Flat on the motorway?
Flat tyre on motorway: what to do
Flat tyre on motorway? Leave at the next exit or services if you can, and if you can't, go left onto the hard shoulder or into an emergency area, get out on the side away from traffic and wait behind the barrier if there is one. Don't try to change the wheel yourself: the Highway Code says not to attempt repairs on your vehicle there.
- Go left: the next exit or services if you can, otherwise the hard shoulder or an emergency area, with your hazard lights on
- Get safe: out on the side away from traffic, and behind the barrier
- Get help: National Highways on 0300 123 5000, or 999 if you're stuck in a live lane
- Don't change the wheel or put out a warning triangle
- Once you're safe, call us for a new tyre: price and real arrival time first
Go left: get off the motorway or pull over safely
If a tyre goes, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can. The Highway Code says a service area is the safest place to stop on a motorway.
If you can't get off, its advice is:
- Move into the left lane.
- Pull into an emergency area or onto the hard shoulder if you can.
- Stop as far to the left as possible, with space to get out and your wheels turned to the left.
- If you can, stop just beyond an emergency telephone.
- Switch on your hazard lights, and your sidelights if it's dark or visibility is poor.
Get safe: out on the side away from traffic
If it's safe, get out on the side furthest from traffic and make sure your passengers do the same. Put on a high-visibility jacket if it's within easy reach, then get behind the safety barrier, watching for drops, uneven ground or debris.
Stay there. Don't go back to the car even if it's raining, cold or dark, and don't stand anywhere the car could be pushed into you if another vehicle hits it.
If you can't get to the left, or can't get out safely, stay in the car with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999 for the police. If your car has an SOS button, you can press that instead.
Get help: who to call and how to say where you are
From the hard shoulder or an emergency area, use the free emergency telephone or call National Highways on 0300 123 5000, then your breakdown cover. Face the traffic while you talk, and tell them if you're disabled, older or on your own.
To give your location, quote the numbers and letters on the nearest marker post or driver location sign at the edge of the road. A map app on your phone works too.
Don't change the wheel on the hard shoulder
The Highway Code's motorway rule is plain: do not attempt repairs on your vehicle. It also warns that hard shoulders give less protection than other places to stop, because they are so close to high-speed traffic.
Leave the warning triangle in the boot as well. The Highway Code says never to use one on a motorway.
Leave the wheel to us: we fit tyres on the hard shoulder while you wait behind the barrier.
No hard shoulder: emergency areas and red X signs
Where a motorway has no hard shoulder, or uses it as a running lane, stop in an emergency area. They're marked by blue signs with an orange SOS telephone symbol, may have orange surfacing, and signs tell you how far the next one is.
A red X over a lane means it's closed because people, a stopped vehicle or another hazard is in it. Never drive in a red X lane.
Before you pull out of an emergency area, you must use the emergency telephone and follow the operator's advice. National Highways can close a lane so you can rejoin safely.
When you're safe: getting a new tyre fitted
Once you're safe and have called for help, send us your tyre size (or a photo of the sidewall), where you are and your locking wheel nut details. Some of our 24 hour emergency tyre fitting call-outs start exactly like that: a WhatsApp message from the motorway in the middle of the night.
We fit tyres on the hard shoulder, and we cover the M25, M20, M26, M23, M2, M3, M4, M27, M271, M275 and A3(M). The motorway call-out is from £120, plus the tyre, and you get the price and the real arrival time before the van leaves. In our core area that's usually 30 to 60 minutes; further out, we tell you the real time when you call. The driver rings with updates on the way.
We never balance a wheel on a motorway: once the car is somewhere safe, you book the balancing for a time that suits you.
If you've got home on a space saver, we'll fit the proper tyre on your drive or at work, in any brand and size. See roadside tyre repair, or book a fitting.
Need it sorted now?
Roadside tyre repair, at your car
FAQs
More questions
Anything else? Call us. It's quicker than reading.
What should I do if I'm stopped on the hard shoulder?
If it's safe, get out on the side away from traffic, get behind the safety barrier and stay there, well away from the car. Then use the emergency telephone or call National Highways on 0300 123 5000, and your breakdown cover. Don't try to repair the car or go back to it.
Is it safe to drive on the motorway with a spare tyre?
Not on a space saver if you can avoid it. TyreSafe says you're usually limited to 50 mph in dry conditions on one, and should avoid motorways and dual carriageways where at all possible. A space saver is only meant to get you somewhere safe to have a proper tyre fitted, so check your handbook for your car's limit.
Can I change a tyre on the hard shoulder?
No. The Highway Code says do not attempt repairs on your vehicle when you've stopped on a motorway, and it warns that the hard shoulder is close to high-speed traffic. Wait behind the barrier and leave the wheel to us: we fit tyres on the hard shoulder.
Should I put a warning triangle out on the motorway?
No. The Highway Code says never to use warning triangles on motorways. Switch your hazard lights on and get behind the barrier instead.
Can you fit a new tyre after a motorway flat?
Yes, on the hard shoulder or wherever you've got to. Once you're safe, call 07955 732337 or WhatsApp us your tyre size, where you are and your locking wheel nut key details, and we'll give you the price and a real arrival time before the van leaves.
Flat tyre right now?
Call or WhatsApp. You'll get a price and an arrival time before we set off.