England’s slowest motorways revealed including one with average speed of 31mph - which roads make the list

New research has revealed the slowest motorways in England. On dual carriageways and motorways in the UK, the permitted speed is generally 70mph - the national speed limit, however, the slowest motorway in England clocks up an average of just 30.8mph.

The main road in question is the A308 in Maidenhead, running close to the River Thames, it is split into two parts. The first part runs from Central London to Putney Bridge. The second part runs from just beyond Putney Heath to Bisham, Berkshire.

The car insurance team at Comparethemarket analysed highway data from the Department for Transport to reveal England’s slowest motorways, according to average speed and delay times.

Julie Daniels of the car insurance team at Comparethemarket says: “Getting stuck in traffic on the motorway can be frustrating. We found that 62% of drivers have experienced road rage before, and the second most common source of road rage is because of slow driving.

“If your road rage causes you to drive carelessly or dangerously, and leads to an accident, then your insurance provider is unlikely to pay for any damage to your car. They may even seek damages from you, to pay for any costs they have incurred to pay for third-party damage.

“On the other hand,  If you’re a victim of an accident caused by another motorist’s careless or dangerous driving, as a result of road rage, then you’ll most likely be covered for any damage under your car insurance policy.”

The slowest motorways in England

Here are the slowest motorways in England and their average speed in miles per hour.

1. A308(M) - Maidenhead - 30.8
2. A38(M) - Birmingham - 44.2
3. M32 - Bristol - 48.0
4. M181 - Scunthorpe - 48.6
5. A627(M) - Greater Manchester - 49.0
6. M621 - Leeds - 49.8
7. M602 - Greater Manchester - 53.3
8. M67 - Greater Manchester - 53.8
9. M606 - West Yorkshire - 53.9
10. M60 - Manchester - 54.5