Revealed: England’s Best & Worst Motorway Services

The best and worst motorway services have been revealed after an independent survey has been carried out from a large customer base.  This is just in time for the Summer holidays where loads of families will be embarking on cross-country trips.

Service stations aren’t only a place to refuel; they are essential rest stops for long journeys and often provide coffee shops, cafes, picnic areas and even gaming arcades.  Taking a break is essential for any long journey with the Highway Code recommending a minimum of 15 minutes rest for every two hours driven.

According to the Transport Focus survey which had 9,600 respondents, some motorway services provide better facilities than others.

The survey showed that three quarters stopped just to use the toilet facilities, but only half would buy food and drink in a service station.

9 out of 10 users polled were happy with facilities and staff but a third said the food and drink offered were poor value.

Approximately two-thirds complained that the prices of fuel at service stations was too high and not good value for money.  Service station fuel prices can be 15 to 20p more per litre than the national average.

Coming up on top was Norton Canes which is a Roadchef service along the M6 Toll road in Staffordshire.  Second place belonged to Stafford Southbound which is also in the same county. This is also a road chef and is along the M6.

Also in the top 5 were Wetherby services on the A1 in Yorkshire which is run by Moto, Hilton Park Southbound on the M6 in Staffordshire, again operated by Moto and finally Corley Southbound which is also on the M6 in Warwickshire which is run by Welcome Break.  This means the Top 5 is pretty much dominated by those travelling to or through the Midlands and should be spoilt for choice when looking for a pleasant place to rest with great facilities.

Unfortunately, there were a few service stations that didn’t leave people with a pleasant rest.  The bottom five were Toddington Southbound on the M1 in Bedfordshire run by Moto, Southwaite Northbound in Cumbria along the M6 (Moto), Newport Pagnell South on the M1 in Buckinghamshire operated by Welcome Break, Bridgewater in Somerset on the M5 again by Moto and coming in last was Thurrock services on the M25 in Essex operated by Moto.

We hope on your summer journeys you go past the services ranking higher on the list!

If you’re looking to upgrade for the summer and need to sell your car, head to our website for a free valuation today!