More than 14,000 drivers are expected to call out the AA on Miserable Monday (6 January) in one of the busiest days of 2025 for car breakdowns.

The main return to work day is expected to be one of the busiest of 2025 for car breakdowns

The motoring organisation said it’s likely to see up to 20 distress calls a minute and has extra patrols on duty as the nation heads back to work in vehicles left unused over the festive period amidst a severe cold snap across parts of the UK.

The expected workload is up by 50% on an average Monday and more than a third busier than the 8,000 average daily breakdowns that AA patrols attended across the festive period (20-30 December).

Flat batteries and frozen engines are typically the main culprits for the January return to work. On the equivalent day last year (Tuesday 2 January 2024), the AA was called to more than 5,000 vehicles that wouldn’t start or had a flat battery. On an average day in 2024, around one in five of breakdowns were due to problems starting the vehicle – but on the first day back to work, with freezing conditions predicted over much of the UK, this is expected to rise to one in three.

Tyres are another problem area, particularly at the beginning of the year. In 2024, there were 37% more flat-tyres or punctures at the start of January than any other day on average.

Many vehicles have not been used since before Christmas, adding to the return-to-work and weather misery, and the AA has urged drivers to carry out vehicle checks before heading back to the office.

Chris Wood, AA patrol of the year, said: “A third of households have more than one car but over Christmas only one tends to get used for visiting friends and family or to hit the Boxing Day sales. The main commuter car often gets left unused, which means problems go unnoticed until it’s time to head back to work.

“Cold conditions cause the power output of the battery to drop, and shorter journeys tend to drain your battery’s energy faster. To get a good charge in time to start up the commute, try to drive your car a couple of times for at least half an hour each trip. Check the tyres over the weekend and get any punctures repaired before the rush back to work.”