The traditional image of the gloomy motorway stop is increasingly out of date, according to the boss of Britain’s biggest motorway services company, Moto Hospitality.
The claim follows the publication of major independent research which found customer satisfaction across Moto’s network had reached an incredible 96%, up from 94% in 2023 and 93% in 2022. Other motorway services companies also fared well in the study, with 95% of all visitors to motorway services being fairly or very satisfied.
Ken McMeikan, Moto’s CEO, says the results reflect the progress made across its network and how significantly the motorway stop has evolved. The company has invested more than £260 million in its services in the last five to six years, improving facilities and the experience for the millions of motorists who visit each year.
Five Moto sites – Rugby, Sawtry, Kinross, Pease Pottage and Donington Park – scored 99% for customer satisfaction, placing them among Britain’s top seven motorway service areas (MSAs). Satisfaction at Moto’s lowest-scoring sites was 90%, showing the scale of performance across the estate.
Ken McMeikan, chief executive officer of Moto Hospitality, said: “For years, motorway services have been portrayed as somewhere people stop because they have to, rather than somewhere they choose to stop at because of the experience. These results show that picture is increasingly out of date.
“Seven of the top ten highest-rated motorway service areas across the UK are Moto; 96% of our customers are satisfied with their visit and we’re leading the major operators on EV charging satisfaction. That is strong independent evidence of how much the motorway stop has changed.
“I’m particularly proud of the role our colleagues play in that. They are there around the clock, keeping sites running, welcoming customers and often helping people when journeys don’t go to plan.
“We’re not claiming every site is quite where we want it to be yet. We know where we still need to improve further and we will. But the old stereotype of motorway services as universally dated, dirty and disappointing simply doesn’t reflect what the vast majority of people experience at UK motorway service areas today.
“We’ll keep investing in our facilities, our people and the infrastructure motorists will need in the years ahead, and keep raising standards across every site.”
The Transport Focus Motorway Services User Survey, conducted by IPSOS, is the most comprehensive study of MSAs in Britain, covering 123 sites and 33,742 in-person interviews with customers as they left each location, with a further 5,619 people completing more detailed follow-up questions. Each service area is equally weighted, giving the study a robust site-by-site and operator-level view of satisfaction, facilities and customer experience.
Transport Focus also identified accessibility as a major area of improvement, with 80% of disabled visitors saying Moto catered well for their needs, up from 59% in 2022. Toilet satisfaction stands at 94%, six points higher than in 2022, while 96% of customers rate colleagues’ friendliness and helpfulness positively.
Moto’s services appeal to a wide range of visitors, including business travellers looking for a work-friendly stop, heavy goods vehicle drivers and families with young children. Behind that experience are Moto’s colleagues, whose contribution is reflected in the company being named in The Sunday Times Top 10 Best Places to Work 2026 (Very Big Companies) for the third consecutive year.
Moto also achieved the highest satisfaction rating for EV charging among the main operators, at 87%, with 93% satisfaction for charging speed, payment options and waiting for a charge point. Moto and its partners have invested more than £80 million in EV infrastructure over the past three years alone.
The company’s longer-term plans include further development of its network: following lease extensions at 10 sites, Moto announced a planned £500 million investment programme across its estate, including further upgrades to facilities and EV charging infrastructure.
For more information on the Transport Focus results, visit: https://www.transportfocus.
