England's breakdown hotspots revealed

In 2024 there were 282,949 breakdowns on England’s motorway network – an increase of nearly 60% compared 2020 according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request MoneySuperMarket submitted to National Highways, the government-owned company responsible for managing the network*.

Why has the number of breakdowns gone up?

Vehicle breakdowns on motorways have been increasing year-on-year. Partly this is due to a general increase in cars on the road as car ownership among UK households has been steadily rising. But there are other factors at play, too.

New research by Volkswagen Financial Services revealed that a quarter (25%) of UK drivers admit to skipping their annual vehicle service due to cost.

This is especially common among drivers aged 24-34 (38%). Meanwhile, almost half (45%) of younger drivers feel they're also likely to skip their car service in the next 12 months.

Missing out on these annual services means that many drivers are compromising the performance of their cars and failing to resolve minor problems that can later turn into bigger ones and, inevitably, breakdowns.

These issues can also put themselves and other road users at risk of an accident.

It's also due to rising costs that more and more people are driving older cars - keeping their older vehicles for longer or buying second-hand to save money.

According to data from The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), scrappage rates of older vehicles fell to the lowest on record in 2023 due to British motorists keeping their cars for longer. The average age of British cars on the road is now nine years old.

Without regular maintenance, it's only a matter of time that these older vehicles break down, and money saved on a service ends up being spent on more expensive repairs later on.

Top 10 motorway breakdown locations in England in 2024

Our FOI to National Highways also reveals the motorways in England with the highest number of breakdowns. Each of the top 10 locations is an all-lane running smart motorway where the hard shoulder has been permanently converted to a live lane.

Smart motorways have faced some controversy in the last few years, with plans to construct new smart motorways scrapped in 2023 partly due to a lack of public confidence.

UK drivers report feeling less safe using smart motorways according to an AA survey and three out of five UK motorists support smart motorways being scrapped altogether,

Without a hard shoulder, there are few places on smart motorways for drivers to pull over if they notice an issue with their vehicle, which means drivers just have to keep on going. And sometimes, those small issues can suddenly turn into big issues if you don't have a chance to resolve them.

What time of year do most breakdowns occur?

According to National Highways data, the summer months of July and August are when most breakdowns occur on motorways in England.

In August 2024, 26,449 breakdowns occurred, which equates to about 9% of all motorway breakdowns in England IN 2024.

In fact, August has recorded the highest number of breakdowns in five of the past six years (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024).

This higher volume of breakdown is, in part, due to an increase in drivers on the road around this time over year. Many Brits will be taking their summer holidays, and it's usually on these longer journeys that drivers are more likely to encounter problems.

Seasonal vehicles like campervans and caravans can also suffer fuel and tyres issues after lack of use over the winter months, and drivers hitting the roads without proper checks run the risk of breaking down unexpectedly.

Other reasons why more breakdowns occur in August are vehicles overheating in standing traffic, electrical issues due to higher ambient temperatures, and collisions due to increased driver distraction.

What day of the week is worst for breakdowns?

Friday is consistently the worst day of the week for breakdowns on motorways in England, according to National Highways’ data.

In 2024, 45,956 breakdowns happened on a Friday. - 16% of the year's total. This was the highest number of breakdowns on a Friday in the past six years.

How can you prevent your car from breaking down?

To reduce the risk of a breakdown, you should:

• Have your car serviced regularly, in line with your manufacturer’s recommendations.

• Check oil and coolant levels, tyres and lights before you set off.

• Pay attention to dashboard warning lights.

• Plan your route to include fuel stations or electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

It’s also worth considering breakdown cover so you can get assistance at the roadside or have your car towed away if necessary.

It can sometimes work out cheaper to combine breakdown cover with car insurance rather than buying each separately as your insurer may offer a discount so shop around to find the best deal, so shop around and compare prices to get the best deal for your cover.

If you do break down on a motorway (including a smart motorway), follow this guidance from National Highways.

_{*FOI submitted February 2025. Total number of reported breakdowns in 2020 were 176,974}