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Drivers are being warned to take to the roads early this Good Friday as Easter weekend traffic is set to spike to its highest in four years.

Rising petrol and diesel prices are doing little to deter drivers from taking trips away for the Bank Holiday, say breakdown experts at the RAC.

It says that as many as 21 million journeys are planned for people taking Easter breaks this coming weekend, while the AA has warned over congestion on the M4, M1, M25 and M40 as well as the M5.

New research from bank firm Barclays shows that petrol buying jumped by 10% in the week following the Iran conflict breaking out as drivers rushed to fill up as prices began to rise.

The RAC's latest research says that 31% of motorists are worried about rising petrol prices, but most are still not changing their plans.

With the record number of journeys planned for this coming weekend, RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Sean Kimberlin said it was best to fill up and start your journey as early as possible this Good Friday, preferably before 10am.

He said: "We advise drivers to plan for the best time to travel if they want to avoid significant queues, especially in traffic hotspot areas such as the M5 heading towards Devon and Cornwall and the M25. Congestion is likely to be at its worst from 10am from Thursday to Saturday and on Easter Monday, so leaving early in the morning is the best way to avoid the jams.

"On Good Friday, many major roads are expected to be busy throughout the day from 10am-7pm. The M5 southbound between J15 at the RAC tower north of Bristol and J23 for Bridgwater - a key holiday route - could see journey times extended by more than 50 minutes at lunchtime, while the M25 anticlockwise between J17 and J12 may see delays of 30 minutes mid-morning, nearly trebling normal journey times."

He added: "The Easter bank holiday getaway is traditionally one of the biggest of the year, and 2026 looks no different. In fact, the number of planned leisure journeys by car has risen for the second year running and as a result we expect this to be the busiest Easter on the roads since 2022, when the country opened up after the Covid lockdown.

"Despite fuel prices rising dramatically due to the conflict in the Middle East, our research suggests Easter remains incredibly important to people as it's often the first chance to get away since Christmas or to meet up with friends and family.

"While a significant number of drivers are concerned about rising fuel prices, a much smaller contingent are actually changing their plans this Easter as a result. This is despite the cost of filling up a family diesel car increasing by around £19 compared to this time last year, and a tank of petrol being £8 more expensive."

Express motoring expert Luke Chillingsworth added: "If you can, filling up your car with petrol and completing, or at least starting, any journeys before 10am on Good Friday and over the rest of the Easter weekend should mean a lot less time stuck in traffic jams.

"The Easter weekend is always one of the worst of the year so it's always worth setting the alarm clock and heading off earlier than you otherwise would."