Famous road · 7 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
Birmingham to Cardiff drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 2 hr 16 min
- Distance
- 107 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £18
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The Birmingham to Cardiff drive
The drive from Birmingham to Cardiff covers 107 miles (173 km) and takes about 2 hr 16 min without stops. That makes it a comfortable one-day drive. Leave in the morning and you'll arrive with the day ahead of you.
It's split between the M5, the M50 and the A40, with no single road carrying more than 29% of it. You pass Worcester and Newport on the way.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 238 m near Birmingham. The A466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth) is 7 mi off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £18 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 107 miles this is longer than 17% of the 144 routes covered here, short enough to fold into a bigger itinerary without losing a day.
The road, mile by mile
Towns within a few miles of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartBirmingham
- 28 miWorcester36 min in
- 94 miNewport1 h 59 min in
- 107 miCardiff
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M531 mi · 29%
- M5022 mi · 20%
- A4017 mi · 16%
- A44914 mi · 13%
Famous roads on or near the drive
From the 500-plus passes and driving roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app. None are on the fastest route, but these are close enough for a detour.
Best stops between Birmingham and Cardiff
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Landmarks
Morgan Motor Company
The last family-owned British car maker in Malvern, offering factory tours where hand-crafted sports cars are built.
Scenic Viewpoints
Symonds Yat Rock
A famous viewpoint 504 feet above the River Wye, where peregrine falcons nest and the river performs a dramatic horseshoe bend.
Scenic Viewpoints
Devil's Pulpit
A narrow limestone pinnacle perched above the Wye Valley near Tintern Abbey, offering a dizzying view down through the forest canopy.
Castles & Palaces
Sudeley Castle
A Tudor castle near Winchcombe, the only private home where a queen of England, Katherine Parr, lies buried.
Landmarks
Snowshill
A timeless hilltop hamlet famed for its lavender fields and the eccentric manor of collector Charles Wade.
Racetracks
Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb
The world's oldest motorsport venue still using its original course, running since 1905. A 1,000-yard blast up a wooded Worcestershire hillside, steeped in Edwardian racing heritage.
Racetracks
Prescott Speed Hill Climb
Famous Cotswolds hill climb owned by the Bugatti Owners' Club since 1937, twisting up through the grounds of Prescott House. Home of the celebrated La Vie en Bleu vintage festival.
Famous Bridges
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's iconic 1864 suspension bridge soaring 75m above the Avon Gorge at Bristol, still carrying traffic and glowing with lights after dark.
Landmarks
Broadway Tower
A folly castle crowning the Cotswold escarpment at 1,024 feet, with views across 16 counties from the second-highest point.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
United Kingdom
- Motorway
- 112 km/h · 48 in town
- Tolls
- Individual tolled crossings (Dart Charge, M6 Toll)
- Drives on
- the left
Low-emission zones: London ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in United Kingdom
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Snake Pass + Peak District
Cobblestone villages, Bronte-novel moors, and the moodiest 14 miles of road in England
104 km · 2h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
Cornish surf beaches, smuggler's coves, and the Westcountry pasty trail
139 km · 2.5h driving · 7 stops · 4 days
Causeway Coastal Route
Belfast to Derry along Northern Ireland's cliff-edge coast, via Game of Thrones country
200 km · 3.3h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
NC500: North Coast 500
Scotland's answer to Route 66: 516 miles of mountains, single-track roads, and empty beaches
755 km · 11.4h driving · 9 stops · 7 days
Birmingham to Cardiff FAQs
How long is the drive from Birmingham to Cardiff?
Driving from Birmingham to Cardiff takes about 2 hr 16 min nonstop, covering 107 miles (173 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Birmingham to Cardiff?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £18 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Birmingham to Cardiff in one day?
Yes, at about 2 hr 16 min of driving, Birmingham to Cardiff is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from Birmingham to Cardiff?
The fastest route uses the M5 (about 31 mi), the M50 (about 22 mi), the A40 (about 17 mi), the A449 (about 14 mi). It passes Worcester, Newport.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 57 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
What are the best stops between Birmingham and Cardiff?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Morgan Motor Company, Symonds Yat Rock, Devil's Pulpit: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from Birmingham & Cardiff
Birmingham → BristolBirmingham → EdinburghBirmingham → GlasgowBirmingham → YorkBristol → CardiffLiverpool → CardiffLondon → BirminghamLondon → CardiffManchester → BirminghamManchester → Cardiff
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free United Kingdom road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in United Kingdom guide.