Brits are set to travel 6.3 billion miles by car over the festive period, with seven in 10 people making at least one car journey to visit friends, family or go on a Christmas holiday1.

Research for Kwik Fit, the UK’s leading automotive servicing and repair company, reveals that between 21 December – 2 January, the average Brit heading out in their car will make just over three trips (3.2) to see friends, family or set off on a Christmas break. Although many people use the festive period as an opportunity to keep the car in the driveway, over one million people will be making a massive 11 or more holiday journeys by car.

Those taking to the roads over Christmas and New Year will travel an average of 169 miles, although 2% (around 800,000 people) say they will travel more than 1,000 miles during the holidays. Despite the huge mileage being covered by the nation’s drivers, over a third say they won’t make any checks on their vehicle before setting off.

Of those travelling to see friends or family or going on holiday by car, just over half (18.9m) will be staying over for at least one night. Christmas Eve is going to be the busiest day for getaways, with one fifth (19%) of those heading off for overnight trips - some 3.5 million people - taking to the roads that day.

Those in the West Midlands are going to travel the furthest by car during the festive season, with an average of 227 miles to be travelled by those in the region. Londoners will be going the second longest distance by car, with those heading out of the capital covering an average of 222 miles. In contrast, Scots are staying closer to home during the holidays, with the average total distance travelled by those north of the border being just 126 miles.

Kwik Fit can reveal that over the last three years, it has seen the busiest demand on 23 December with many drivers discovering last minute problems as they get ready to head off on Christmas journeys. The company is advising all drivers to plan ahead as much as possible after its research showed that many motorists will neglect to make checks on their car before setting off on festive trips.

The researchers found that of those travelling over 500 miles by car during the festive period, less than half (46%) said they would be checking their tyre pressures and only a third (34%) would check their tyre tread. Fewer than two in five drivers are going to check their screen wash level (39%) with even fewer checking their oil level (37%) or coolant (27%).

One in six (17%) who are setting out on lengthy car trips (over 500 miles) say they will make none of the basic vehicle checks.

Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “Our research has shown that the vast majority of us will be taking to the roads at some point over the festive period, but worryingly, many drivers will not be ensuring that their car is prepared for the journey. Christmas Eve is going to be a very busy day on the roads, but most garages will be closed so we are encouraging motorists to check their car well in advance to make sure there are no unpleasant Christmas surprises.”

Note to editors

Sources:

1. Research carried out by Opinium among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults – fieldwork carried out 17-21 November

About Kwik Fit

Established in 1971, the Kwik Fit Group is one of the largest independent automotive parts, repair and replacement specialists in the world. Kwik Fit has over 600 service centres across the UK and more than 200 mobile tyre fitting vehicles, making it the UK’s leading tyre, exhaust, brake and MoT specialist. Details of its range of products and services can be found at kwik-fit.com