How to drive on UK motorways: the essential guide from Parkers' experts

Driving on motorways can appear really intimidating. There are so many lanes, so many junctions, so much traffic, so many rules to follow. The latter in particular can trip you up if you’re a visitor to the UK – there are many quirks not shared with other countries.

Here, we’re going to share our top tips that will help demystify the ins and outs of UK motorways. They apply if you’re a brand-new driver or a visitor from abroad and will help prepare you for venturing onto a motorway for the first time. We’ll also highlight some of the less than desirable driving habits you’ll see, so you can avoid them. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, but it should help you feel more confident about driving on UK motorways.

What exactly is a UK motorway?

‘Motorway’ is a legal classification given to a particular road. It means drivers must follow a specific set of rules and certain types of vehicle are excluded from using it. Motorway is the top classification of road in the UK, followed by A and B roads.

Here’s a good way of thinking about the different types of road. Motorways are the main cross-country routes, A roads connect major population centres, B roads connect smaller rural communities. Minor urban and rural roads are unclassified.

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How to tell you’re on a UK motorway

In common parlance, the word ‘motorway’ is used to describe roads with two sets of at least three lanes going in opposite directions, separated by a central reservation. Each side of the motorway is referred to as a carriageway.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story. There are roads designated as motorways that don’t match that description, and roads that do match it but aren’t designated as motorways. It can be very confusing.

Fortunately, there are some ways to tell for sure that you’re on a motorway. First, look at the road’s number – you’ll see it on signs directing you towards a motorway, and on the motorway itself. Motorways have an ‘M’ prefix – M1, M6, M20 and so on.

There are also roads numbered something like A1(M). These are roads that have been upgraded to motorway status but not renumbered from their previous A-road classification – B roads are numbered, as well.  

Second, road signs directing you towards a motorway and on the motorway itself have a blue background. Motorways are also coloured blue on paper maps and on Google Maps (A roads are green, B roads are yellow).

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UK motorway speed limits

The standard motorway speed limit for a regular car (and motorcycles) is 70mph. Other types of vehicle have lower limits: buses and coaches can do 62mph, vans and cars towing trailers can do 60mph, lorries can do 56mph. Some vehicles are electronically limited to lower speeds than they’re legally allowed to do; that speed is shown on the vehicle’s rear.

You’ll find stretches of motorway such as roadworks where lower speed limits are in force – usually 60, 50 or 40mph. Those limits are given on signposts or electronic display boards, to the side of the carriageway or above it. Standard speed limit signs are a white circle with a red border; electronic display boards may just show a number.

Many drivers think lower speed limits are just advisory, but they are enforced and you can be prosecuted for breaking them. Most people are caught by speed cameras – the latest can catch speeders up to two miles away. Many UK motorways have average speed cameras that time how long it takes you to travel between them. Get to the next one too soon and it knows you were speeding. You can read more about the various types of speed camera used on UK roads here.

Too many drivers cruise along motorways at considerably less than the speed limit. If visibility is good, the road surface isn’t slippery and you have space to do so, there is absolutely no reason for not driving at the speed limit.

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How to refer to the different lanes on a UK motorway

Many people refer to a motorway’s fast and slow lanes, others to the inside, middle and outside lanes. That terminology can be confusing and isn’t officially recognised. Instead, the lanes are numbered, from left to right. Most motorways have three or four lanes – though there are stretches around big intersections that have many more.

Choosing the correct lane to drive in on a UK motorway

Lane one – the left-hand lane – is the only designated ‘driving lane’ on a UK motorway. All the other lanes to the right of lane one should only be used for overtaking slower vehicles. You should move back as far to the left as possible once you’ve passed the slower vehicle. You must indicate to the right before overtaking; you don’t need to indicate left when moving back unless you do so suddenly – which you shouldn’t really do anyway.

A lot of drivers choose to sit in lane two or three unnecessarily. The police can and do prosecute drivers for such lane hogging. It creates a block in the road that other traffic has to squeeze past, potentially creating a hazardous situation.

Note that, under normal circumstances, you can’t pass slower vehicles on their left-hand side on a UK motorway. However, there are some situations in which it is allowable – you can find out what they are here.

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Incidentally, the driving lanes are the ones between the solid white lines on the far left and right-hand sides of the carriageway. The driving lanes are separated by dotted white lines. Some motorways have an extra lane beyond the left-hand solid line – that’s the hard shoulder. The hard shoulder is off limits unless you need to stop in an emergency, or road signs direct you to use it. You can find out more about using the hard shoulder here.

How to exit a UK motorway

Exit points on a UK motorway – referred to as junctions – are numbered, always starting at junction one. The number is the same on both sides of the motorway. The number is given on road signs approaching a junction and at the junction itself – look for the small black square with white digits. You’ll find them on paper maps and Google Maps, as well.

In some cases, a sequence of closely stacked junctions is lumped together and numbered, for instance, 23a, 23b, 23c. A single junction between two motorways will have different numbers on each motorway. For instance, the junction between the M1 and M62 is junction 42 on the M1 and junction 29 on the M62. It’s quite a useful system for navigating and keeping track of where you are.

The first road sign indicating you’re approaching a junction could be more than two miles away, or as little as half a mile – it depends on how much money there was when the motorway was built. Further signs count down the remaining distance. The last 300 yards are marked by a sequence of three rectangular signs with diagonal lines – the number of lines represents the distance.

In most cases, you need to be in lane one to take a junction. At junctions that feed onto multiple roads, there will be signs next to or above the carriageway showing which lane you should be in to reach the road you’re aiming for.

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At most junctions, you move left off the carriageway onto a slip road – always indicate before you do so. Slip roads take many forms. They can lead to a roundabout, traffic lights or T-junction, they can swoop away from the motorway or curl back around over it. Road signs show roughly what the junction looks like – paper maps and satnav provide a more accurate picture. You may need to use a particular lane on the slip road to reach the road you’re aiming for and there may be a lower speed limit in force.

Slip roads are delineated from the carriage by a dotted white line and green marker lights visible at night. You must move onto the slip road before that line ends. The space beyond it is marked by solid diagonal lines – it’s illegal to cross them. You also shouldn’t sweep across to a slip road from the carriageway’s right-hand lanes.