How Busy Are the M5 Junctions?
The M5 runs for around 163 miles, from the M6 near West Bromwich to Exeter, and the traffic along it is anything but even. Some stretches between junctions carry far more vehicles than others, and if you use the same junctions every week, how busy your stretch is matters more than an average for the whole motorway. These pages look at M5 junctions one stretch at a time, using the Department for Transport’s 2025 traffic counts, with the latest news alongside.
Latest M5 traffic news
Search all the latest M5 traffic news →
Latest accident or incident on the M5
The most recent accident or incident on the M5 that we are aware of.
M5 northbound Jct 14 entry slip road closure
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 18 min ago
- Location
- M5 J14 northbound access
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Other
- Schedule
- 19:50 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
Latest active roadworks on the M5
Roadworks live on the M5 right now.
M5 both directions Jct 27 to Jct 26 - HS & lane 1 & 2closure
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 18 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound within J26
- Direction
- Both directions
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Maintenance work
- Schedule
- 20:45 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
+ 3 more active roadworks - search all M5 traffic news →
Latest planned roadworks on the M5
The next planned roadworks scheduled on the M5.
M5 Northbound Jct 31 to 30 lane 1, 2 closure 259/6b - 256/8b
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 18 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound between J31 and J30
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Construction work
- Schedule
- 20:00 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 10 more planned roadworks - search all M5 traffic news →
Road closed — on the overhead signs now
National Highways’ overhead signs are showing a road closure, as at 23:57 Wed 16 Sept 2026. 1 other serious message is on the signs - see them all below.
A38 CLOSED AFTER M5
Time now: Wednesday, 16 September 2026, 23:5720:2716 Sept 2026set 3 hrs ago⚠ 3 hrs old✓ Checked by us 23:57
A38 CLOSED
AFTER M5Overhead Message
WhereM5 southbound, at J30 · on 1 signAlso onM5 signs onlySinceSet 20:27 Wed 16 Sept 2026We check these overhead signs at least every five minutes, but we can't guarantee a sign is still current if an incident or issue has been cleared and the sign has not been updated yet. Signs and news can each carry something the other does not - check both before you travel.
Search all the latest M5 traffic news →
Updated 23:57 Wed 16 Sept 2026
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
For everything currently reported on the M5 in both directions, see our latest M5 traffic news, or M5 closures tonight if you are travelling after dark.
The busiest junctions on the M5
In the 2025 counts, the busiest stretch between numbered junctions carried 150,612 vehicles a day. The quietest full junction-to-junction stretches, in Somerset and Devon, carried around 82,182 to 84,185. So the busiest part of the M5 takes nearly twice the traffic of its quietest.
M5 Junction 5 to 6, Droitwich to Worcester
The busiest stretch of the whole motorway, with 150,612 vehicles a day. It also carries more lorries than any other stretch of the M5, 15,176 a day.
M5 Junction 4a to 5, the M42 to Droitwich
The second busiest, with 136,816 vehicles a day. Junction 4a is where the M42 begins, so traffic from the M42 and from Birmingham meets here.
M5 Junction 15 to 16, Almondsbury
The third busiest, with 129,400 vehicles a day. Junction 15 is the Almondsbury Interchange, where the M5 and the M4 cross on the northern edge of Bristol.
M5 Junction 16 to 17, Cribbs Causeway
The fourth busiest, with 121,685 vehicles a day, running past Aztec West and Filton to the exit for Cribbs Causeway.
Why these junctions are the busiest
The four busiest stretches sit in two pairs, and each pair is next to a junction where another motorway joins the M5: the M42 in Worcestershire and the M4 at Almondsbury. Traffic joining from those motorways adds to the traffic already on the M5, which is also why a problem on the M42 or the M4 can be felt on the M5.
Each junction page shows how many vehicles use that stretch in an average hour and minute, how much of the traffic is lorries, which junctions and service areas are nearby, and where to find the latest M5 news.
Before you set off
If your journey uses one of these busy stretches, check M5 accidents and M5 roadworks first, and see the speed limits currently shown on M5 speed signs. For a picture of the whole route, every junction and service area is on our map of the M5 junctions.
The ten busiest stretches of the M5
| Rank | M5 stretch | Vehicles per day | Cars & taxis | Lorries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J5 to J6 | 150,612 | 108,634 | 15,176 |
| 2 | J4a to J5 | 136,816 | 99,318 | 13,457 |
| 3 | J15 to J16 | 129,400 | 97,396 | 10,610 |
| 4 | J16 to J17 | 121,685 | 90,630 | 9,618 |
| 5 | J1 to J2 | 119,998 | 83,626 | 11,454 |
| 6 | J20 to J21 | 118,811 | 92,064 | 7,702 |
| 7 | J6 to J7 | 118,162 | 82,935 | 13,537 |
| 8 | J19 to J20 | 115,619 | 87,546 | 8,816 |
| 9 | J30 to J31 | 104,734 | 80,755 | 6,171 |
| 10 | J11a to J12 | 102,887 | 73,953 | 10,625 |
Traffic figures are annual average daily flows, both directions together, from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics for 2025. The DfT measures the M5 at 55 count points; the ranking uses the 24 stretches that run between numbered junctions. Where a stretch has more than one count point, the busiest measured point is shown. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.