122
WalesM4 west J22 to J295.15pm3817
North EastA64 north Fulford to Barton Hill12pm3314
Greater LondonM25 clockwise J20 to J2812.45pm4613
Easter Sunday, 21 April    
Greater LondonM25 anticlockwise J20 to J1112pm4217
North EastA64 north Fulford to Barton Hill11.30am3113
South WestA303 west Salisbury Road to A35012pm4013
Greater LondonM25 clockwise J8 to J1611.45am4511
ScotlandM8 east J29 to J1511am133
Easter Monday, 22 April    
Greater LondonM25 clockwise J8 to J162pm5422
Greater LondonM25 anticlockwise J4 to J302.15pm4021
West MidlandsM6 south J20 to J166pm4320
South EastM3 north J14 to J72.15pm3011
North EastA64 north Fulford to Barton Hill4.45pm2510