Gloucester Services crowned UK's finest motorway stop – find out where your favourite ranks

In a recent survey by consumer group Which?, Gloucester Services on the M5 has been named the best motorway service station in the UK, with an impressive overall user rating of 85%. 

The family-run site, nestled between junctions 11A and 12, earned five-star ratings for food, cleanliness, facilities and outdoor space.

Operated by Westmorland Family, Gloucester Services sets itself apart with a farm shop offering local produce, a kitchen serving homemade meals, as well as a gelato counter, children's play area, dog walking routes and a scenic pond.

The survey, based on 9,000 visits from over 4,000 Which? members assessed service quality across 90 stations. 

Find out which other service stations scored highly – and which got the lowest overall ratings.

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Best service stations in the UK

Gloucester isn't the only service station in the UK with happy customers. Here are the top five, according to the recent Which? survey:

1. Gloucester Services (M5) – overall rating 85%
2. Tebay Services (M6) – overall rating 77%
3. Rugby Services (M6) – overall rating 75%
4. Cairn Lodge Services (M74) – overall rating 72%
5. Leeds Skelton Lake Services (M1) – overall rating 68%

Worst service stations in the UK

At the other end of the scale, Moto's Bridgwater Services in Somerset was rated the worst motorway service station in the Which? survey, with a customer score of 23% and one-star ratings across all categories. According to some Which? survey quotes, the facilities "look and feel filthy" and the toilets "smelt of stale urine".

In response to the Which? survey, Moto said: "We have invested £55m refurbishing our service stations and building new sites over the past two years. A Transport Focus study, conducted in the summer of 2023, revealed that 94% of respondents were either satisfied or fairly satisfied with their experience at Moto’s sites."

Leeming Bar Services in North Yorkshire also fared poorly, scoring 26%.

Ranked: full list of service station ratings

1. Gloucester (M5): 85%
2. Tebay (M6): 77%
3. Rugby (M6): 75%
4. Cairn Lodge (M74): 72%
5. Leeds Skelton Lake (M1): 68%
6. Norton Cane (M6 toll): 59%
7. Killington Lake (M6): 58%
8. Annandale Water (A74) 56%
9. Beaconsfield (M40): 56%
10. Donington (M1): 55%
11. Baldock (A1): 54%
12. Stafford North (M6): 54%
13. Gretna (A74): 53%
14. Peterborough (A1): 53%
15. Winchester (M3): 53%
16. Sedgemoor (M5): 52%
17. Warwick (M40): 52%
18. Cherwell Valley (M40): 51%
19. Reading (M4): 51%
20. Wetherby (A1): 51%
21. Cobham (M25): 50%
22. Hopwood Park (M42): 50%
23. Leigh Delamere (M4): 50%
24. Ferrybridge (M62): 49%
25. Oxford (M40): 49%
26. Chester (M56): 48%
27. Doncaster (M18): 48%
28. Michaelwood (M5): 48%
29. Stafford South (M6): 48%
30. Strensham (M5): 48%
31. Fleet (M3): 47%
32. Abington (M74): 46%
33. Burton-in-Kendal (M6): 46%
34. Corley (M6): 46%
35. Northampton (M1): 46%
36. Sedgemoor (M5): 46%
37. Tamworth (M42): 46%
38. Taunton Deane (M5): 46%
39. Tibshelf (M1): 46%
40. South Mimms (M25): 45%
41. Chieveley (M4): 44%
42. Durham (A1): 44%
43. Leicester Forest East (M1): 44%
44. Rivington (M61): 44%
45. Woolley Edge (M1): 44%
46. Abington (A74): 43%
47. Clacket Lane (M25): 43%
48. Magor (M4): 43%
49. Pease Pottage (M23): 43%
50. Sarn Park (M4): 43%
51. Telford (M54): 43%
52. Birch (M62): 42%
53. Birchanger Green (M1): 42%
54. Exeter (M5): 42%
55. Gordano (M5): 42%
56. Maidstone (M20): 42%
57. Medway (M2): 42%
58. Membury (M4): 42%
59. Pont Abraham (M4); 42%
60. Blyth (A1): 41%
61. Keele (M6): 41%
62. Rownhams (M27): 41%
63. Southwaite (M6): 41%
64. Trowell (M1): 41%
65. Knutsford (M6): 40%
66. Stirling (M80): 40%
67. Cardiff West (M4): 39%
68. Hartshead Moor (M62): 39%
69. Heston (M4): 39%
70. London Gateway (M1): 39%
71. Newport Pagnell (M1): 39%
72. Scotch Corner (A1): 39%
73. Severn View (M48): 39%
74. Woodall (M1): 39%
75. Cardiff Gate (M4): 38%
76. Cullompton (M5): 38%
77. Hamilton (M74): 38%
78. Swansea West (M4): 38%
79. Charnock Richard (M6): 37%
80. Sandbach (M6): 37%
81. Frankley (M5): 36%
82. Kinross (M90): 36%
83. Toddington (M1): 36%
84. Washington (A1): 36%
85. Watford Gap (M1): 36%
86. Thurrock (M25): 35%
87. Hilton Park (M6): 34%
88. Lancaster (M6): 34%
89. Leeming Bar (A1): 26%
90. Bridgewater (M5): 23%

Main image: Gloucester Services. Credit: David Dixon, Geograph

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