Guide to Exeter services

If you're heading deep into the South West, you'll need to get round Exeter. That's why Exeter services, positioned on the bypass, has become an important part of the 'staycation' experience. It's a completely different place during the holiday season - but at least it means you're nearly there.

Facilities

Catering: Burger King, Chow, Costa Coffee, Greggs, KFC, Pret A Manger, West Cornwall Pasty Co., Costa Drive Thru, Costa Express, f'real Milkshakes, Krispy Kreme, M&S Coffee to Go, Tango Ice Blast Shops: M&S Simply Food, WHSmith Amenities: Travelodge, &Play, Changing Places, Revolution Laundry, Showers Outdoor Space: Large grass bank by building entrance Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 350kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2; Tesla Supercharger 250kW Forecourt: BP, Shop, Costa Express, Jet Wash

Parking Prices

First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £29. HGVs can pay £32 to include a £10 food voucher.

Prices are paid in the shop or by using JustPark. The location code is 625126.

HGVs can also pay by using SNAP. The location code is 13488.

The fees are strictly enforced by GroupNexus.

This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.

Contact Details

Trivia and Design

See also: History:Exeter

Firstly, Exeter is the most southern motorway service station in the UK, and it's also England's most western.

The route into the car park from the M5 southbound involves passing through eight sets of traffic lights. That's more traffic lights than you'll find at any other motorway service area, and enough to leave a lasting impression on your holiday.

It has the unusual challenge that its custom levels increase rapidly during the holiday season, where its car park and facilities quickly move from being slightly quiet to very overloaded. Despite it being such a busy site, there is still a large grass area which is used for picnics and dog walking, though it's probably too steep to be built over.

Not Moving

An early draft of the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan, dated 2020, proposed closing Exeter services. It argued that the area is too congested and that the land is needed for housing. Land next to the M5 close to Poltimore House was recommended as the site for a new, replacement, service area. This proposal was supposedly stopped in October 2024, after numerous councillors opposed the new location, calling it "a disaster". However, East Devon District Council's final report merely said that the new location wasn't needed yet, and that the topic would have to be revisited should Exeter services ever plan to close.

Recent Changes

Exeter City Council's vision came in spite of considerable investment in Exeter services.

During Autumn 2021, Moto commenced a major refurbishment scheme here with a KFC opening on 6 December 2021 in the former Arlo's unit and the closure of the Costa and West Cornwall Pasty Co units inside the foyer to make way for a Pret A Manger unit, which opened on 10 January 2022. Moto also refurbished the toilets and showers in Spring 2022. West Cornwall Pasty later made a return to the site in late March 2023 in a new external unit which utilises an old shipping container. The unit reopened on 31 March 2023 and was opened by The Services King.

A new 24-bay GRIDSERVE electric vehicle charging hub opened here in March 2022. 12 Tesla Superchargers were also later added in December 2022 making this the current largest motorway 'superhub' in the UK. Meanwhile, Western Power Distribution unveiled a £1million project to increase site's electric capacity, which they call 'Take Charge'. They say it will eventually allow an extra 80 chargers to use a total of 12,000kW of energy, via prefabricated substations. The equipment will be trialled throughout 2023. With a total of 56 chargers live by December 2023, Moto claimed it was now the UK's largest charging point, a title it held until August 2024.

The disused Ladbrokes building is now used by Arnold Clark, as a car hire collection facility. Another disused unit next to the former Ladbrokes building was used by Phone Tech for a short while over winter 2022, but they have since closed.

Following the refurbishments, Exeter received Moto's new branding in early 2024. GRIDSERVE are now seeking to build nine eHGV charging points; one of the first such setups in the UK.

Alternatives

Visitor Feedback

Visitors can leave public feedback on their experience by logging into the CommentBox app. You can do so quickly below:

Views expressed in these comments are those of the individual contributor. User accounts are managed by CommentBox.io. Registration helps prevent automated spam.
We ask the companies named to check here, but we can't force them to do so.

Main Page | Photo Gallery | Location, Map and Directions