Motorway breakdowns up seven per cent in a year
New research has revealed the top 10 motorway breakdowns in England in 2025.
A Freedom of Information request from MoneySuperMarket to National Highways found that there were 303,213 motorway breakdowns last year. This is seven per cent higher than in 2005 and a 71% increase on 2020.
Its data identified Junction 14/15 on the M1 as the country’s number one motorway breakdown hotspot, with 2,109 breakdowns in the year, or six a day.
The same junction but in the opposite direction was ranked second with 1,983 incidents, followed by Junction 11/12 of the M62 (1,838 breakdowns), Junction 14/15 of the M6 (1,708), and Junction J25/24 of the M25 (1,701).
Meanwhile, July and August are the months when most breakdowns occur with 10% of all recorded motorway breakdowns occurring in July alone.
Friday blues
Kara Gammell, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Friday is the most common day for breakdowns to happen, which is when many Brits will be hitting the road for weekend getaways or rushing home from work. Eagerness to get on the road could be contributing to these breakdowns with drivers skipping vehicle checks before they set off.
“Driving collisions can have a knock-on effect on breakdowns; vehicles stuck in long queues and heavy traffic can then overheat and breakdown, or motorists may drive over debris from accidents, causing tyre punctures.
“Meanwhile, the data shows that July and August are the months that see the most breakdowns, and the increase in drivers on the roads at this time of the year will be part of the cause.”
