- UK’s six ‘ultimate’ motorway service stations revealed
- Full list of locations with the three facilities Brits want most
- Winning combo of McDonald’s, Greggs and M&S Food
- Also boast car wash, outdoor seating, and dog walking areas
(Adobe Stock)
New research from Select Car Leasing has revealed the top three things Brits look for in a motorway service station - and only six locations in the UK have all three.
Service stations are a big talking point, with people getting very protective of their favourite locations.
But our exclusive research has uncovered the UK’s ‘ultimate’ pit-stops, potentially settling arguments about where is best to take a break while on a long drive.
(Adobe Stock)
We asked 1,000 UK motorists to rank the things they demand from a service station - including food and other services.
Number one on the list is McDonald’s, with 33% of Brits saying the fast food purveyor was an essential requirement.
In second place is Greggs with 29%, followed by M&S Food at 26%.
When we crunched the numbers, we discovered there are only SIX service stations in the UK which which tick all three of those boxes, making them the ‘ultimate’ locations for our respondents.
(Leeds Skelton Lake, Adobe Stock)
The Top 6 'ultimate' service stations for hungry motorists
- Baldock (Hertfordshire, A1(M)
- Beaconsfield (Buckinghamshire, M40)
- Cobham (Surrey, M25),
- Leeds Skelton Lake (West Yorkshire, M1),
- Lymm (Cheshire, M6/M56)
- Stafford (Staffordshire, M6)
(Adobe Stock)
When it comes to non-food options, a car wash was the most important at 14%, followed by outdoor seating (13%) and a dog walking area (13%).
All of our ‘ultimate’ service stations offer all three of these, as well as extras including showers, charging points and children’s play areas.
Other food facilities Brits were most keen on include Costa (25%), KFC (18%), Burger King (16%) and Starbucks (14%).
Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, says the research could put an end to service station ‘carguments’.
(Adobe Stock)
He explained: “Your chosen motorway stop could make or break your entire journey and no-one wants to get into a ‘cargument’ during a pit stop. Get it wrong and you risk upsetting your passengers, get it right and you’ll get a pat on the back - and maybe even first dibs on the leftover French fries!
“It’s surprising to see just a handful of service stations in the UK that are able to tick off all of the most desirable features but, handily, they’re located up the spine of England for easy road trip access.
"And with many service stations now offering dedicated dog walking areas, your four-legged friend should be well catered for, too.”
(Adobe Stock)
What are the main things you want in a service station? (Select up to three)
- McDonald’s: 33%
- Greggs: 29%
- M&S Food: 26%
- Costa: 25%
- KFC: 18%
- Burger King: 16%
- Starbucks: 14%
- Subway: 14%
- Car wash: 14%
- Outdoor seating: 13%
- Dog walking area: 12%
- WH Smith: 10%
- Children’s play area: 8%
- Pret: 5%
- Chopstix Noodle: 5%
The research was conducted by Censuswide for Select Car Leasing with 1,000 UK general respondents (aged 18+) between 09/03/2026 - 11/03/2026.
Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council
Results only include those with a preference/excluding those who selected N/A
Service Station facility data was gathered from Motorway Services Online, and only includes locations based on motorways.
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