10 tips for summer driving

How to drive safely in summer: A practical guide for UK drivers

TL;DR: How do I stay safe driving in the summer?

In a hurry? Here’s what matters most:

• Plan your route the evening before and schedule rest stops every two hours
• Cool the cabin before you drive – open one side of the car, fan the hot air out, then run the AC through the lower vents on cold
• Sun glare is a hazard: Polarised sunglasses, use the sun visor, and pull over if needed
• Check hay fever medication labels before driving
• Never leave children or pets in a parked car – at 22C outside, the interior can reach 47C within 60 minutes
• Summer is peak breakdown season: Check oil, coolant, and tyre pressure before any long journey
• The only safe approach to the drink drive limit is not to drive after drinking

Summer in the UK is a wonderful thing – a bit unpredictable, occasionally underwhelming, but brilliant when it arrives

The roads fill up with families heading to the coast, weekend adventurers, and anyone who’s spent the past eight months staring at grey skies and decided they’ve had enough of staying put.

We’re based in Devon; one of the most visited parts of the country when the sun shows up. 

So, we’ve seen summer driving at its most chaotic: Narrow lanes packed with caravans, coastal car parks bursting by 10am, queues stretching back along the A38 before most people have even finished breakfast.

We know what summer driving looks like in the UK, and what it takes to get through it without ruining your day.

Summer driving is as much about how you approach it as the car you’re in, and a few simple habits make a significant difference. 

Plan your journey before you go

The most common summer driving mistake isn’t mechanical. It’s leaving without a plan. 

Ever heard the phrase ‘keys, wallet, phone, plan to get home’? Well, we might have made it up. But it applies in the summer almost more than any time of year.

Bank holiday traffic on popular routes to the coast can add hours to a journey, and most of that time is avoidable with a bit of forethought. Check your route the evening before, as well as the morning of.

Roadworks and closures show up clearly on apps like Google Maps or Waze, and an overnight look costs nothing.

On popular coastal routes, setting off early can cut journey times significantly. The difference between an easy run, and sitting in stationary traffic while your ice-cold drinks start to warm up, is a matter of setting your alarm a bit earlier.

Build rest stops into the plan too.

The Highway Code recommends a 15-minute break every two hours, and it’s worth treating that as a minimum rather than a target. 

Schedule stops before you leave rather than waiting until you feel tired. By the time fatigue properly kicks in, you’ve already been driving too long.

If you’re planning an evening where alcohol might be involved, sort the return journey the night before. The drink drive limit in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is 35mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, 80mg per 100ml of blood, or 107mg per 100ml of urine.

In Scotland, the limits are stricter: 22mg per 100ml of breath, 50mg per 100ml of blood, and 67mg per 100ml of urine.

How this translates into units differs from person to person based on weight, age, sex, metabolism and what you’ve eaten, which is why the only genuinely safe approach is not to drive after drinking at all.

One for lease drivers: If you’re on a mileage-capped lease agreement, longer summer journeys are worth tracking.

Day trips and family holidays add up faster than a regular commute. It’s worth checking where you are against your annual mileage allowance before the season gets underway, rather than finding an excess mileage charge at the end of the term.

Cool down the car before you leave

A hot car is an uncomfortable car, and discomfort affects concentration.

The good news is that cooling a car down properly takes about five minutes if you do it right.

Start by opening the windows on one side of the car, then swing a door on the opposite side back and forth to flush the hot air of the cabin. Then turn on the engine, set the air conditioning to its coldest setting, and open all the windows halfway.

Direct the airflow through the lower vents: Hot air rises, so pushing cool air from the bottom forces the warm air upwards and out.

Keep the windows half open while the cabin cools, then close them and keep the air con running.

Electric car (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) leasers often get this particular problem solved for free. Most EVs and PHEVs, like the Polestar 4, MG S6, and Volkswagen Passat eHybrid,let you precondition the cabin remotely via an app. Ideally, while the car is still plugged in so you’re not drawing on the battery to do it.

You open the door and it’s already comfortable inside – which, when you’ve just walked across a baking car park, feels like a civilised way to drive.

If your air con isn’t working, or you’re in a vehicle without it, travel earlier in the day or later in the evening when temperatures are lower. At motorway speeds, slightly cracked windows are more effective than fully open ones. 

Less drag, less noise, and the airflow is more consistent.

Sun glare – the hazard people underestimate

Low summer sun is the kind of hazard that catches people off guard, partly because it doesn’t feel as dramatic as ice or heavy rain.

But sun glare in the early morning and late afternoon can be genuinely blinding, particularly on east or west-facing stretches of road.

Sunglasses are essential.

Polarised lenses are the best option for driving, as they cut through reflected light more effectively than standard tinted lenses. Keep a pair in the glovebox and one in your bag. The law of sunglasses is that they’re never where you expect them to be, so having multiple pairs in multiple places isn’t excessive.

Use the sun visor alongside glasses, not instead of them. 

If glare makes it difficult to see, slow down and increase the gap between you and the vehicle in front. If it’s bad enough that you can’t see the road clearly, pull over safely. You have a legal duty to only drive when you can see properly, and sun glare is no exception.

Worth planning around if you can.

On longer journeys, east-facing roads at sunrise and west-facing roads at sunset are the worst offenders.

A quick look at your route the evening before can save some unpleasant driving.

Staying hydrated and on top of hay fever

Dehydration affects concentration, reaction times, and decision-making.

None of which you want compromised behind the wheel.

Always carry water in the car, even on short trips. An unexpected delay on a busy summer route can turn a 20-minute drive into something longer, and being stuck in a hot car without anything to drink is miserable at best.

Hay fever season and summer driving overlap almost entirely, which is both wretched and adds a layer of planning to your day.

Some antihistamines, including options like chlorphenamine (sold as Piriton) and promethazine, can cause drowsiness and directly reduce coordination, reaction speed, and judgement.

Non-drowsy alternatives including cetirizine, loratadine, and fexofenadine are recommended for people who need to drive.

Summer roads are busier roads

The volume of traffic in summer changes the character of driving, particularly on popular routes to the coast and national parks.

There are more cyclists and pedestrians: School holidays put children on pavements, towpaths, and country lanes when they’d normally be in a classroom. There are more caravans and motorhomes, which are slower on climbs and need more room through bends.

And there are a lot of drivers navigating roads they don’t know.

If you’re driving somewhere familiar, be patient with people who aren’t. Hesitant turns, slow progress through junctions, the sudden stop before a hidden turning. It doesn’t make someone an incompetent driver. It just means they’re someone trying to navigate somewhere new with a satnav telling them to turn right onto a lane barely wider than the car.

Heat also has a well-documented effect on driver temperament.

Frustration builds faster when temperatures are high. If you notice your patience thinning on a congested summer road, that’s the signal to pull over rather than push through – a ten-minute stop costs far less than the consequences of a poor decision.

Even if that stop involves service station coffee.

Children and pets

Two rules that most people know and are still worth saying: Never leave a child alone in a car in summer, and never leave a dog in a parked car in summer.

Not briefly. Not with a window cracked.

According to RSPCA data, when the outside temperature is just 22C, the interior of a parked car can reach 47C within 60 minutes. At higher temperatures, it happens faster.

A few minutes is enough to cause serious harm.

If you see a child or animal in visible distress inside a locked car, call 999. The police have the powers to act; forcing entry yourself could amount to criminal damage, so let them handle it.

On longer journeys, schedule proper stops for children and dogs.

Both need water, fresh air, and a chance to move around. Sorts snacks and entertainment before you set off, so there’s no rummaging around while driving.

For EV drivers with compatible vehicles, cabin temperature management features are worth knowing about.

Tesla’s Dog Mode, for example, maintains a set interior temperature while the car is parked and displays the current reading on the infotainment screen so passers-by can see your pet is comfortable.

The breakdown risk is higher in summer than you’d expect

This surprises a lot of people – summer is consistently one of the peak periods for breakdowns on UK roads.

National Highways data shows there were 303,213 recorded breakdowns on England’s motorway network in 2025 – a 7% increase on 2024 – with July the peak month, accounting for around 10% of the annual total.

During heatwave periods specifically, the RAC has recorded up to 20% more breakdowns than usual.

Higher temperatures accelerate wear on tyres and cooling systems, longer journeys push vehicles harder than their typical daily use, and seasonal vehicles like campervans and caravans often hit the road without proper checks after months of sitting unused.

If your lease includes a maintenance package, summer is a sensible time to check whether a service is due before the busiest driving period of the year gets underway.

For anyone without cover, checking oil and coolant levels, tyre condition and tyre pressure costs nothing but five minutes before a long journey.

Research by Volkswagen Financial Services found that 25% of UK drivers admit to skipping their annual vehicle service – but it’s one of the best ways to avoid a preventable breakdown.

What to have in the car

A summer kit doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it’s worth checking that the below is in the car before you leave:

• Water
• Snacks, both for comfort and as a buffer against unexpected delays
• Sunglasses and suncream
• Phone charger or portable power bank
• Hi-vis vests and a warning triangle
• First aid kit
• Non-drowsy antihistamines and eye drops

If things go wrong

Breakdowns in the heat are unpleasant, but handling them safely is straightforward.

If you break down on a motorway or dual carriageway, get as far left as you can, put the hazard lights on and exit via the passenger side. Don’t stands beside the car – stand behind the barrier, well away from traffic, and call for help.

Waiting times can be longer during heatwave periods, so keep water in your kit and find shade while you wait.

If the engine overheats, pull over and switch it off, but don’t open the bonnet straight away. Give it at least 30 minutes to cool before touching anything. Topping up coolant on a hot engine can cause burns. 

After heavy summer rain, standing water on rural roads is more of a risk than many drivers expect.

If the depth is unclear, don’t drive through it.

A foot of water can knock a person off their feet; at greater depths, a car can be moved by the current. It’s never worth the risk.

If sun glare causes a collision or near-miss, treat it the same way as any other incident. Pull over somewhere safe, switch on your hazard lights, and take stock before deciding next steps.

None of this is complicated.

Most summer driving problems come down to a lack of preparation rather than a lack of skill. Give yourself more time, check a few things before you leave, and stay alert to the hazards that don’t announce themselves as loudly as ice or heavy rain.

Do that, and the roads reward you for it.

If your current car isn’t quite making summer what it should be, we’re here to help you find something better.