Scroll through to explore the major motorways that connect Britain's cities and regions.
Britain’s motorway network connects the nation's major cities and regions. From the pioneering M1 to orbital routes around major cities, let's explore the motorways that form this vital transport infrastructure.
The M1 motorway runs from London to Leeds, forming the backbone of Britain's motorway network. Opened in 1959, it was one of the first motorways in the country. Fun fact: The original M1 had no speed limit and no crash barriers when it opened!
The M25 London Orbital Motorway encircles Greater London. Completed in 1986, it is 117 miles long and one of the busiest motorways in Europe. It famously appears in the Bible Code and was dubbed "Britain's biggest car park" due to congestion.
The M6 is the longest motorway in the UK at 230 miles, running from Rugby to the Scottish border near Gretna. The M6 Toll, opened in 2003, was Britain's first toll motorway and bypasses Birmingham's congested section.
The M4 connects London with South Wales via the iconic Severn Bridge. Known as the "road to Wales", it passes through the M4 corridor, one of Europe's most important high-tech zones. The Chiswick Flyover was Britain's first elevated motorway section.
The M5 runs 163 miles from Birmingham to Exeter. Junction 11a to 12 includes Britain's only "managed motorway" with variable speed limits. The route is notorious for holiday traffic jams known as "Black Saturday" at the start of summer holidays.
The M3 connects London to Southampton in 59 miles. Its construction was controversial - protests at Twyford Down in the 1990s became a defining moment in British environmental activism and led to changes in road planning policy.
The M62 is a 107-mile trans-Pennine motorway linking Liverpool and Hull. At Windy Hill, it reaches 1,221 feet - one of the highest points on any motorway in England. Uniquely, a working farm sits between the carriageways at Stott Hall Farm.
The M8 connects Scotland's two largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. This 60-mile motorway is the busiest in Scotland. It passes through the city centres - Glasgow's Kingston Bridge carries 150,000 vehicles daily, making it Europe's busiest bridge.
The M40 runs 89 miles from London to Birmingham via Oxford. Completed in 1990, it was the last major inter-urban motorway built in Britain. The route includes the elegant Cherwell Valley services, designed by architect Michael Twigg Brown.
The M11 connects London with Cambridge, running 55 miles through Essex and Cambridgeshire. Its construction through east London sparked fierce protests in the 1990s. Today it serves the Cambridge technology corridor and Stansted Airport.
The M74 and A74(M) run from Glasgow to the Scottish border, connecting with the M6 to form the main route between Scotland and England. The route passes through Gretna Green, famous for runaway weddings, just before entering England.
The M2 runs through Kent from the Medway Towns to Faversham. Opened in 1963, it provides access to the Channel ports and serves as a vital link to continental Europe. The road passes through the ancient Kingdom of Kent.
The M20 connects London to Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel. During periods of disruption at the Channel crossing, "Operation Stack" turns the motorway into a lorry park. The route ends at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel terminal.
The M23 is a short 26-mile motorway connecting London to Crawley and Gatwick Airport. It's one of Britain's shortest motorways but handles significant traffic to the UK's second-busiest airport. The road runs almost perfectly north-south.
The M27 runs along the south coast between Cadnam and Portsmouth. At just 25 miles, it's one of the shorter motorways but carries heavy traffic between the south coast ports and cities. It provides access to Southampton docks and the Isle of Wight ferries.
The M42 forms an orbital route around Birmingham and the East Midlands. It was Britain's first "active traffic management" motorway in 2006, using hard shoulder running and variable speed limits to reduce congestion by up to 25%.
The M56 connects Manchester to Chester and North Wales. The 33-mile route serves Manchester Airport, one of Britain's busiest. It includes the Stretford Viaduct, which carries six lanes of traffic over the Bridgewater Canal and railway lines.
The M58 is a short 12-mile motorway connecting Liverpool to Wigan. Opened in 1980, it was one of the last motorways to be built with wide grass verges, a design feature that has since been abandoned to save costs and land.
The M60 forms a complete orbital around Manchester, created in 2000 by renumbering sections of other motorways. At 36 miles, it's Britain's second orbital motorway after the M25. The route handles over 120,000 vehicles daily at its busiest sections.
The M90 connects Edinburgh to Perth via the Forth Road Bridge. At just 3.5 miles within Edinburgh, it's Scotland's shortest motorway section. The iconic crossing offers spectacular views of the three Forth bridges - rail, road, and the new Queensferry Crossing.