Which? has revealed the best service stations in the land – and the ones that motorists might do better to avoid.
The consumer champion asked 4,000 of its members to rate 90 of Britain’s service stations, rating their experiences in eight categories including food prices, cleanliness and outside space.
Considered an integral part of any UK journey by car, service stations offer a brew, a bite and a toilet stop but, found the research, standards can vary wildly.
The bad news for British drivers? Which? reports that it’s still largely a bleak picture for travellers on long journeys, with facilities at many service stations described as often ‘dirty, dated and inadequate’.
There are a few shining lights however, with Gloucester Services on the M5 receiving the highest customer survey score of 85 per cent, achieving five stars in almost all of the categories.
The luxurious service station boasts a farm shop and kitchen selling locally sourced produce – including gelato, cheese and patisserie – from 130 regional suppliers, as well as 24 fast charging points for electric vehicles, and a tranquil lake to sit by.
At the less glamorous end of the spectrum, Moto Bridgwater in Somerset, an hour south of Gloucester Services on the M5, fared the worst, placing bottom on the list – with one visitor saying Bridgwater’s toilets ‘smelt of stale urine’.
Other gripes included inadequate parking spaces, and cramped and overpriced facilities that ‘look and feel filthy’.
Swish Gloucester Services on the M5 came out top in Which?’s latest survey of British service stations, which is the consumer champion’s first in four years
Set in Gloucestershire countryside, the posh service station was described as being ‘head and shoulders’ above other British service stations according to one happy customer
The service station scored highly in eight of Which?’s categories, which covered everything from food prices to cleanliness. Right: A macaron for motorists is an option at the patisserie
Meanwhile, those surveyed about Gloucester Services offered glowing reviews about their time there, with one happy customer describing it as ‘head and shoulders above all the others that I’ve used.’
Another who’d visited told Which?, which was conducting its first service station survey in four years: ‘If all motorway service stations were like Gloucester I’d be delighted to spend time at any.
‘Gloucester is a pleasure, has great staff, nice food, a farm shop, a garden with a lakeside walk and dog walking. They deserve every success.’
The eight categories the 4,000 members were asked to comment on included food/retail outlets, shops, food and drink selection, facilities, cleanliness, convenience and accessibility and outside space.
Gloucester Services is part of the Westmorland Family, which is no stranger to positive customer responses.
It had two other services in the top five, including Tebay M6 services in Cumbria, which had a 77 per cent score, and, north of the border, Cairn Lodge on the M74 in Lanarkshire, which received a score of 72 per cent.
Both might have challenged for the top spot but neither fared well on price.
Located on the M6 in Cumbria, just an hour south of the Scottish border, Tebay Services is frequently regarded as one of the country’s best – and has been described by some on TikTok as ‘proper boujee’.
At the other end of the spectrum, Moto Bridgwater services on the M5 came bottom in the survey rankings, with one person saying the facility’s toilets ‘smelt of stale urine’
Hilton Park Services on the M6 motorway also ranked in the bottom five spots, which were all taken up by Moto service stations; the brand the UK’s largest service area operator
The footbridge linking facilities at Lancaster service station didn’t impress one motorist, who resented the trek over the bridge to get ‘an underwhelming breakfast served in a cardboard box’
Elsewhere, motorists in need of a breather on the M6 in Warwickshire should make for Rugby’s Moto Services, which soared in the survey, with a 75 per cent score – and four stars across almost every category.
One traveller said ‘Rugby is new and clean and on a nice day is perfect to break up your journey’.
Nationwide brand Moto had dismal responses generally but its success with Rugby – which opened its doors in April 2021 – means it’s the first ever national company to rank so highly in a Which? survey.
Moto will still likely wince at its rankings though; the UK’s largest service area operator filled nine of the ten spots at the bottom of the table.
Other services that didn’t impress include Lancaster Services on the M6, which scored just 34 per cent in the survey.
Customers grumbled that a pedestrian bridge across the motorway, with facilities on either side meant the experience felt ‘crowded’ and with ‘poor access’.
One driver said being forced to trek over the bridge to get ‘an underwhelming breakfast served in a cardboard box’ wasn’t ideal.
And Hilton Park, also on the M6, notched up the same score, with one motorist calling it ‘dark and gloomy’, while another said basic soap and hot water wasn’t always available.
The Westmorland Family brand saw three of its service stations make the top five in the Which? survey (Pictured: Tebay on the M6)
Moto Thurrock on the M25 has previously been voted the worst motorway service station in Britain, and Which?’s new research suggested that’s still the case
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said of the latest survey: ‘The best service stations are a convenient pit stop with decent food and facilities, however our survey shows those are few and far between and that many services are not up to scratch.
He added: ‘Poor facilities and extortionate prices for food and drink were widespread complaints, but most shocking of all was how drivers told us just how many services were unclean.
‘To avoid disappointment, people should plan their route to avoid the worst service stations and look for alternative places to stop.’
The availability and number of EV charging points was also a major factor for the first time, with both Moto Rugby and Leeds Skelton Lake, run by Extra, deemed to have fast and plentiful places to charge electric vehicles.
Leeds Skelton Lake scored highly – 68% in total – across other areas too, with its RSPB viewing platform over Skelton Lake a particular highlight.
