A major motorway which is plagued by "potholes and delays" has been named the worst in England.

Motorists gave the unenviable title to the M42 - a 40-mile-long road which connects Birmingham to places like Nottingham, Solihull, Tamworth and Redditch.

More than 9000 drivers were asked to rank the best and worst motorways by a watchdog.

M42 named the worst motorway in England to drive on

 

According to Transport Focus, car users criticised the M42's “roadworks, potholes and delays” with one person calling it a “terrible road to drive on”.

Another said variable speed limits “do not always reflect the traffic conditions”, complaining that they were “directed to reduce speed for no apparent reason”.

The M42 was given an overall satisfaction score of around 56%, placing it below the M62 and M25.

On the other side of the spectrum was the M40, a stretch of motorway which runs between London and Birmingham.

This was named the best motorway in England, receiving an overall satisfaction score of 79%.

One person surveyed said it is “one of the few motorways that has few delays when I travel on it”.

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Transport Focus chief executive Alex Robertson said: “Drivers tell us that the maintenance of motorways and major roads – how most of us get around the country – is more important to them than building new roads.

“With road user perceptions of road surface quality deteriorating since 2022 – and declining satisfaction with journey times – National Highways must continue to focus on delivering safe, smooth journeys.

“We’re committed to working with the Government and National Highways to help them to deliver on road users’ top priorities: improved journey times and satisfaction with surface quality.”

The best and worst-rated motorways in England revealed

Here are the top motorways (overall satisfaction score in brackets):

1. M40 (79%)

2. M4 (78%)

3. M5 (77%)

4. M56 (73%)

5. M3 (73%)

The M42 is said to be plagued by potholes and delaysThe M42 is said to be plagued by potholes and delays (Image: Jacob King/PA Wire)

Here are the worst-ranked motorways (overall satisfaction score in brackets):

1. M42 (56%)

2. M62 (60%)

3. M25 (67%)

4. M11 (68%)

5. M1 (69%)

The M40 and M42 were the best and worst-rated motorways respectively.