Key points:
- Overall satisfaction with motorway services rose to 95%, but among HGV drivers it was 90%.
- Only 54% of HGV drivers rated parking availability positively, 51% the number of showers and 42% the value of the parking package.
- Watford Gap Northbound came last with 86%, down from 95% in 2023.
37,000 travellers, 123 service areas
Watchdog Transport Focus surveyed around 37,000 visitors at 123 motorway service areas in Great Britain between May and July 2026. They rated toilets, food and drink, accessibility, electric vehicle charging and HGV facilities.
Overall satisfaction rose to 95%, up from 94% in 2023 and 93% in 2022, and two in three visitors were very satisfied, Transport Focus said. Five sites scored 99%, with Rotherham on the M1, run by Welcome Break, ranked first, followed by Moto’s Rugby, Sawtry and Kinross and Welcome Break’s Sarn Park in Wales.
What HGV drivers think
Among truck drivers, satisfaction was lower, at 90%. The weakest scores were for the things that matter most on a long shift:
- 54% rated the availability of HGV parking positively,
- 51% were happy with the number of showers,
- 42% thought the parking package was good value.
In other words, almost half of drivers are not satisfied with their chances of finding a space, and more than half are not convinced that what they pay for overnight parking is worth it. That matches what drivers have long been saying about the shortage of places to stop. The Road Haulage Association estimates the UK is short of around 11,000 lorry parking spaces.
“Motorway services have improved significantly over the years, and road users are seeing the benefit,” said Louise Collins, director at Transport Focus. “There is still more to do, including on car parking, wayfinding and facilities for HGV drivers.”
The five-point gap between truck drivers and other visitors may look small, but it reflects a different experience. For a car driver, motorway services are a short stop for coffee and fuel. For many HGV drivers, they are where they eat, wash and sleep, often night after night. A missing shower or a full car park is not an inconvenience, but a problem for legally required rest.
Watford Gap at the bottom
The lowest-rated site was Watford Gap Northbound on the M1, operated by Roadchef. Its score fell to 86% from 95% in 2023. Watford Gap opened with the first section of the M1 in 1959 and is one of the oldest services on the network. Transport Focus noted that since the survey, some food outlets have been refurbished and a new food supplier introduced.
The bottom five also included Bothwell and Taunton Deane Southbound, both Roadchef at 87%, Welcome Break’s Sedgemoor Northbound at 88% and Watford Gap Southbound at 89%. That means three of the five lowest-rated sites belong to the same operator.
The full results are available in the Motorway Services User Survey 2026. For operators, the question is not only where drivers stop, but whether they can rest properly. Traffic commissioners have recently made clear that a lack of parking is no excuse when it comes to drivers’ rest.
