24 Hour Car Recovery on the M25 from J26 to J31, Price Agreed Before We Dispatch
Cars, vans and 4x4s on the Waltham Abbey to Thurrock length of the M25, around the clock. You hear the price on the phone before we dispatch, with no separate call-out fee.
- No separate call-out fee
- Price agreed first
- Guaranteed attendance on confirmed jobs
- 24/7/365
If you cannot reach a place of safety and also cannot get out of your vehicle safely, stay in it with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999 first.
Send your details on WhatsApp once you are safe
Get to safety first and do not go back to the vehicle to check anything. Answer only from what you already know. If you cannot reach safety and also cannot get out safely, call 999 instead.
Opens WhatsApp with your answers filled in. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere else.
We provide 24 hour car recovery for cars, vans and 4x4s on the M25 from J26 at Waltham Abbey to J31 at Purfleet, passing Bell Common Tunnel, the M11, Brook Street, Cranham and Mar Dyke. The price is agreed on the phone before we dispatch, with no separate call-out fee, and a motorway callout on the M25 runs from £250 to £750 depending on location. We guarantee attendance on every job we confirm. The guarantee does not extend to the Dartford Crossing or its approach roads, the A282.
Our attendance guarantee
Once we have confirmed your job with you and agreed the price, we guarantee to attend. We cannot give an arrival time, because it depends on where you are and, where the police or National Highways are managing the scene, on when they allow access. The price is agreed before we set off, with no separate call-out fee. The guarantee does not extend to the Dartford Crossing itself or its approach roads, where only a constable or traffic officer may move a vehicle.
Rated 5.0 from 153 Google reviews (October 2026). CityGrip Recovery, 68 Ruckholt Road, Leyton, London E10 5NP, open 24 hours. About CityGrip Recovery.
The M25 from J26 to J31: an overview
This page covers the M25 clockwise from J26 at Waltham Abbey to J31 at Purfleet, about 21 miles by the driver location sign figures. It starts in the Epping Forest district of Essex, runs beneath Bell Common just south of Epping, meets the M11 at J27, then follows the edge of Greater London past Brook Street and Cranham before reaching Thurrock and the approach to the Dartford Crossing. Junction numbers rise clockwise, so J26 to J31 is the direction of travel towards the Thames, and anticlockwise is the way back up towards Waltham Abbey.
The character of the road changes along the way. The roughly 4 miles from J26 to J27 are all lane running, with no hard shoulder and a tunnel along the way. From J27 to J30 the M25 is controlled motorway with a hard shoulder, and the gap from J27 to J28 is about 8 miles, far longer than any other link here. The last link, J30 to J31, is under a mile and leads onto the A282 and the Dartford Crossing. Lorries make up a large share of the flow: Department for Transport counts for 2025 put them at about one vehicle in five between J29 and J30.
Broken down on the M25? Get to safety first
If your vehicle breaks down, your safety comes before the car. The Highway Code (rule 277) says to leave the motorway at the next exit or pull into a service area if possible, and National Highways says not to stop in a live lane unless absolutely necessary. If you cannot leave the carriageway at the next exit or pull into a service area, follow the three steps below. A hard shoulder gives less protection than other places of relative safety (rule 275).
Step 1, go left. Move into the left lane. Pull into an emergency area or onto a hard shoulder if you can, and stop as far to the left as possible, leaving space to exit your vehicle, with your wheels turned to the left and your hazard lights on (use sidelights too if it is dark or visibility is poor). If you can, stop just beyond an emergency telephone.
Step 2, get safe. If it is safe and possible, exit the vehicle by the side furthest from traffic and make sure passengers do the same. Wait well away from the vehicle and moving traffic, behind the safety barrier where there is one, aware of unseen hazards such as sudden drops, uneven ground or debris. Do not stand where your vehicle could be forced into you. Do not return to the vehicle, even if it is raining, cold or dark, and do not attempt repairs or put a warning triangle on the carriageway.
Step 3, get help. Use the free emergency telephone and face the traffic while you speak. If you have not stopped near one, or you cannot get out of the vehicle, call 999 immediately and ask for the police, or press your vehicle's SOS button if it has one and ask for the police. Tell them if you are a vulnerable motorist, such as disabled, older or travelling alone. In an emergency area you must use the emergency telephone and follow the operator's advice before you leave (rule 278), because a lane may need to be closed so you can rejoin.
If you cannot reach a place of relative safety and cannot get out safely, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt and hazard lights on, and call 999 and ask for the police (or press your SOS button if your vehicle has one). Rule 279 gives the same advice if you have a disability that stops you following these steps. If you cannot use an emergency roadside telephone because of a speech or hearing impairment, National Highways takes texts for roadside assistance on 0738 028 3600.
Call us once you are somewhere safe: behind the safety barrier, well away from your vehicle and moving traffic, after you have spoken to National Highways or 999, or in a service area or off the motorway. Tell us your direction of travel (clockwise or anticlockwise), the last junction you passed, and the registration, make and model. Quote a marker post or driver location sign only if you can read it from where you are safely waiting. Do not go back to the vehicle to find details. Do not wait for us in or beside a live lane.
On the Dartford Crossing and its approach roads (the A282), only a constable or traffic officer may move a vehicle at rest because of a breakdown (other than in a designated parking area), and repairs need their express permission (Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Regulations 1998, regulation 9). If you are in danger there, call 999. Our attendance guarantee does not extend to the crossing or its approach roads.
Junction by junction: M25 J26 to J31
J26 Waltham Abbey: the A121 interchange
J26 is the Waltham Abbey interchange, where the M25 runs through the town. Its dumbbell layout has a single connecting road, the A121 (Honey Lane), signed for Waltham Abbey and Loughton in both directions. From Waltham Abbey the A121 carries on south through Loughton and Buckhurst Hill and across part of Epping Forest. The junction is in the Epping Forest district of Essex, and the M25 has four lanes in each direction here. The Holmesdale Tunnel lies between J25 and J26, and Bell Common Tunnel lies between J26 and J27. J26 sits inside the all lane running section, so there is no hard shoulder.
J27 Theydon: the M11 interchange
J27 is where the M25 meets the M11, which counts it as its own junction 6. It is a motorway-to-motorway whirlpool interchange with no local road connections, so the village of Theydon Garnon has no access to either motorway here. The M11 runs north to Harlow, Stansted Airport and Cambridge, and south towards north-east London and the North Circular. J27 also marks a change of layout: the all lane running length from J23 ends here, and beyond it clockwise the M25 is controlled motorway with a hard shoulder. Quote J27, clockwise or anticlockwise, and whether you were joining or leaving the M11.
J28 Brook Street: the A12 and A1023 interchange
J28 is the Brook Street interchange, a three-level roundabout junction with four lanes each way on the M25. It joins the A12, east towards Chelmsford and west towards Romford and London, and the A1023 into Brentwood. The M25 forms the eastern boundary of Harold Wood in the London Borough of Havering, and Brentwood is the neighbouring borough. National Highways' improvement scheme here began in 2022. Its last major piece of on-road construction, a free-flow loop road that takes anticlockwise M25 traffic onto the A12 eastbound without using the roundabout, opened in October 2025, and finishing work was still being scheduled in March 2026. Tell us J28, your direction, and whether you were on the A12, the A1023 or the M25.
J29 Cranham: the A127 for Southend
J29 is the Cranham interchange, a three-level roundabout junction where the M25 crosses the A127 Southend Arterial Road. East, the A127 runs to Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Southend Airport; west, it heads for Romford and Gallows Corner, about four miles away. National Highways places the junction in the London Borough of Havering, and Cranham is a residential area of that borough. North Ockendon, also in Havering, is the only settlement of Greater London that lies outside the M25. National Highways says the planned Lower Thames Crossing will connect to the M25 at J29 and that work began in early 2026, so layouts and roadworks around the junction may change.
J30 Mar Dyke: the A13 and Thurrock services
J30 is the Mar Dyke interchange, a three-level roundabout junction where the A13 crosses over the M25 on a flyover. East, the A13 leads to Tilbury; west, it runs across Wennington and Rainham Marshes towards London. The junction is signed for Thurrock (Lakeside), and the A1306 is signed for Dagenham and South Ockendon. A £100 million Highways England scheme, reported open to traffic in December 2016, widened the A13 through the junction to four lanes in each direction. Clockwise, J30 is the exit for Thurrock services. roads.org.uk notes that some turns here are restricted, so follow the signs. Tell us J30, your direction, and whether you were on the A13, the roundabout or the M25.
J31 Purfleet: the Dartford Crossing approach
J31 is the Purfleet interchange, where the M25 meets the A282 approach to the Dartford Crossing. It serves the A1306 towards Thurrock, Lakeside, South Ockendon and Dagenham, the A1090 to Purfleet, the A126 to West Thurrock and the B186. Clockwise there is no exit here. Anticlockwise, coming out of the tunnels, it is the first exit, signed for Thurrock services.
Sources differ on exactly where the M25 ends and the A282 begins: Wikipedia's junction table puts J31 on the A282, while roads.org.uk shows the M25 becoming the A282 at the junction itself. Our guarantee does not extend to the Dartford Crossing or its approach roads, where only a constable or traffic officer may move a vehicle at rest because of a breakdown (regulation 9 of the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Regulations 1998). Tell us the exact road and carriageway you are on.
Hard shoulder and smart motorway status on J26 to J31
National Highways' operational smart motorways map, last updated in January 2025, lists M25 junctions 23 to 27 as all lane running. For this page that means J26 to J27, including the length through Bell Common Tunnel, has no hard shoulder: the left-hand lane is a permanent running lane. The all lane running section ends at the J27 interchange with the M11.
Beyond J27 clockwise, the same map lists junctions 27 to 30 as controlled motorway. National Highways' five-year evaluation says that scheme kept a permanent hard shoulder, with four lanes each way and variable speed limits operating since March 2014. From J30 to J31 and across the Dartford Crossing the map shows no smart motorway entry. Layouts, limits and roadworks change, so follow the signs and gantries on the day.
Motorway services on the M25 between J26 and J31
Four motorway service areas are linked to the M25 in total, and only one falls in this range: Thurrock (Moto) at West Thurrock, which opened in 1990 and which Moto places between junctions 30 and 31. None sits on the carriageway between J26 and J30, and South Mimms, off J23, is behind you clockwise and outside the range. Clockwise, leave at J30 and head straight over the roundabout to the services. Anticlockwise, coming north out of the Dartford tunnels on the A282, leave at J31, the first exit after the tunnel. Motorway Services Online gives these directions, and the signs on the ground take priority.
The site's address is Arterial Road, West Thurrock, Grays, Essex RM16 3BG. Moto lists the forecourt as open 24 hours, though some outlets keep shorter hours.
Road features between J26 and J31
The section from J25 to J27 opened in January 1984 and runs through Epping Forest. Within it, the M25 passes under Bell Common in Bell Common Tunnel, between J26 and J27, a tunnel roughly half a kilometre long; roads.org.uk's marker figure puts it nearer J27 than J26. From J27 to J30 the road is four lanes each way plus a hard shoulder, with overhead gantries and variable speed limits, running along the edge of Greater London before Thurrock begins.
Traffic is heavy: DfT's 2025 counts give about 120,000 vehicles a day between J26 and J27, and roughly 130,000 to 132,000 between J29 and J30. At J31 the road meets the A282 and the Dartford Crossing, which has its own regulations and a 50 mph limit. Northbound traffic uses two tunnels and southbound traffic crosses the QEII Bridge. National Highways says the crossing was designed for 135,000 vehicles a day and averages about 150,000, with nearly 40 per cent freight.
How our M25 car recovery works on this stretch
Get to safety first, then call us (if you are in a live lane, call 999 first). We are based in Leyton, East London, and open 24 hours a day for cars, vans and 4x4s. Tell us the junction, your direction, the road you are on, your vehicle and the problem. The price is agreed on the phone before we dispatch, with no separate call-out fee, and a motorway callout on the M25 runs from £250 to £750 depending on location.
We guarantee attendance on every job we confirm, and where the police or National Highways are managing the scene we attend as soon as they allow access. We cover the whole of the M25, except that the guarantee does not extend to the Dartford Crossing itself or its approach roads, the A282. We can supply and fit a replacement tyre, deal with locking wheel nuts and seized wheels, or arrange recovery.
Had a non-fault accident? Your recovery is free.
If another driver was at fault, we arrange your recovery free of charge through our sister claims service, CityGrip Claims. Start a claim there to see how your accident is handled.
M25 J26 to J31 car recovery FAQs
Do you cover the M25 from J26 to J31, and what does the guarantee mean?
Yes. We cover the whole of the M25, including the stretch from J26 at Waltham Abbey towards J31 at Purfleet, for cars, vans and 4x4s, 24 hours a day. We guarantee attendance on every job we confirm, and where the police or National Highways are managing the scene we attend as soon as they allow access. The guarantee does not extend to the Dartford Crossing itself or its approach roads, the A282.
What should I tell you when I ring from this stretch of the M25?
Give the junction number you are at or have just passed, such as J28, and whether you are travelling clockwise or anticlockwise. Add the road you are on, your vehicle and the problem. If you can read a driver location sign from a safe place, give us its figure and carriageway letter too: A is clockwise and B is anticlockwise, which helps us place you on the right carriageway.
How is the price set for a recovery between J26 and J31?
The price is agreed on the phone before we dispatch, and there is no separate call-out fee. A motorway callout on the M25 runs from £250 to £750 depending on location, so give us the junction and your direction when you ring.
Is the M25 between J26 and J31 a smart motorway?
Partly. National Highways' January 2025 map lists J23 to J27 as all lane running, so J26 to J27, including Bell Common Tunnel, has no hard shoulder. J27 to J30 is controlled motorway, where a hard shoulder is kept. J30 to J31 and the Dartford Crossing are not on the smart motorway list. Layouts and roadworks change, so follow the signs.
Are there motorway services between J26 and J31?
Not on the carriageway itself. Thurrock services (Moto) is the only service area reached from the M25 in this range. Clockwise drivers leave at J30, and anticlockwise drivers coming out of the Dartford tunnels leave at J31. South Mimms, off J23, is behind you clockwise and outside the range. Moto lists the forecourt as open 24 hours.
Does your guarantee apply at J31 and the Dartford Crossing?
The guarantee does not extend to the Dartford Crossing itself or its approach roads, the A282. There, only a constable or traffic officer may move a vehicle at rest because of a breakdown, under regulation 9 of the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Regulations 1998. Sources differ on exactly where the M25 ends and the A282 begins around J31, so tell us the exact road and carriageway you are on when you call.
Which junction do I quote for Waltham Abbey and Loughton?
J26, the Waltham Abbey interchange. Its only connecting road is the A121, signed for Waltham Abbey and Loughton in both directions, and the A121 runs on through Loughton and Buckhurst Hill and across part of Epping Forest. J26 is in the all lane running section, so there is no hard shoulder there. Tell us J26 and whether you are clockwise or anticlockwise.
Which junction is the M25 and M11 interchange?
J27, the Theydon interchange, which the M11 counts as its junction 6. It is a motorway-to-motorway whirlpool with no local road connections, and the M11 runs north from it to Harlow, Stansted Airport and Cambridge. J27 is also where all lane running from J23 ends and controlled motorway with a hard shoulder begins. Quote J27, your direction, and whether you were joining or leaving the M11.
Which junction is the A12 and Brentwood, and has it changed recently?
J28, Brook Street. The A12 runs east to Chelmsford and west towards Romford and London, and the A1023 leads into Brentwood. National Highways' improvement scheme here began in 2022 and included a free-flow loop road that takes anticlockwise M25 traffic onto the A12 eastbound, opened in October 2025. Finishing works continued into March 2026, so signs and slip roads may differ from older maps.
Which junction do I use for the A127, Basildon and Southend?
J29, Cranham. The A127 Southend Arterial Road crosses the M25 here, running east to Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Southend Airport and west towards Romford and Gallows Corner. National Highways places the junction in the London Borough of Havering. It also says the Lower Thames Crossing will connect to the M25 at J29 and that work began in early 2026, so roadworks around the junction may come and go.
Which junction is the A13 for Tilbury and Lakeside, and where are the services?
J30, Mar Dyke. The A13 runs east to Tilbury and west across Wennington and Rainham Marshes towards London, and the junction is signed for Thurrock (Lakeside). Clockwise, Thurrock services are reached by leaving at J30. Tell us J30, your direction and the road you are on, because roads.org.uk notes that some turns at this junction are restricted.
Where is Bell Common Tunnel and how long is it?
Bell Common Tunnel carries the M25 under Bell Common, the hamlet just south of Epping, between J26 and J27. It is roughly half a kilometre long. It is part of the all lane running section, so there is no hard shoulder through it. When you ring, quote the carriageway and the closest junction, J26 or J27, rather than guessing a position inside the tunnel.
Where the road details come from
Road details on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026.
Updated 19 October 2026. Written and maintained by CityGrip Recovery, Leyton. Open 24 hours. Once you are somewhere safe, call 07960 200253 for car recovery on the M25.
Broken down on the M25 between J26 and J31? Get to safety first, then call us.
Call 07960 200253, tell us your direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) and the last junction you passed, and we agree the price before anyone sets off.