Welcome Break Rotherham on the M1 has been rated Britain’s best motorway services in Transport Focus’s Motorway Services User Survey.
The independent transport watchdog’s survey asked 37,000 visitors at motorway services across Great Britain about toilets, accessibility, food and drink, facilities for HGV and lorry drivers and electric vehicle (EV) charging.
Motorway services continue to perform well, with 95 per cent of visitors satisfied with their visit, up from 94 per cent in 2023 and 93 per cent in 2022. Two thirds (67 per cent) are very satisfied. The gap between the highest and lowest-rated sites has narrowed, showing more consistent performance across the network. Over successive surveys, we’ve been able to identify where improvement is needed and track progress.
Accessibility and improvements at individual sites are among the positive findings. But there is still room for improvement, particularly on car parking and wayfinding, as well as facilities for HGV drivers.
Rotherham (Welcome Break), Rugby (Moto), and Sawtry (Moto) are the top three sites in this year’s survey. Sarn Park in Wales (Welcome Break) and Kinross in Scotland (Moto) complete the top five – all with 99 per cent satisfaction.
Having opened in January 2025 Welcome Break Rotherham is one of the newest sites on the motorway network. It features electric vehicle charging, a Changing Places toilet, a children’s play area, and an outdoor exercise area, alongside dedicated facilities for HGV drivers, including a gym.
Welcome Break’s Hartshead Moor Eastbound is the most improved site since 2023, scoring 97 per cent for satisfaction, up from 84 per cent in 2023 and 80 per cent in 2022.
Watford Gap Northbound, one of the oldest facilities on the network, is the lowest rated at 86 per cent, down from 95 per cent in 2023. More than eight in ten visitors remain satisfied, reflecting high satisfaction across the network, although there is room to close the gap with the best-performing sites. Since the survey was carried out, some food outlets have been refurbished and a new food supplier introduced. Roadchef has also announced more than £300 million of investment across its business over the next five years.
Louise Collins, Director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:
“Motorway services have improved significantly over the years, and road users are seeing the benefit. A good stop can make a real difference to a journey, helping people get back on the road feeling better than when they arrived. Rotherham’s debut at the top of the table and the turnaround at Hartshead Moor Eastbound show what good services can offer.
“We’ve also seen real progress on accessibility. It shows what can be achieved when the industry recognises an issue and works together to tackle it. There is still more to do, including on car parking, wayfinding and facilities for HGV drivers, and our survey will help us track progress in these areas in the years ahead.”
Key findings
- Operator satisfaction is tightly grouped: Extra and Moto lead on 96 per cent, followed by Welcome Break on 95 per cent and Roadchef on 93 per cent
- Getlink’s only site in the survey, Folkestone, scored 96 per cent satisfaction, up from 84 per cent in 2022.
- Stopping at services continues to make a substantial difference to how visitors feel. The proportion feeling happy or relaxed rises by 31 percentage points between arrival and departure, while the proportion feeling tired, stressed or frustrated falls by 22 points. The proportion of disabled customers feeling happy or relaxed rose by 34 percentage points in 2026, compared with 32 points in 2023 and 25 points in 2022.
- Value for money remains lower rated across the visitor experience. Food and drink value ratings range from 59 to 74 per cent, while satisfaction with the value of EV charging is 58 per cent.
- Toilet satisfaction remains at 92 per cent, unchanged from 2023 and four percentage points higher than in 2022. At Hartshead Moor Westbound it has risen from 79 per cent in 2023 to 98 per cent in 2026.
- Satisfaction with staff friendliness and helpfulness has risen to 95 per cent, up from 93 per cent in 2023.
- Overall satisfaction among HGV drivers is 90 per cent, compared with 95 per cent across all visitors.
- Overall satisfaction with EV charging satisfaction is 84 per cent overall. Ratings are stronger for waiting for a charge point (92 per cent), payment options (91 per cent), ease of use (90 per cent) and charging speed (89 per cent) than for value for money.
Other notable improvements since 2023 include Lancaster Southbound, up eight percentage points from 88 to 96 per cent, and Cardiff Gate, up seven points from 89 to 96 per cent. Swansea rises from 92 to 98 per cent, Hartshead Moor Westbound from 88 to 94 per cent and Kinross from 93 to 99 per cent – each an increase of six points.
Transport Focus uses the survey to make the case for improvements and help motorway service operators focus on the things that matter most to visitors.
Accessibility: a step-change for disabled visitors
Three quarters (75 per cent) of disabled visitors say the services catered well for their impairment, up nine percentage points from 66 per cent in 2023 and 13 points from 62 per cent in 2022. Toilet satisfaction among disabled visitors has reached 92 per cent, up seven percentage points and now in line with satisfaction among visitors overall.
These results follow Moto, Roadchef, Welcome Break, Extra and Getlink Customs Services involvement in the industry’s motorway service area accessibility pledge. Actions include co-design with disabled users, site audits, staff training and an industry accessibility working group.
EV charging: a growing part of the services experience
EV charging is an increasingly important part of the services experience as travel habits evolve. Overall satisfaction stands at 84 per cent, with stronger ratings for waiting times, payment options, ease of use and charging speed. Value for money stands out as the weakest aspect, with 58 per cent satisfied, down from 68 per cent in 2022.
Transport Focus is working with operators and the wider industry to make EV charging more inclusive and accessible. This includes larger charging bays, user-friendly equipment and accessible routes between chargers and amenities. We are calling for the PAS 1899 standard to become mandatory so accessible charging becomes more widely available
HGV drivers: progress but still lagging behind
HGV drivers’ experience continues to lag behind that of visitors overall. Only 54 per cent rate HGV parking availability positively, 51 per cent the number of showers and 42 per cent the value of the parking package.
Highest rated motorway services
| Motorway service station | Overall satisfaction (%) | Operator | Ranking (Out of 123) |
| Rotherham (highest rated) | 99 | Welcome Break | 1 |
| Rugby | 99 | Moto | 2 |
| Sawtry | 99 | Moto | 3 |
| Sarn Park | 99 | Welcome Break | 4 |
| Kinross | 99 | Moto | 5 |
Lowest rated motorway services
| Motorway service station | Overall satisfaction (%) | Operator | Ranking (Out of 123) |
| Watford Gap Southbound | 89 | Roadchef | 119 |
| Sedgemoor Northbound | 88 | Welcome Break | 120 |
| Taunton Deane Southbound | 87 | Roadchef | 121 |
| Bothwell | 87 | Roadchef | 122 |
| Watford Gap Northbound (lowest rated) | 86 | Roadchef | 123 |