UK Families Name the Worst Driving Routes for Road Trips With Kids
Poll highlights bottlenecks, nap struggles and the enduring appeal of family road trips
A Hyundai-backed study of 2,000 British parents finds the driving routes most to be avoided when traveling with children under ten, with the M25 topping the list as Britain's biggest car park. The study shows that 72% of parents anticipate taking a car journey with their kids during the October half term or at Christmas, underscoring the seasonal pressure on families.
On the top of the list is the M25, cited by 29% as the number one nightmare route. The M5 from Birmingham to Devon and Cornwall and the A30 into Cornwall each draw 19% of parent votes. The M1 around Milton Keynes and Luton (17%), the M6 to the Lake District (17%), and the M62 across the Pennines (15%) also appear among the routes families dread. The M25’s reputation as a gridlock magnet reflects summer tailbacks that stretch typical trips into all-day sagas.
Beyond motorways, the list includes the A1/A1(M) corridor through Cambridgeshire and North Yorkshire (13%), the A2/M2 corridor to Dover (13%), and the M20 to Folkestone and the Eurotunnel (12%). Even scenic corridors in Scotland and Wales were named, including the A82 to Loch Lomond (10%), the A9 through the Cairngorms (nine%), and the A470 toward Snowdonia (eight%).
On the discipline side, parents report devoting about nine hours a month to driving just to rock children to sleep, while 73% admit they regularly drive in circles around the neighborhood to coax naps. Jams (42%), engine noise (41%), and frequent fuel stops (36%) are cited as the main obstructions to sleep, with 28% weighing whether to wake a sleeping child to pay for fuel and 26% fretting about wasted petrol while idling. About 21% say the journeys are exhausting, and 11% say the only truly peaceful trips are when the kids are asleep.
Despite the challenges, road trips remain a fixture for many families: 43% say such trips are fun, and 36% treasure memories of their own childhood family road journeys. Practically, parents turn to hacks, with 24% heading off at dawn to beat the traffic and 53% citing snacks as essential for a calmer journey. The findings are drawn from Hyundai's study and summarized by outlets reporting on family travel trends.