Famous road · 13 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
London to Manchester drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 4 hr 6 min
- Distance
- 200 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £33
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The London to Manchester drive
The drive from London to Manchester covers 200 miles (322 km) and takes about 4 hr 6 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.
About 49% of it is on the M6, and most of the rest on the M1. On the way you go past Luton, Milton Keynes and Birmingham, and you'll be near Coventry roughly 1 h 59 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 161 m near Luton. The A54 Congleton to Buxton is 13 mi off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £33 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 200 miles this is longer than 55% of the 144 routes covered here.
The road, mile by mile
Towns within a few miles of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartLondon
- 32 miLuton40 min in
- 52 miMilton Keynes1 h 4 min in
- 96 miCoventry1 h 59 min ingood place to stop
- 115 miBirmingham2 h 22 min in
- 130 miCannock2 h 41 min in
- 155 miStoke-on-Trent3 h 11 min in
- 186 miAltrincham3 h 50 min in
- 200 miManchester
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M698 mi · 49%
- M176 mi · 38%
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.
Famous road · 15 mi off the route
Cat and Fiddle Road (A537)
Famous road · 16 mi off the route
Goyt Valley road, Peak District
Famous road · 16 mi off the route
Snake Pass
- Summit
- 510 m summit
Best stops between London and Manchester
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Landmarks
Ironbridge Gorge
Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the world's first iron bridge built in 1779.
Landmarks
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
The UK's largest zoo set across 600 acres of Bedfordshire parkland with drive-through animal enclosures.
Landmarks
National Motorcycle Museum
The world's largest collection of British motorcycles with over 1,000 machines spanning a century of manufacturing near Solihull.
Racetracks
Silverstone Circuit
The home of British motorsport, hosting the first ever F1 World Championship race in 1950
Racetracks
Oulton Park
A picturesque Cheshire circuit winding through parkland with dramatic elevation changes, a favourite of British club and national racing.
Famous Roads
Cat and Fiddle Road
A thrilling moorland road between Macclesfield and Buxton in the Peak District, one of the UK's most famous driving roads.
Museums
Coventry Transport Museum
Houses the world's largest publicly owned collection of British road transport, including land speed record holders.
Museums
British Motor Museum
Home to the world's largest collection of historic British cars with over 400 vehicles at the Gaydon Heritage Centre.
Landmarks
Aston Martin Visitor Experience (Gaydon)
Guided tours of Aston Martin's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility where DB11 and Vantage models are hand-built.
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
London to Manchester FAQs
How long is the drive from London to Manchester?
Driving from London to Manchester takes about 4 hr 6 min nonstop, covering 200 miles (322 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from London to Manchester?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £33 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from London to Manchester in one day?
Yes, at about 4 hr 6 min of driving, London to Manchester is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from London to Manchester?
The fastest route uses the M6 (about 98 mi), the M1 (about 76 mi). It passes Luton, Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham.
Where should I stop on the way from London to Manchester?
If you stop every couple of hours, Coventry comes up about 2 h in. All are just off the main road.
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 London and Manchester?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Ironbridge Gorge, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, National Motorcycle Museum: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from London & Manchester
London → AberdeenLondon → AmsterdamLondon → BarcelonaLondon → BathLondon → BirminghamLondon → BrightonLondon → BristolLondon → BrugesLondon → BrusselsLondon → Cambridge
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.