Broken Down on the M23 or M25: What To Do

Safety sources checked on 12 September 2026: National Highways motorway advice and Highway Code rules 275–279. Follow the emergency operator’s directions for your situation.

If you cannot get out safely

Keep your seatbelt fastened, leave your hazards on and call 999 for the police. Your vehicle’s SOS button is another way to request emergency help. Tell the operator if a disability or other difficulty prevents you from reaching safety.

Move towards safety if possible

A service area or motorway exit is preferable when the vehicle can reach it. Otherwise aim left for a suitable emergency area or hard shoulder. Stop as far left as possible and turn on your hazard lights. Use sidelights when visibility is poor.

Parts of the M23 and M25 have running lanes where drivers might expect a hard shoulder. Use current signs and signals; this guide does not rely on a fixed count of emergency areas.

Leave only when it is safe

Use the side away from traffic if you and your passengers can get out safely. Wait well away from the vehicle and moving traffic, behind a barrier where available. Check for drops, debris and uneven ground first. Stay alert and keep children close.

Keep away from any position a collision could push the vehicle into. Do not return to fetch possessions. Keep animals in the vehicle unless an emergency requires them to be controlled on the verge.

Contact the emergency operator

From a safe stopping place, use the emergency telephone and follow the operator’s advice. National Highways also takes assistance calls on 0300 123 5000. Its guidance says to call 999 if you cannot exit or have not stopped near an emergency telephone. Do not walk into danger to find one.

Give the road, direction and any junction, marker post or driver location sign you can read safely. Mention injuries and anyone who needs extra assistance. A map pin can help; do not cross the carriageway to read a sign.

Do not repair or push the vehicle

Motorway breakdown advice rules out roadside repairs and placing a warning triangle. Do not try a jump start, change a wheel, push the car or arrange a rope tow on the carriageway. Wait for instructions and safe recovery arrangements.

Check who has arranged recovery

If police or National Highways are managing the incident, follow their instructions and check whether they have already arranged recovery. Your insurer may also have arrangements in place. Once the scene is safe and you are free to choose a recovery firm, call us with the vehicle’s location, condition and intended destination.

When you are safe to discuss the vehicle, tell the recovery firm its make, model, condition and intended destination. Mention whether it rolls and steers, locked wheels, missing keys and any access restrictions. Traffic protection and a suitable loading method must be confirmed before work begins.

Before rejoining from an emergency area

You must use the emergency telephone and follow the operator’s directions before leaving. National Highways may need to protect a lane for you. Even if the vehicle starts again, speak to the operator before moving.

Leaving a hard shoulder has different instructions: build speed, signal and find a safe gap, watching for obstructions ahead. Do not treat these instructions as permission to leave an emergency area.

Arrange the onward journey

Once safe, our motorway recovery service handles booking enquiries. Tell us whether you need breakdown recovery or accident recovery. Confirm the destination can receive the vehicle.

We cover Horley, Gatwick, Crawley, Redhill and Reigate. This guide explains the immediate safety steps; the service page explains arranging a suitable truck.