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M40
🔵 Motorway

M40 Traffic News

M40 Motorway · London (M25 J16) → Birmingham (M42)
M40 TRAFFIC NOW
M40 SOUTHBOUND J9 ENTRY SLIP ROADCLOSED 22:15–06:00PLANNED CLOSURE TONIGHT
Planned tonight, 1 of 2
Clear ⏱ Updated 12:58

M40 traffic at 12:58 on Tuesday 3 November: 2 closures tonight.

M40 traffic now: accidents & incidents by direction at 12:58
↑ M40 northbound traffictowards Birmingham✅ No incidents reported ↓ M40 southbound traffictowards High Wycombe✅ No incidents reported
🚨 0 incidents 🚧 0 roadworks · 4 soon
🔍
87 miles long
Junctions J1–J16
Regions: London, South East, West Midlands
Home › Traffic › Roads › M40

🚨 M40 traffic now: live incidents & roadworks

Updates every 5 min
Share M40 status: 💬 📘 X
No live incidents on the M40 right now — checking National Highways every 5 minutes, 24/7. Closures are listed below.

🌙 M40 closures tonight and the next 3 days 4

From National Highways' closure report, in their words. Times can change - check before you set off.

  • Full closure
    Southbound M40 Southbound Jct 9 entry slip road carriageway closure
    Tonight · 22:15–06:00
    Diversion: diversion route for maintenance works. Diversion via National Highways network.
  • Full closure
    Southbound M40 Southbound, Jct 4 to Jct 3 carriageway closure
    Tonight · 22:15–06:00
    Diversion: diversion route for maintenance work Diversion via National Highways network and local authority road
  • Partial closure
    Southbound M40 Southbound Jct 4 entry slip road closure
    Tonight · 22:15–06:00
    Diversion: diversion route for maintenance work Diversion via National Highways network and local authority road
  • Partial closure
    Northbound M40 northbound, Jct 3 exit slip road closure
    Tonight · 22:15–06:00
    Diversion: diversion route for maintenance works. Diversion via National Highways network and local authority roads.
All M40 roadworks & diversions →

Is the M40 closed? Quick answers

Checked 12:58 on Tuesday 3 November 2026.

Is the M40 closed right now?

No. There is no full closure on the M40 at 12:58.

Is there an incident on the M40 right now?

No. No incidents are reported on the M40 at 12:58.

Is the M40 closed tonight?

Yes. The M40 has 2 full closures planned tonight (Tue 3 Nov, 18:00 to 06:00): Southbound Jct 9 entry slip road carriageway closure, 22:15 to 06:00; and Southbound, Jct 4 to Jct 3 carriageway closure, 22:15 to 06:00. Plus 2 lane or slip road closures. Diversion: diversion route for maintenance works. Diversion via National Highways network.

Tonight: M40 closures and diversions ›

Is the M40 closed this weekend?

Yes. The M40 has 1 full closure planned this weekend (Fri 6 Nov 18:00 to Mon 9 Nov 06:00): Southbound Jct 9 entry slip road carriageway closure, Fri 22:15 to 06:00. Diversion: diversion route for maintenance works. Diversion via National Highways network.

This weekend: M40 closures and diversions ›

Is there an accident on the M40 today?

No. No collision has been reported on the M40 since midnight.

M40 accidents today and yesterday ›

Answers use official data only: the National Highways live incident feed and their planned closure report. Times can change, so check before you set off.

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🗺️ M40 Traffic Map — Where It's Happening

Tap a pin for full incident detail. Live positions from National Highways.

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  • The delay and junctions National Highways report, worst first
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When you hearOnce a dayAs it builds
Queues and congestionMajor incidents onlyOn your roads
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🔢 M40 Junction Status

Tap a junction for its page

🟢 Clear · 🟡 Delays nearby · 🔴 Severe/Crash · Status labels: 💥 CRASH · ❌ CLOSED · 🐌 SLOW · 🚧 WORKS · ⚠️ HAZARD

A red or orange junction border marks a STATS19 collision blackspot. Tap any junction for its own page — live incidents and full collision history. Tap the funnel to filter the list above.

📊 How busy is the M40?

The M40 carries up to 136,403 vehicles a day at its busiest stretch (J1A–J2), including 8,242 HGVs — the 14th busiest motorway in Britain. Official Department for Transport counts, 2025.

136,403
🚗 vehicles a day · J1A–J2
8,242
🚛 lorries a day
2025
📅 DfT count year
6% HGVs
share of traffic on the busiest stretch
Busiest stretch of each motorway — vehicles a day
M25 212,636
M6 187,521
M56 179,634
M1 162,446
M8 158,065
M4 156,491
M40 136,403
View as table
RoadBusiest stretchVehicles/dayHGVs/dayHGV share
M25 near J14 212,636 14,853 7%
M6 J20–J21 187,521 23,492 12.5%
M56 J3–J4 179,634 7,547 4.2%
M1 near J9 162,446 19,151 11.8%
M8 J16–J17 158,065 7,214 4.6%
M4 near J4 156,491 6,249 4%
M40 ◀ J1A–J2 136,403 8,242 6%
Source: Department for Transport road traffic statistics, average annual daily flows 2025. Official counts, updated yearly.

📈 M40 Journey Pulse — when incidents actually happen

Measured from 82 incidents recorded on the M40 since February 2026: the riskiest window is 12:00–15:00, when 27% of incidents start. Right now (12:00) you're inside that window.

View as table
HourIncidentsShare
00:00–01:00 5 6.1%
01:00–02:00 0 0%
02:00–03:00 1 1.2%
03:00–04:00 0 0%
04:00–05:00 0 0%
05:00–06:00 1 1.2%
06:00–07:00 4 4.9%
07:00–08:00 6 7.3%
08:00–09:00 5 6.1%
09:00–10:00 1 1.2%
10:00–11:00 6 7.3%
11:00–12:00 3 3.7%
12:00–13:00 ◀ peak 8 9.8%
13:00–14:00 ◀ peak 7 8.5%
14:00–15:00 ◀ peak 7 8.5%
15:00–16:00 3 3.7%
16:00–17:00 5 6.1%
17:00–18:00 2 2.4%
18:00–19:00 7 8.5%
19:00–20:00 1 1.2%
20:00–21:00 5 6.1%
21:00–22:00 3 3.7%
22:00–23:00 1 1.2%
23:00–00:00 1 1.2%
Measured from 82 incidents recorded by this site since February 2026 (planned roadworks excluded). Recomputed nightly from our incident archive.

🧭 Along the M40

🔀 Major interchanges — where the M40 meets other roads
J1AM25 J17M42
🛍️J9
Bicester Village
Designer outlet — exit J9 onto the A41
🦅J5–J6
Stokenchurch Gap
47m chalk cutting famous for red kites
🎓J8
Oxford
Spur at J8 continues as the A40 into Oxford
🏰J15
Warwick Castle
Well signposted, under two miles from J15

📍 Heading to… off the M40

The places people drive to most, the M40 junction for each, and live M40 incidents nearby at 12:58.

Shopping

Bicester Village

Bicester, Oxfordshire
🛣️ M40 junction: J9
✅ No M40 incidents reported within 3 miles

Outlet village with about 150 boutiques, 3 miles from M40 J9

🧭 Directions M40 J9 live Oxfordshire traffic
Heritage

Blenheim Palace

Woodstock, Oxfordshire
🛣️ M40 junction: J9
✅ No M40 incidents reported within 3 miles

Palace and park on the A44, eight miles north-west of Oxford

🧭 Directions M40 J9 live Oxfordshire traffic
Attraction

British Motor Museum

Gaydon, Warwickshire
🛣️ M40 junction: J12
✅ No M40 incidents reported within 3 miles

Motor museum at Gaydon, five minutes from M40 junction 12 on the B4100

🧭 Directions M40 J12 live Warwickshire traffic
Events venue

NAEC Stoneleigh (Stoneleigh Park)

Stoneleigh, Warwickshire
🛣️ M40 junction: J15
✅ No M40 incidents reported within 3 miles

Event showground (Race Retro and more); signed via B4113 off the A46

🧭 Directions M40 J15 live Warwickshire traffic
Town centre

Oxford

Oxford, Oxfordshire
🛣️ Via the M40
✅ No M40 incidents reported within 3 miles

City centre with bus gates and traffic filters; large park and ride network

🧭 Directions Oxfordshire traffic
Motorsport

Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone, Northamptonshire
🛣️ Via the M40
✅ No M40 incidents reported within 3 miles

Capacity 175,000; A43 roadworks Towcester–Silverstone may add time

🧭 Directions Northamptonshire traffic

⚠️ Most Dangerous M40 Junctions

Based on DfT STATS19 police collision records. The M40 has 1,077 recorded collisions at 25 collision hotspots, involving 1,673 casualties (41 fatal). Take extra care here. Ranked by fatal, then serious collisions, then casualties - not by the number of collisions alone.

#1
J14
93 collisions · 145 casualties · 8 fatal · 21 serious
Severe Blackspot
#2
J1
75 collisions · 126 casualties · 6 fatal · 19 serious
Severe Blackspot
#3
J10
79 collisions · 129 casualties · 3 fatal · 9 serious
Severe Blackspot
#4
nr Warwick
39 collisions · 55 casualties · 3 fatal · 2 serious
Severe Blackspot
#5
nr Bicester
90 collisions · 146 casualties · 2 fatal · 16 serious
Severe Blackspot
#6
J15
73 collisions · 113 casualties · 2 fatal · 12 serious
Severe Blackspot
🔍 See the full M40 collision blackspot map →

🛒 Journey Essentials

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📰 M40 traffic news, updates and closures

This is the M40 traffic news page from UK Traffic Updates: M40 traffic now, for the whole road from London (M25 J16) to Birmingham (M42). Every crash, breakdown, lane closure, delay and roadworks National Highways report for the M40 is listed at the top, checked every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, with the worst on the sign and where it is: the nearest towns and the county.

National Highways has closed its Traffic England website, so the live M40 information people used to check there is here in one place: today's M40 incidents, M40 closures tonight from their daily closure report, M40 roadworks, M40 accidents today, the junction-by-junction status and a live map. Our M40 traffic videos show what it looks like on the road, and drivers can report what they see as it happens.

Want M40 traffic updates sent to you? Pick the free daily road summary or Early Warning alerts for the roads you drive. For every other motorway and A-road, see live UK traffic now.

❓ M40 Traffic — Frequently Asked Questions

Is the M40 closed today?

Any M40 closure appears in the live feed above within minutes of National Highways reporting it, including tonight's overnight roadworks closures.

Is there traffic on the M40 today?

The live feed above shows every incident, delay, roadwork and overnight closure on the M40, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, from National Highways.

Is there an incident on the M40 right now?

Every live incident on the M40 — police incidents, obstructions, breakdowns, debris, collisions and closures — appears in the live feed above within minutes of National Highways reporting it, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day.

What is the worst time to use the M40?

The M40 is typically busiest during morning rush hour (07:00–09:30) and evening rush hour (16:30–19:30) on weekdays.

Are there roadworks on the M40 right now?

Roadworks and overnight closures on the M40 are listed above and at /traffic/m40/roadworks/, taken from the National Highways daily closure report.

What roads connect to the M40?

The M40 connects to: M25, A40, M42.

Where can I get M40 traffic news and updates?

Right here. This M40 traffic news page shows M40 traffic now: every live incident, delay, closure and roadworks National Highways report, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, with tonight's planned closures, junction-by-junction status and a live map. For M40 traffic updates sent to you, sign up on this page for the free daily road summary or Early Warning alerts for the roads you drive.

Is there an accident on the M40 northbound or southbound today?

Each side has its own live page: the M40 northbound (towards Birmingham) and the M40 southbound (towards High Wycombe) each list every accident, breakdown, closure and roadworks on that carriageway, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, from National Highways. The panel at the top of this page shows both sides at a glance.

How many vehicles use the M40 every day?

Official Department for Transport counts (2025) record 136,403 vehicles a day on the M40's busiest stretch (J1A–J2), 8,242 of them HGVs. The full breakdown and comparison chart are in the traffic statistics section above.

How busy is the M40 compared with other motorways?

The M40 has the 14th busiest motorway stretch in Britain at 136,403 vehicles a day (DfT 2025), behind the M25's 212,636 a day at the top.

What time of day is the M40 worst for incidents?

Measured from 82 incidents recorded on the M40 since February 2026, the riskiest window is 12:00–15:00, when 27% of incidents start. The quietest is 01:00–04:00. Incidents on the M40 typically clear in about 69 minutes.

📊 M40 Status Summary

0
Active incidents
0
Severe/serious
0
Roadworks
12:58
Last updated
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ℹ️ M40 Road Details

Length
87 miles
Junctions
J1–J16
From
London (M25 J16)
To
Birmingham (M42)
Type
Motorway
AM Rush
07:00–09:30
PM Rush
16:30–19:30

📍 Key M40 Locations

High Wycombe Oxford Banbury Warwick Coventry Birmingham

🔗 Roads Connecting to the M40

M25 M25 trafficMeets the M40 at J1A Live → A40 A40 trafficA40 Trunk Road Live → M42 M42 trafficMeets the M40 at J17 Live →

🛣️ M40 Services & Motorway Stops

EX Beaconsfield Services
J2 · Extra · 🔋 EV View → M Oxford (Wheatley) Services
J8A · Moto · 🔋 EV View → M Cherwell Valley Services
J10 · Moto · 🔋 EV · 🏨 View → WB Warwick Services
J12–14 · Welcome Break · 🔋 EV · 🏨 View → All motorway services →

🔗 Related Tools

🛣️My Commute — save your route NEW 🚧M40 Roadworks View → 🕵️Was I Affected? Check → 🔄Route Checker Plan → 📋Incident Archive Browse → 🗺️Live Map View →

📱 Follow M40 traffic updates

Daily M40 incidents, posted across all four channels.

🎵 TikTok 35,000+ › ▶️ YouTube 2,000+ › 📸 Instagram 1,500+ › 📢Report an incident›

Junction

DfT STATS19 police collision records

0
Collisions
0
Fatal
0
Serious
0
Slight
🔍 Full blackspot map →
Beat the jam

Know before you go on M40

Set it up once. We'll tell you what's happening while you can still turn off.

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🚛 Car recovery along the M40

Broken down on the M40? Pick the nearest town and call a local firm direct:

On a motorway? If you can, get onto the hard shoulder or into an emergency area, leave by the left-hand doors and wait behind the barrier. Stuck in a live lane: stay in the car with your seatbelt on and hazard lights on, and call 999.

🆘 Send one free requestAll breakdown services