This list of motorways in the United Kingdom is a complete list of motorways in the United Kingdom. Note that the numbering scheme used for Great Britain for both motorways and classified roads does not include roads in Northern Ireland, which has a separate numbering system.
Great Britain The following motorways are sorted following the motorway numbering scheme used in Great Britain.
M-designated motorways LinkRouteCeremonial counties Council areas Principal areas Existed sinceHighest junction to junction average daily vehicle flow 2019 mi kmM1A south-north motorway linking London to Leeds. The first long-distance motorway in the country to be built. Greater London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire1959168,763193.5311.4M11A south-north motorway linking London to Cambridge and Stansted Airport. Greater London, Essex, Cambridgeshire1975121,96455.088.5M18A southwest-northeast motorway linking Rotherham to Goole South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire1967108,85526.542.6M180 A west-east motorway linking Thorne to Grimsby. Continues as the A180 after the exit for the Humber Bridge.South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire197748,78025.040.2M181A spur of the M180 leading to Scunthorpe.Lincolnshire197818,2130.71.1M2A west-east motorway bypassing Rochester, Sittingbourne and Faversham. Kent1963106,58225.741.4M20A west-east motorway linking London to Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel. Continues as the A20.1971120,34850.681.4M23A north-south motorway linking London to Gatwick Airport and Crawley.Surrey, West Sussex1974110,57415.925.6M25A ring road of London numbered clockwise from Dartford.Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex1975216,108117188M26An east-west motorway linking the M25 to the M20.Kent198070,6749.915.9M27A west-east motorway linking Southampton to Portsmouth. Hampshire1972134,21025.040.2M271A spur of the M27 bypassing Southampton to the west.197553,6782.33.7M275A spur from the M27 to central Portsmouth and Cosham.197686,2912.03.2M3A northeast-southwest motorway linking London to Southampton. Surrey, Hampshire1971136,05958.694.3M32A spur from the M4 into central Bristol.Gloucestershire, Bristol196684,8984.47.1M4An east-west motorway linking London to Cardiff and South Wales. Continues as the A48 at the west end and as the A4 at the east end. Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Newport, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Carmarthenshire1963161,807189304M40A southeast-northwest motorway linking London to Birmingham.Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire1967133,49089.0143.2M42A motorway from the M5 terminus bypassing Birmingham to the south and east, continuing to the M1 at Kegworth as the A42.Worcestershire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Leicestershire1976154,532 40.064.4M45A spur from the M1 south of Rugby.Warwickshire, Northamptonshire195919,536 7.912.7M48An alternative route to the M4 between Bristol and Caldicot.Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire196622,632 1219 M49 A northwest-southeast motorway western bypass of Bristol Terminating at the M4 on the northwest end and at the M5 on the southeast end. Bristol, Gloucestershire199622,461 5.08.0M5A northeast-southwest motorway in South West England, linking Birmingham to Exeter.West Midlands, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset, Devon1962127,584162.9262.2M50A west-east motorway between the M5 and Ross-on-Wye.Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire196032,032 21.634.8M53A north-south motorway linking Birkenhead (and Liverpool via Kingsway Tunnel) to Chester.Merseyside, Cheshire197279,872 18.930.4M54An east-west motorway linking Wolverhampton to Telford.Staffordshire, Shropshire197570,652 23.037.0M55An east-west motorway linking Preston to Blackpool. Lancashire195884,90512.219.6M56A west-east motorway linking Manchester to Liverpool and Chester.Greater Manchester, Cheshire1971174,69333.353.6M57An eastern bypass of Liverpool linking the M62 to Maghull.Merseyside197299,5211016M58A west-east motorway linking Liverpool to Wigan.Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester197749,3761219M6A southeast-northwest motorway linking the West Midlands to North West England and Scotland. Continues as A74(M). The first and longest motorway in the country to be built.Leicestershire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria1958173,201232.2373.7A tolled bypass of the M6 in the West Midlands.West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire2003110,4892743M60A ring road of Manchester numbered clockwise from Stockport. Greater Manchester1998180,5013658M602A west-east motorway linking the M62 to Salford. Greater Manchester197173,2924.06.4M606A spur from the M62 to Bradford.West Yorkshire197277,2773.04.8M61A north-south motorway linking Preston to Manchester.Greater Manchester, Lancashire1969150,331 20.032.2M62A west-east motorway linking Liverpool to Hull.Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire1960161,700 107172M621An east-west motorway linking Leeds to the M1 and M62.West Yorkshire1972103,2077.712.4M65A west-east motorway linking Preston to Burnley and Colne.Lancashire198182,970 25.841.5M66A north-south motorway linking Ramsbottom to Manchester.Lancashire, Greater Manchester1975111,851 8.012.9M67A west-east motorway linking Manchester to Hadfield.Greater Manchester197858,435 5.08.0M69A northeast-southwest motorway linking Leicester to Coventry.Warwickshire, Leicestershire197664,828 15.725.3M73An eastern bypass of Glasgow.North Lanarkshire, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire196995,3317.011.3M74A northwest-southeast motorway linking Glasgow to North West England. Continues as the A74(M) south of Abington.Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire1966107,475 4060M77A north-south motorway linking Glasgow to Kilmarnock.Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire197794,151 20.032.2M8An east-west motorway linking Edinburgh to Glasgow.Edinburgh, West Lothian, North Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Renfrewshire1965160,48460.397.0M80A southwest-northeast motorway linking Glasgow to Stirling.Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Stirling1974104,305 25.040.2M876A southwest-northeast motorway linking Bonnybridge to Kincardine.Falkirk198042,611 8.012.9M898A spur from the M8 leading to Erskine Bridge.Renfrewshire197551,831 0.50.8M9A southeast-northwest motorway linking Edinburgh to Stirling.Edinburgh, West Lothian, Falkirk, Stirling196868,14333.053.1M90A south-north motorway linking Edinburgh to Perth.Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Kinross196476,503 36.057.9
Upgraded A-road designations LinkRouteCeremonial counties Council areas Principal areas Existed sinceHighest junction to junction average daily vehicle flow 2019mikmA1(M)A south-north motorway split into four sections: from South Mimms to Baldock; from Huntingdon to Peterborough; as a western bypass of Doncaster; from Pontefract to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, County Durham, Tyne and Wear1961143,012 145.3233.9A1077(M)A spur from the M181 to Scunthorpe.Lincolnshire202118,2131.62.6A167(M)An urban motorway in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.Tyne and Wear197563,9111.11.8A194(M)A south-north motorway linking the A1(M) to the Tyne Tunnel.197542,8024.06.4A3(M)A north-south motorway linking the A3 to the A27 near Portsmouth.Hampshire197992,9895.08.0A308(M)A spur from the M4 south of Maidenhead. Continues as the A308 in Windsor.Berkshire197123,5410.60.97A329(M)A southeast-northwest motorway linking Bracknell to Reading.Berkshire197269,5204.06.4A38(M)A spur from the M6 to central Birmingham.West Midlands1972146,9082.03.2A404(M)A spur from the M4 to High Wycombe. Continues as the A404 west of Maidenhead.Berkshire196159,8162.43.9A48(M)A spur from the M4 to central Cardiff.Newport, Cardiff197747,2032.03.2A57(M)Forms part of a ring road of Manchester. Also known as the Mancunian Way. Greater Manchester196790,7852.03.2A58(M)Forms the western part of the Leeds inner ring road.West Yorkshire196481,6472.03.2A627(M)A south-north motorway linking Rochdale to Oldham.Greater Manchester197255,749 3.55.6A64(M)Forms the eastern part of the Leeds inner ring road.West Yorkshire196943,6170.50.8A66(M)A spur from the A1(M) to the A66 south of Darlington.North Yorkshire196515,337 2.03.2A74(M)A northwest-southeast motorway linking the M74 to North West England. Continues as the M6.South Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Cumbria199141,662 4572A8(M)A spur from the M8 and M73 to Ballieston. Glasgow201610,5860.20.32A823(M)A spur from the M90 to Dunfermline.Fife196420,363 1.01.6
Former motorways LinkYear designatedYear decommissionedLifespan Description M101959200950 years A spur that ran from the M1 to St Albans, now part of the A414. M411970200030 years The former number for the West Cross Route, now part of the A3220. A102(M)1967200033 years The former number for the East Cross Route, split into two sections: from Hackney Wick to Old Ford; from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Sun in the Sands roundabout. Now split between the A12 and A102. A40(M)1970200030 years The former number for the Westway, now part of the A40. A41(M)1973198714 years A section of the A41 that bypassed Tring, now part of the A41. A601(M)1960202363 years A spur that ran from the M6 to Carnforth and Over Kellet. Now part of the A6070 and B6601. A6144(M)1987200619 years A spur that ran from the M60 to Carrington. It was unique for being single carriageway throughout. Downgraded to a portion of the A6144.
Renumbered motorways Original numberYear designated New numberYear renumberedDuration Description M631968 M60199830 years Originally opened as a portion of the M62 in 1960. In anticipation of the 1974 opening of the westward extension of the M62 to Liverpool, this section of the M62 was renumbered to M63 in 1968. Now part of the M60. A18(M)1972 M18019786 years Ran from the M18 at what is now junction 5 north of Hatfield to the A18. Now part of the M180.
Northern Ireland
M-designated motorways Link RouteExisted since Council areas M1 An east-west motorway linking Belfast to Dungannon. Continues as the A4.1962 Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Mid Ulster M2 A southeast-northwest motorway split into two sections: from Belfast to Antrim; as an eastern bypass of Ballymena. Continues as the A26.1969 Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Mid and East Antrim M3 A spur from the M2 to the A2 in east Belfast.1995 Belfast M5 A spur from the M2 to Newtownabbey in north Belfast.1980 Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey M12 A spur from the M1 to Portadown.1970 Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon M22 A spur from the M2 to Randalstown. Continues as the A6.1971 Antrim and Newtownabbey
Upgraded A-road designations Link RouteExisted since Council areas A8(M) A spur from the M2 to the A8 northwest of Newtownabbey.1966 Antrim and Newtownabbey
See also List of motorway service areas in the United Kingdom Roads in the United Kingdom List of numbered roads in the British Isles Motorways in the Republic of Ireland List of controlled-access highway systems Evolution of motorway construction in European nations
Notes