Elizabeth Berrett
If you’ve ever muttered a few choice words at the wheel while attempting UK road trips with kids in the back, you’re not alone. A new study from Hyundai has revealed the country’s most challenging family routes, and it’s a grim roll call of tailbacks, bottlenecks, and patience-testing misery.
Top of the table—no surprise to anyone who’s survived it—is the M25. Known affectionately as “Britain’s biggest car park,” almost a third of parents say the London Orbital is the nation’s number one nightmare. And that’s on a good day.
Hot on its tailpipe comes the M5 run to Devon and Cornwall, along with the A30 into Cornwall, both legendary for turning what should be a breezy two-hour trip into an endurance event worthy of the SAS. Then there’s the M1 near Milton Keynes and Luton, the M6 to the Lake District, and the M62 across the Pennines—routes where roadworks, unpredictable weather, and wind will test the patience of a saint.
Not to be left out, the A303 past Stonehenge also makes the cut, with one in six parents confessing they’ve spent quality family time inching past the stones, wondering if they’ll ever see second gear again.
And it’s not just England. Scotland and Wales dish up their own scenic torture with the A82 to Loch Lomond, the A9 through the Cairngorms, and the A470 into Snowdonia. Lovely views, sure, but the kind you enjoy mostly while parked in a queue of caravans.
Nap Time on Wheels
It turns out parents aren’t just battling the roads; they’re clocking up miles simply to get their children to sleep. The research found mums and dads are spending around nine hours a month driving loops around their neighbourhoods in search of the holy grail: a sleeping toddler.
Sitting in traffic, engine noise, and constant petrol stops were flagged as the biggest frustrations. There’s even the classic dilemma—do you wake a peacefully snoozing child just to pay for fuel, or risk bankruptcy idling at the pump?
Still, despite the chaos, nearly half of parents admit they actually enjoy family drives, while over a third said the trips remind them of their own childhood journeys. Nostalgia, it seems, survives even the M25.
| Rank | Route | Why it’s tough | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M25 (London Orbital) | Britain’s biggest car park | |
| 2 | M5 from Birmingham to Devon/Cornwall | crawling southbound in summer | |
| 3 | A30 into Cornwall | endless queues once you’ve “survived” the A303 | |
| 4 | M1 around Milton Keynes and Luton | heavy commuter and holiday traffic | |
| 5 | M6 to the Lake District | plagued by roadworks and bottlenecks | |
| 6 | A303 past Stonehenge (London to Cornwall) | iconic but jammed | |
| 7 | M62 across the Pennines (Manchester to Leeds) | wind, weather and congestion | |
| 8 | A1/A1(M) through Cambridgeshire and North Yorkshire | long, often slow, with patchy upgrades | |
| 9 | A2/M2 towards Dover | chaos with port traffic and holiday getaways | |
| 10 | M20 to Folkestone/Eurotunnel | Operation Stack queues in summer | |
| 11 | M8 through Glasgow | short but notoriously congested | |
| 12 | A55 into North Wales | notorious at bank holidays, especially near Chester | |
| 13 | M4 to South Wales | delays near Newport and the Severn crossings | |
| 14 | A82 to Loch Lomond and the Highlands | beautiful but narrow and busy | |
| 15 | M3/M27 to the South Coast (Portsmouth & Southampton) | bottlenecks near Winchester | |
| 16 | A64 to Scarborough and Whitby | only one road in, only one road out | |
| 17 | A90 Dundee to Aberdeen | busy lorry traffic and holidaymakers | |
| 18 | A9 through the Cairngorms (Scotland) | stunning views, single carriageways, and speed cameras | |
| 19 | A470 Cardiff to Snowdonia | spectacular, but winding and slow |
Hyundai’s Pitch for Calm
Ashley Andrew, President of Hyundai Motor & Genesis UK, said: “At Hyundai, we want to make all journeys easier and calmer for everyone. The KONA Electric, with its whisper-quiet powertrain and smooth driving experience, is the perfect partner – whether it’s the school run, nap-time laps or a cross-country adventure. Through our new ‘Rest Drives’ initiative, parents can experience its calming, family-friendly benefits first-hand.”
The initiative, called Rest Drives, offers extended test drives of the KONA Electric—designed to show frazzled parents that not all UK road trips have to feel like survival training.
Road Trip Survival Hacks
Parents surveyed weren’t short of ideas to make journeys bearable. A quarter swear by setting off at dawn to dodge traffic, while more than half say snacks are the secret weapon. Others confess the only truly peaceful journey is the one where the kids nod off entirely.
The Rest Drives test drive offer is open until 31 October 2025 at participating Hyundai retailers. Families keen to swap motorway misery for something smoother can book at Hyundai Rest Drives.
