The upcoming bank holiday weekend is forecast to be the busiest on the roads since 2015, with motoring experts predicting 20 million leisure trips by car between Friday 28 August and Monday 31 August. This period marks a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Friday 28 August is expected to be particularly busy, with 4.1 million getaway journeys predicted. A further 3.8 million leisure trips are anticipated on Saturday, 3.1 million on Sunday, and 3.4 million on Monday, when day-trippers and those returning from short breaks will share the roads.
Likely congestion hotspots identified by transport analytics company Inrix include the M25 anticlockwise from Junction 17 to Junction 12, and clockwise from Junction 15 to Junction 19. The M5 south from Junction 15 to Junction 23, and north from Junction 11 to Junction 1, are also expected to see heavy traffic. Additionally, the M1 south from Junction 16 to Junction 6 is listed as a potential hotspot.
An RAC survey indicated that 13% of nearly 3,000 UK drivers have cancelled their bank holiday travel plans due to higher petrol and diesel prices, which are attributed to the Iran war. Filling a typical 55-litre family car with petrol now costs about £89, up from £74 a year ago, while diesel is approximately £100, compared to £79 in August 2025.
Network Rail is undertaking less engineering work than usual for the bank holiday weekend. However, the East Coast Main Line will be closed between London King's Cross and Peterborough on Sunday for digital signalling work, affecting thousands of passengers. Other disruptions include no trains between Stafford and Wolverhampton on Sunday, and issues in the Leeds area from Saturday to Monday.