Car sharing at Christmas: how to find travel companions and save

Road trips increase over Christmas, along with fuel and toll costs. Sharing a car can be an easy way to save on these journeys and make use of empty seats, but it helps to know how to find travel companions and plan the trip.

Christmas is one of the times of year with the most road travel. Visits to family, trips back to your hometown, journeys between cities and getaways mean that many people have to travel hundreds of kilometres in just a few days. For the 2025–2026 Christmas travel operation, the DGT forecast 22.4 million road journeys between 19 December and 6 January.

If you are making any of these journeys by car, sharing the trip with other people can help you split fuel and toll costs. It also lets you make use of empty seats on journeys you were already planning to take.

But how can you find companions for a one-off trip? Where can you look? How should you split the costs? And what precautions should you take when travelling with people you do not know? At Waiis we explain everything you need to know about sharing a car this Christmas.

The Christmas holidays bring together many short- and long-distance journeys, especially around Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and Epiphany. The DGT itself sets up special traffic operations during these dates to make travel easier and improve road safety.

For people travelling by car, sharing the journey can be a way to split the cost of the trip among several people. Instead of paying for fuel and tolls alone, people travelling along the same route can share those costs.

In addition, car sharing can be particularly useful when public transport does not work for the origin, destination or timetable you need.

Where can you find travel companions for Christmas?

If you want to share the costs on a trip home for Christmas, you have several options:

Friends, family or colleagues: This is one of the easiest options if you know someone travelling a similar route.

Local or university groups: Some communities organise shared trips to coincide with the Christmas holidays.

Car-sharing platforms: There are apps and services, such as Waiis, that specialise in connecting people making particular journeys.

Online communities: Local groups or communities linked to a city, university or company can help you find people with similar starting points and destinations.

Before choosing an option, check how the platform or community works, what information it provides about users and what safety measures it has in place.

Christmas getaway traffic: when is the road busiest?

The Christmas getaway is not concentrated on a single day. The DGT organises its special traffic operation in several phases around Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Epiphany. For the 2025–2026 campaign, for example, it set out three phases: Christmas, New Year and Epiphany.

The busiest periods can vary from year to year depending on the calendar and how trips are spread out. So, if you are travelling by car, to avoid traffic jams it is a good idea to check the DGT traffic forecasts before setting off.

It is also worth bearing in mind that weather conditions can change during this period and affect driving, particularly in mountainous areas or on night-time journeys.

How to travel cheaply by car at Christmas

One of the main benefits of car sharing is that it lets you split some of the costs associated with the journey. Before setting off, you can agree how to share:

Fuel: Estimate the cost of the journey and divide it among the people travelling.

Tolls: Add them to the cost of the journey and split them among the passengers.

Other journey costs: Any other cost directly related to the journey should be agreed in advance.

It is best to discuss these costs before setting off, so everyone knows in advance how much they will need to contribute. If you want to work out how much you can save by sharing a car, see our guide to how much money you can save by car sharing.

Sharing a car with someone you do not know can be a good option, but it is worth taking a few precautions, especially on a long journey:

Check the information available about the person before accepting the trip.

If the platform allows it, check their profile, reviews or verification features.

Tell someone you trust the name of the person you are travelling with, your route and your approximate departure and arrival times.

Agree in advance where and when you will meet.

If you are driving, make sure the vehicle is in suitable condition for the journey.

Check the weather forecast and road conditions before setting off.

The DGT recommends taking extra care during this period and paying particular attention to any adverse weather conditions that may arise while travelling.

If you are returning to your hometown or village for Christmas and have empty seats in your car, sharing the journey can let you split the travel costs with other people whose route is compatible.

Spanish law currently recognises collaborative mobility services as journeys shared by several people in the same passenger car, where they can share the costs of the journey. The Sustainable Mobility Act classifies them as private transport for personal use.

This distinguishes car sharing between individuals from a professional transport service: the aim is to share the journey and, where applicable, its associated costs.

If you are travelling by car this Christmas, sharing the journey can be a good way to split the costs and make use of available seats. The key is to choose the option that best suits your trip, especially if it is a one-off journey or a route you travel regularly.

Plan your trip in advance, agree on costs before setting off and take the necessary safety precautions. That way, you can enjoy the journey and reach your destination without your trip home costing more than necessary.