M42 Traffic Statistics

This page sums up how much traffic the M42 carries, using the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025. Each figure is an annual average daily flow — how many motor vehicles cross an M42 count point on a typical day once the whole year is averaged out, counting northbound and southbound together unless we say otherwise.

The M42 in numbers

M42 Traffic Statistics: the key numbers

Measure	2025
Count points on the M42	26
Of which physically counted	18 (the other 8 are estimated)
Busiest count point	136,724 vehicles a day (J4 to J5)
Average across all 26 count points	74,351 vehicles a day
Average across the 12 main-line stretches	about 109,000 vehicles a day
Road length	40.0 miles (64.4 km)

© M42Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport

Why there are two averages

Of the 26 count points, 14 sit on 12 main-line stretches between junctions (two stretches are counted twice, and we use the busier point for each). The rest are on the short links and slip roads that join the M42 to the M5, the M40, the M6 and the M6 Toll, and the link from Junction 11 onto the A42. Some of those carry 10,000 to 20,000 vehicles a day, which pulls the overall average down to 74,351. If you want to know how busy the carriageway you are driving on is, the main-line figure of about 109,000 is the better guide.

What kind of traffic uses the M42

Added up across all 26 count points, the 2025 counts break down like this:

What kind of traffic uses the M42

Vehicle type	Share of traffic
Cars and taxis	71.1%
Vans (light goods vehicles)	16.9%
Lorries (heavy goods vehicles)	11.7%

© M42Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport

The mix changes along the road. Around Solihull and the NEC cars make up about three-quarters of traffic. North of the M6, lorries and vans take a bigger share: between Junction 10 and Junction 11 lorries are 16.0% of traffic and vans 23.7%, the highest van share on any main-line stretch. More detail is on M42 lorry and freight traffic.

Two roads in one

The figures show the M42 behaving like two different roads. From the M5 to the M6, it is a busy commuter and airport route: every main-line stretch is above 98,000 vehicles a day and four are above 125,000. North of the M6 Toll links, it becomes a quieter through-route towards Tamworth and the East Midlands, falling to 79,468 between Junction 9 and Junction 10, and 67,744 between Junction 10 and Junction 11.

More on M42 traffic

• How busy is the M42? — every stretch, junction by junction.
• M42 lorry and freight traffic — HGVs and vans, stretch by stretch.
• Northbound and southbound — the one-direction figures.

Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.