London to Brighton Veteran Car Run 2026: Start times, Sussex route and road closures
The annual veteran car run is celebrating their biggest and best entry in recent years as more than 400 pioneering cars line-up.
The magical RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run returns on Sunday November 1 with more than 400 pioneering pre-1905 cars expected to take part in one of the world’s most evocative celebrations of motoring history.
This year marks 140 years since Karl Benz introduced his revolutionary Patent-Motorwagen, widely regarded as the world’s first production car, while it is also 130 years since the landmark Emancipation Run of 1896 – the event that celebrated the liberation of the horseless carriage and effectively heralded the birth of motoring in Britain.
Now, over a century after motorists were officially liberated from the restrictions of the old legislation, the tradition continues with hundreds of veteran cars once again taking to the historic road from London to Brighton.
Moreover, the international appeal of the legendary event is underlined by the fact that more than 100 of this year’s entries have travelled from overseas, with participants coming from across Europe as well as the USA, Hong Kong and Australia to take part in this unique celebration of motoring history.
“Few events can claim such a direct connection with the birth of motoring itself as the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run,” said Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club. “The 1896 Emancipation Run was a defining moment in Britain’s motoring history, marking the freedom to travel by motor car and opening the road to the extraordinary development of the motor industry that followed. “It is therefore particularly appropriate that, 130 years on, we are celebrating that landmark occasion with such a magnificent field of veteran cars.
"The scale of this year’s entry is hugely encouraging, as is the enthusiasm of the many younger drivers and participants who are becoming increasingly involved.
"They are ensuring that this remarkable piece of motoring history is not simply preserved, but continues to be enjoyed and brought to life for future generations.”
The event:
Following the traditional ceremonial tearing up of the red flag, the field will set off at 6.53am as the sun rises, beginning the historic 60-mile journey to the Sussex coast
Starting from Hyde Park, they’ll journey through central London past Buckingham Palace and Parliament before crossing Westminster Bridge, where the pack splits via Brixton and Clapham Common ahead of the south-bound run.
The routes merge once again on the A236 north of Croydon, with the field reunited as it heads south through Surrey and towards Crawley for the official halfway break at The Hawth Theatre. A new, more easterly, route from Horley past Gatwick Airport is being trialled this year to improve the participant experience.
Although there is no public access to the CARS-supported Pit Stop at The Hawth, spectators will have ample opportunity to get close to the remarkable veteran machinery all along the route, particularly in popular viewing locations including Three Bridges, Staplefield and Cuckfield.
Once refreshed at The Hawth Theatre crews and cars then tackle the scenic – if challenging – South Downs before descending towards the finish on Brighton’s famous Madeira Drive.
The first vehicles are expected to arrive shortly after 10am, where finishers will receive a well-earned hot toddy courtesy of The Macallan. To qualify for a coveted finishers’ medal, crews must complete the journey and reach the seafront before the 4.30pm dusk curfew.
Suggested Mid Sussex viewing points: Time and location
6.53am Start – Hyde Park, London
8.10am–2.00pm Three Bridges and Crawley, West Sussex
8.25am–2.10pm Handcross High Street, West Sussex
8.30am–2.25pm Staplefield, West Sussex
8.50am–2.35pm Cuckfield High Street, West Sussex
10.00am–4.30pm Brighton, West Sussex
Mid Sussex road closures:
You can access all road closure details HERE.
Cuckfield Road (B2115) to be closed to northbound traffic and 30 MPH speed limit from Rose Cottage Lane southwards to Sloughgreen Lane.
High Street (B2036) road will also be closed to northbound traffic from Leyton Lea southwards to Broad Street.
In Pycombe, Clayton Hill (A273) Road will be closed to northbound traffic and a 30 MPH Speed Limit enforced from Underhill Lane southwards to School Lane.
These amendments are expected to be in place from 7am-5pm on Sunday November 1.
For more details of the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, visit www.veterancarrun.com.