Poll reveals England’s best and worst major roads

Where are England’s best roads?

England’s roads with the highest satisfaction scores are both busy transport and traveller hubs:

• The M20 connects the M25 near Swanley to Folkestone in Kent, letting drivers get to both the Channel Tunnel and Port of Dover.
• The A30 runs all the way from London to Land’s End in Cornwall.

Other roads in the top 10 include the M5 (north of Birmingham to Exeter in Devon), M4 (London to south west Wales) and A303 (Hampshire to Devon) - the latter, with its drive past Stonehenge often being cited as one of the nation’s favourite scenic routes.

Where is England’s worst road?

The M27, a 27.9-mile-long smart motorway used by commuters in the Solent region, came bottom of the poll with a satisfaction rating of just 56%. This stretch of road runs between Cadnam and Portsmouth, passing Southampton along the way, and has long been the subject of roadworks, construction, congestion and resurfacing works.

One of the Strategic Roads User Survey respondents described the roadworks on the motorway as “terrible” due to its variable speed limits and effect on the width of lanes. This appears to be a national issue, with only 50% of drivers satisfied with roadworks management over the past year.

Drivers who had to deal with roadworks were significantly less satisfied with overall journeys (58%) than those who didn’t encounter them (77%). Looking for ways to keep calm while driving? Check out our guide to dealing with driving anxiety.

There was better news overall for drivers, with 71% now satisfied with their journey, compared to 69% in 2024/25. 

Louise Collins, the Director of Transport Focus, welcomed the progress made: "This year’s results show that positive improvements to the road user experience are possible. Overall satisfaction has increased and there are encouraging signs that drivers are noticing improvements in key areas, however drivers continue to tell us that roadworks can make or break a journey. 

“The next five years will bring significant investment as National Highways embarks on a major programme to repair and renew England’s roads. By applying the positive lessons from recent schemes, National Highways has an opportunity to ensure roadworks are well planned, clearly communicated and minimise disruption wherever possible.”

In the BBC article, a National Highways spokesperson added: "We manage our roads to ensure the highest levels of safety while minimising disruption to drivers. The survey results show our work to improve road conditions and incident response times have had a positive impact for drivers.

"When roads are well maintained, businesses and communities feel the benefit, and we are committed to tackling an ageing network head-on to keep the country moving and give drivers better experiences."

Whether you’re driving on one of the nation’s best or worst roads, you need to make sure you’re covered for every eventuality.

Driving someone else’s car or need to take the wheel? Don’t forget you can take out temporary car insurance to ease any concerns. It’s comprehensive as standard, and available from 1 hour to 28 days.

Sources

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg30jypn0ko

https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/news/englands-best-and-worst-roads-named-with-more-roadworks-on-the-horizon/

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/21/britains-worst-motorway-m27-hampshire-smart-roadworks/

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/best-and-worst-motorways-and-a-roads-revealed