STOP & STAY
The 10 best service stations across the UK with the cheapest fuel and most restaurants – is there one near you?
Plus the sites with the cheapest EV charging options
THE best UK service stations with the cheapest fuel and most restaurants have been revealed - do you have one near you?
Some of the best review stop-offs in the country, including one location loved by celebs, miss out despite their excellent reputations.
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Experts at car finance specialists MoneyBarn assessed services based on a range of factors, including the number of parking spaces, number of restaurants, average fuel prices and public reviews.
Based on these metrics, they awarded each location an average score to compile the top 10.
Hopwood Park Services on the M42 came out on top on that measure, achieving a score of 7.58 out of 10.
Its case was helped by the fact that the site houses a whopping 13 eateries and charges well below the national average for petrol at 140.42p.
Following close behind was Woodall Services on the southbound side of the M1 at 6.79, just pipping Birchanger Green on the M11 at 6.78.
Interestingly, the North and Midlands dominated the top 5, with three entries.
Yet when expanded to a top 10, a strong showing from the South saw the rankings tied at five apiece.
Three regions achieved two entries in the list, those being Yorkshire and the Humber, the South East and the West Midlands.
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Amazingly, three of the leaderboard are located along the same route, with Warwick, Beaconsfield and Oxford all bordering the M40.
Yet there was no representation for the North East, while no services in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland made the cut.
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Perhaps the largest snubs, though, were for a pair of ultra-popular services that have long cemented themselves among the nation's favourites.
Gloucester Services has previously been dubbed the "most luxurious" in the UK with its artisanal kitchen and organic farm shop, while Tebay has been hailed by celebs including Coleen Rooney and Frank Skinner.
Yet neither made the list above 10th-placed Oxford Services on the M40.
Elsewhere, MoneyBarn's study also revealed the cheapest services for EV charging as the nation's drivers are pushed ever more forcefully towards zero-emission motors.
Oxford Services won out there, with an average price of just 49p per kWh.
That was tied with Gordano Services on the M5 and ahead of the M6's Hilton Park at 50p.
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Exeter services snuck onto the list at 59p, but came top in terms of the number of chargers installed at 58, giving motorists plenty of availability at bargain rates.
It comes after SunMotors revealed which major car brands will be scrapping their petrol and diesel models in favour of electric power by 2030.
Top 10 UK service stations
According to MoneyBarn
- Hopwood Park M42 - 7.58
- Woodall M1 (southbound) - 6.79
- Birchanger Green M11 - 6.78
- Warwick M40 (southbound) - 6.52
- Exeter M5 - 6.51
- Charnock Richard M6 (northbound) - 6.45
- Ferrybridge M62 - 6.40
- Fleet M3 (southbound) - 6.30
- Beaconsfield M40 - 6.10
- Oxford M40 - 6.10
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