A service station that was dubbed a “filthy rat hole” and was bestowed the unwanted title of Britain’s dirtiest has turned its fortunes around. Hopwood Park, just south of Birmingham on the M42 has now been crowned the UK’s best service station. 

But it’s not the first time that the stop off for motorists has hit the headlines – as last year it gained national attention when it was branded Britain’s dirtiest with some pretty grim reviews to match.

The new analysis has been compiled by Moneybarn Car Finance which analysed several factors, including the volume of parking spaces, restaurants and shops.

The study also looked at the number of EV chargers, petrol and diesel prices and Tripadvisor reviews, to reveal the top 10 rundown.

Hopwood Park has 460 parking spaces and the average price of electric vehicle charging is £0.52 per kWh.  Petrol and diesel costs 140.2p and 148.26p on average per litre, respectively. 

The service station also has two shops and 13 eateries – with Burger King, Chopstix Noodle Bar and KFC among them.

Sheffield’s Woodall southbound ranks as the UK’s second-best service station. Woodall has 18 rapid chargers for electric vehicles, and the average price for petrol and diesel cars is 139.4p and 148.07p per litre Woodall also has 12 eateries, including Burger King, KFC, and Chopstix Noodle Bar. 

This Yorkshire-based service station sits between junctions 30 and 31 and is open 24 hours, with free shower facilities and a pet-friendly outdoor area.

The UK’s best service stations according to the study are revealed below:

1. Hopwood Park, M42, West Midlands

2. Woodall (Southbound), M1 (England), Yorkshire and the Humber

3. Birchanger Green, M11, East of England

4. Warwick (Southbound), M40, West Midlands

5. Exeter, M5, South West

6. Charnock Richard (Northbound), M6, North West

7. Ferrybridge, M62, Yorkshire and the Humber

8. Fleet (South), M3, South East

9. Beaconsfield, M40, East of England

10. Oxford, M40, South East

A spokesperson for Moneybarn Car Finance said: “Acquiring a car finance deal isn’t exclusive to recreational use. It’s equally important for those who work for themselves to be able to secure a self-employed car finance arrangement. 

“It allows you to expand your customer reach and travel around the country for work. Therefore, having a good service station on your route to refuel your car and yourself is paramount, especially for those longer journeys.

“We’ve looked into the data to find the best-ranked service stations across the UK. We’ve considered several factors, including parking spaces, restaurants, shops, EV chargers, EV charger prices, petrol and diesel prices, and Tripadvisor reviews, scoring them out of 10 to reveal the UK’s best service stations.”