The M25 has been named the UK’s worst motorway in a new study of AA members.
More than 13,000 members of the motoring association were polled for their views, with four out of 10 respondents stating that the London Orbital motorway was the worst to drive on.
“I have been horrified by aggressive drivers changing several lanes impulsively, at speed, without indicating,” commented one driver. “It feels as if the national speed limit has been abandoned there. 80mph is not only acceptable but essential and average,” they finished.
Another respondent stated that the road “has a poor surface and is very noisy in places”, while a third cited “the hold-up around certain junctions, artificially caused by the auto signage gantry boards” as a source of frustration when using it.
The 117-mile stretch of road was officially opened in 1986 and carries around 200,000 vehicles every day, making it the UK’s busiest motorway.
The M6 came second in the polling (21 per cent), while the M1 – which connects London to Leeds – was third (13 per cent).
One respondent described the M6, which runs from the Midlands to the Scotland/England border, as “dangerous – always hold-ups or accidents”.
A second added that there were “too many 50mph stretches, adding to the length of the journey”, plus “lots of sections without [a] hard shoulder which makes me uncomfortable”.
Nine of the top 10 worst roads named by drivers have had sections converted to controversial “smart” motorways.
“Any smart motorway scares me,” claimed one respondent. “I count the miles until the end and heave a sigh of relief.”
And a third of those polled said congestion is poor on UK motorways, while more than one in five (22 per cent) said that condition of UK motorway road surfaces was poor.
“The M25 is notorious for its heavy traffic and frequent delays,” said Jack Cousens, AA head of roads policy.
“As one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the country, it is no surprise that drivers find it frustrating. Little wonder Chris Rea declared it The Road To Hell.
“It’s quite telling that nine of the worst motorways have sections of ‘smart’ motorway,” he continued. “Drivers have had to endure years of works for the initial conversion followed by yet more misery to add in the extra emergency areas. Most are telling us they have felt little if any benefit from losing the hard shoulder, with many claiming it’s led to more congestion.”
The news follows polling from the independent watchdog Transport Focus in 2024 which named the M42 as England’s worst motorway, with 44 per cent of motorists finding it unsatisfactory.
The road, which loops around to the south and east of Birmingham, was characterised by “road works, potholes and delays”, according to one respondent.
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