What is aquaplaning or hydroplaning? How do I avoid it?

This lifts your car away from the road surface and stops your tyres from properly steering or braking. It happens when drivers go too fast in wet conditions, and can easily lead to an accident.

What is aquaplaning in a car?

Aquaplaning is one of the biggest dangers when driving in wet conditions. It usually happens at higher speeds, often on motorways or big A-roads. Water on the road builds up under your tyres, causing them to lift up and 'skim' over puddles or streams of water. That means they can't grip the road surface underneath.

If your car starts to aquaplane, it's essentially skidding down the road. This means you have no steering, no brakes and no acceleration – similar to hitting sheet ice. That puts you at a much greater risk of a crash, as you won't be able to avoid hitting obstacles.

What causes aquaplaning?

Aquaplaning is caused by water on the road surface. This could be puddles, shallow streams of flowing water, or standing water from flooding.

Tyre treads are designed with grooves to move water away from the tyre's surface – similar to the soles of outdoor shoes. If there's more water on the road than your tyre can remove, it will lift up away from the road surface, taking your car along with it.

The other element that causes aquaplaning is driver error. The three main driving mistakes that cause aquaplaning are:

• Driving too fast – this is the most common cause of aquaplaning. It's also the one that's easiest to avoid. Going too fast in wet conditions means asking your tyres to deal with more surface water than they're able to, leading to your car aquaplaning.
• Not paying enough attention to conditions – you need to take extra care in wet conditions. That includes looking out for potential aquaplaning spots. Motorway puddles are classic aquaplaning culprits – they can be hard to spot if the surface is already wet from the rain. Keep an eye on the road surface when the heavens open, and slow down if you see cars ahead splashing through huge puddles ahead.
• Poor tyre condition – your tyre tread wears away over time as you use your car. That means the grooves that move water away get smaller and can't handle as much water as a result, increasing the risk of aquaplaning. This is why you need to replace your tyres when there's little tread depth left, so they'll perform properly in the wet.

What's the difference between aquaplaning and hydroplaning?

There is no difference between aquaplaning and hydroplaning. They are just two different words that describe the same effect.

'Aqua' or 'hydro' are simply prefixes that refer to water. Meanwhile, 'planing' refers to your wheels riding along the surface of the water, similar to a speedboat.

What roads are you most likely to aquaplane on?

While aquaplaning can happen on any road, it's most likely on roads with higher speed limits. In the UK, this means motorways, fast A roads, dual carriageways and other national speed limit roads are the most common hotspots for aquaplaning.

Aquaplaning is also more likely on roads with poor drainage – either through lack of infrastructure or neglect. Puddles or patches of standing water are likely to accumulate on these roads, which can lead to your tyres losing grip.

How can you tell if your car is aquaplaning?

Modern cars usually insulate you from the sensation of driving down the road, which means it can be tricky to know when your car is aquaplaning.

Here are the signs that your car is aquaplaning:

• Your steering wheel feels unusually light to turn
• You feel the front or rear of the car start to drift slightly
• Your engine noise and revs increase as your driving wheels lose grip
• You feel the car physically slow down as the drag from the water hits the tyres
• You hear a whooshing sound from the tyres as you hit the water

How to avoid aquaplaning

The most important trick to avoiding aquaplaning is to simply slow down. You should always try to drive at an appropriate speed for the conditions you're in.

This could mean driving a lot slower than the posted speed limit if there's simply too much water on the road for your tyres to cope. Aquaplaning is especially likely on the motorway where traffic moves fast. Stay calm and don't try to match the speed of other cars if you think it isn't safe.

You should also take extra care to watch the road ahead of you in wet conditions. Spotting a large puddle in advance gives you more time to react and to adjust your driving if needed. You should leave even more space between you and other motorists, too, so you have more room to avoid any dangers caused by aquaplaning.

For many safety reasons beyond just aquaplaning, you should also keep on top of your vehicle's maintenance. This is especially true for tyres, which must have at least 1.6mm of tread depth across the middle three quarters of the tyre's surface. If they don't, you run the risk of a fine, three penalty points, or even an accident.

What should I do if my car starts aquaplaning?

If your car starts aquaplaning, stay calm and be very gentle with your steering wheel and pedals to bring it back under control.

First, hold your wheel straight and gently take your foot off the accelerator. If you have the cruise control turned on, make sure to turn it off. If possible, avoid braking while your car is actually aquaplaning, as this can lead to a skid when the wheels suddenly regain traction.

After easing off the accelerator, your car will slow to a point where the wheels grip the road again. When this happens, you can then gently begin easing onto the brake pedal to slow yourself to a safe speed. Again, avoid stamping harshly on the pedal as this will upset your car's balance and could lead to a loss of control.

How common is aquaplaning?

That's quite difficult to answer because most aquaplaning incidents don't end in a crash. Usually, the driver is able to gradually bring their speed down to safe levels and carry on with their journey.

That means that, while many drivers might have experienced a moment of aquaplaning, very few will have been involved in a crash as a result. UK drivers should always be mindful of the risk, however, because rain is a common feature over here and can easily lead to dangerous conditions on faster roads.

Tyre safety tips to avoid aquaplaning

Your tyres should be in good condition at all times, but especially when rainy weather hits (all year round in the UK, then…). The law says your tyres must have at least 1.6mm of tread across the width of the tyre. That's the bare minimum, however, and we'd recommend replacing your tyres before then.

As well as checking your tyre tread, make sure your tyres are inflated correctly. You'll find your car's recommended tyre pressures on an information label either inside the driver's door opening, or on the inside of your petrol flap. Alternatively, it should be listed in your user manual. If you don't have a pump at home, use the air pump at your local petrol station to get back up to the right pressure.

Once that's done, make sure your tyres are wearing evenly. Uneven wear could be a sign of poor wheel alignment, which you can have fixed at your local garage. This is also a good time to check your tyres for bulges, punctures and any missing cuts to the sidewall – most of which will require a new tyre.

Which tyres help avoid aquaplaning?

There aren't any tyres specifically created to avoid aquaplaning so your best choice is simply to buy good quality tyres and replace them before they get too worn.

If you're driving over the winter months, you might want to consider a set of winter tyres, which offer more grip in low temperatures and in slippery conditions. Alternatively, a set of good-quality all-season tyres should offer decent wet weather performance.

New tyres come with labels that include various rating categories. One of these categories is wet weather grip so, if you regularly have to drive in wet conditions, consider choosing a tyre with a better wet-weather performance rating.

More top tips to keep you safe on the road

We have a selection of guides to help you stay safe on the roads. Take a look at our explainer for how to drive in heavy rain or learn more about driving safely in the snow. If you're a motorway regular, you might want to check out our guide to driving in high winds.