Motorways in Britain

List of Motorways in the UK

Britain's motorways began with the Preston Bypass now part of the M6 in 1958. Britain's motorways are still toll free and are the quickest way to get between the big cities by car.

The first section of the M1 which would eventually link London-Leeds opened in 1959. In 1965 the top speed limit of 70 mph was introduced for Britain's motorways. In 1986 the orbital M25 which encircles London opened.

There are now over 31 million cars on Britain's roads (2009 figures).

• M1 from London to Leeds 193 miles long
• M2 from Strood to Faversham 25.7 miles long
• M3 from London to the south coast 59 miles long
• M4 from London to Bristol 191.9 miles long
• M5 from Great Barr to Exminster 162.9 miles long
• M6 from Cathorpe to Gretna 232.2 miles long
• M6 Toll from Coleshill to Cheslyn Hay 27 miles long
• M8 from Edinburgh to A8 at Langbank 60.3 miles long
• M9 from the M8 just west of Edinburgh to Dunblane 33 miles long
• M11 from London to Cambridge 55 miles long
• M18 from the M1 at Rotherham to the M62 near Goole 193.5 miles long
• M20 from Swanley to Folkestone 50.6 miles long
• M23 from Hooley in Surrey to Crawley 15.9 miles long
• M25 from Dartford around London to Thurrock 117 miles long
• M26 from the M25 at Sevenoaks to the M20 before Maidstone 9.9 miles
• M27 from Cadnam to Portsmouth 25 miles long
• M32 from the M4 near Winterbourne to Bristol 4.6 miles long
• M40 from Denham to the M42 in Solihull 89 miles long
• M42 from the M5 near Bromsgrove to Measham 55 miles long
• M45 from the A45 south west of Rugby to the M1 in the south east 7.9 miles long
• M48 from the M4 at Olveston to the M4 at Rogiet 12 miles long
• M49 from the M5 to the M4 west of Bristol 5 miles long
• M50 from the M5 north of Tewkesbury to Ross-on-Wye 21 miles long
• M53 from Wallasey to Chester 18.9 miles long
• M54 from the M6 north of Wolverhampton to Wellington west of Telford 23 miles long
• M55 from the M6 north of Preston to Blackpool 11.4 miles long
• M56 from Manchester to the A5117 between Ellesmere Port and Chester 33.3 miles long
• M57 from the M62 near Huyton to Switch Island 14 miles long
• M58 from Switch Island to Wigan 12 miles long
• M60 circling Greater Manchester 35 miles long
• M61 from Manchester to Bamber Bridge 20 miles long
• M62 from Liverpool to Hull 107 miles long
• M65 from Bamber Bridge to Colne 30 miles long
• M66 from Ramsbottom to the M60 at Whitefield 8 miles long
• M67 from the M60 at Denton in Manchester to Hattersley 5 miles long
• M69 from Coventry to Leicester 15.7 miles long
• M73 the M74 near Uddingston to the M80 in Cumbernauld 7 miles long
• M74 from Glasgow to the A74 at Abington 40 miles long
• M77 from the M8 at Glasgow to Fenwick 20 miles long
• M80 from the M8 at Glasgow to the M9 south of Stirling 25 miles long
• M90 from Inverkeithing to Perth 30 miles long
• M180 from the M18 at Thorne to the junction of the A15 25 miles long
• M181 from the M180 to the west of Scunthorpe 2 miles long
• M271 from the M27 to the A3057 south of Romsey 3 miles long
• M275 from the M27 on Horsea Island to Portsmouth 2 miles long
• M602 from the M62 at Winton to Salford 4 miles long
• M606 from the M62 near Cleckheaton to Bradford 3 miles long
• M621 from the M62 at Gildersome to the M1 near Rothwell 7.7 miles long
• M876 from the M80 near Denny to the A876 near the Kincardine Bridge 8 miles long
• M898 from the M8 in Erskine to the A898 near Erskine Bridge 0.5 miles long

Northern Ireland

• M1 Belfast to Dungannon 38 miles long
• M2 Belfast to Antrim; Ballymena Bypass 22 miles long
• M3 connects the M2 to the A2 Sydenham Bypass 0.8 miles long