Breaking down on a motorway is one of the most stressful things that can happen to a driver, and the M25 is one of the busiest roads in Europe. Knowing what to do before it happens can keep you and your passengers safe.
This guide follows the official advice in The Highway Code and adds practical tips from our recovery team, who work on the M25 and the motorways around London every day and night.
1. Get off the motorway if you can
If your car starts to feel wrong, such as warning lights, strange noises, loss of power or a puncture, try to leave at the next junction or pull into a motorway services. A car park or a quiet side road is far safer than any part of the motorway.
2. If you can’t, find the safest place to stop
Where you stop depends on the type of motorway you are on:
- Motorway with a hard shoulder: pull onto the hard shoulder, as far left as possible, with your wheels turned to the left.
- Smart motorway with no hard shoulder: head for an emergency area. These are marked with blue signs showing an orange SOS telephone symbol, and the surface is painted orange.
- If you can’t reach either: move into the left-hand lane or onto the verge if it is safe, and put your hazard lights on straight away.
Switch on your hazard warning lights as soon as you stop. At night or in poor visibility, keep your sidelights on too.
3. Get out on the left and get behind the barrier
If it is safe to do so, everyone should leave the vehicle by the left-hand (passenger side) doors, away from the traffic. Take your phone, a coat and anything essential, and leave pets in the car unless there is an emergency.
Wait behind the safety barrier, or well up the bank, and stand back from the car and upstream of it if possible. Never stand between your car and the traffic, and never try to fix the car yourself on the hard shoulder or in a live lane.
Do not put a warning triangle on a motorway. Walking along the hard shoulder or into traffic to place one is far too dangerous.
4. If you’re stuck in a live lane, call 999
If you have stopped in a running lane and cannot get out safely, stay in the car with your seatbelt on and your hazard lights on, and call 999 immediately. On smart motorways, the control centre can close the lane with a red X sign and send help.
A red X above a lane means it is closed. If you are a driver passing a breakdown, never drive in a lane showing a red X.
5. Call for recovery and share your exact location
Once you are safe, call your recovery company. To get help to you as quickly as possible, tell them:
- Which motorway, which direction (for example, M25 clockwise or anticlockwise) and the last junction you passed
- The number on the nearest marker post, the small blue and white signs every 100 metres along the edge of the motorway
- Your vehicle make, model and colour, and what happened
- How many people are with you, and whether anyone is vulnerable
With BM Automove you can also send your location on WhatsApp, so our dispatcher can see exactly where you are without you having to describe it.
6. While you wait
- Stay behind the barrier, even if it is raining or cold. Standing near a broken-down car on a motorway is extremely dangerous.
- Keep children close and away from the road.
- If you feel unsafe at any time, call 999.
- When the recovery truck arrives, follow the driver’s instructions. They will position the truck to protect you and your car.
Prepare before you travel
A few simple checks cut the risk of breaking down on the motorway: fuel or charge, tyre pressure and tread, oil and coolant levels, and a charged phone. It also helps to save a recovery number in your phone before you set off, so you are not searching for one at the roadside.
Broken down on the M25 right now?
Our trucks cover the whole M25 and the Home Counties 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get yourself safe first, then call 020 3582 1447. We’ll give you a clear price and an honest arrival time before we set off. Learn more about our M25 breakdown recovery service.
