Every stop on the M25 — Cobham, Clacket Lane, South Mimms and Thurrock

Every stop on the M25

The M25 is the London orbital, roughly 117 miles of motorway ringing the capital, and for a road that busy it carries only four full service areas — so knowing where they sit matters. Going clockwise you've got Clacket Lane (Roadchef and BP Express) between J5 and J6 near Westerham, then Cobham (Extra) between J9 and J10 in Surrey, South Mimms (Welcome Break) at J23 where the A1(M) joins, and Thurrock (Moto) on the eastern side between J30 and J31 near the Dartford crossing. The long gap is the clockwise run from Cobham up to South Mimms with nothing in between, which is why plenty of drivers misjudge their fuel or charge stop. Jornee ranks each of these by how long it actually takes you to reach them in live traffic — Cobham's Ionity chargers run to 350 kW and its GRIDSERVE bays to 400 kW — rather than by which dot looks closest on the map.

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• cobham services m25
• brentwood m25 motorway service station

EV charging on the M25

Charging on the M25 has come a long way, and the headline site is Cobham (Extra, J9/J10), where you'll find 24 Ionity chargers rated up to 350 kW alongside GRIDSERVE bays running to 400 kW and a couple of older 60 kW units, all open 24/7 with no membership needed. Thurrock (Moto, J30/J31) was the first GRIDSERVE Electric Super Hub on the M25 and now carries 40 High Power chargers topping out around 350 kW, which is handy if you're routing over the Dartford crossing. South Mimms (Welcome Break, J23) is Welcome Break's biggest hub at 52 points, mixing Applegreen Electric up to 360 kW, a Tesla Supercharger at 250 kW and slower GRIDSERVE units, while Clacket Lane (Roadchef, J5/J6) gained new high-power GRIDSERVE bays in late 2023 running up to 240 kW. If those are full, Osprey runs ultra-rapid hubs just off the orbital — under five minutes from the M25 at East Horndon, and 16 x 300 kW at Highbridge Retail Park, Waltham Abbey.

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For motorcyclists on the M25

Motorcycle provision on the M25 is real but limited, so it's worth planning where you'll pull in. Cobham (Extra, J9/J10) is the most explicit about it, with six dedicated motorcycle bays set aside in a car park that also runs to 980 car spaces, free-to-use showers, and a 24-hour food court if you're riding through the night. Clacket Lane (Roadchef, J5/J6) and South Mimms (Welcome Break, J23) both run large amenity buildings with showers and round-the-clock catering, so there's somewhere sheltered to stop and warm up. On a road this exposed to crosswinds and stop-start orbital traffic, Jornee lets you filter for the nearest stop by real riding time and dodge the long clockwise stretch from Cobham to South Mimms where there's nowhere to stop at all.

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Secure HGV parking near the M25

Secure overnight HGV parking is the M25's tightest squeeze, and the four services handle it differently. Cobham (Extra, J9/J10) carries around 170 lorry spaces — recently extended with a TerraMesh-built parking expansion — and runs as pay-on-exit, SNAP-accredited parking with CCTV; arrive early, because demand routinely fills it. South Mimms (Welcome Break, J23) is unusual in running a separate South Mimms Truckstop, accessible only to HGVs, with its own shop, showers and fuel; it has long featured in truckstop guides. Thurrock (Moto, J30/J31), near the Dartford crossing, gives two hours free then charges HGVs around £41 including a meal voucher, useful if you're staging for the QEII Bridge. For dedicated yards off the orbital, Purfleet Truck Park in Essex offers fenced, CCTV-monitored HGV parking close to the eastern M25.

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• m25 truck stop secure

Frequently asked questions

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