The M45 is short and quiet, which tempts drivers into a hard shoulder tyre change. It is not safe and we will not do it. Roll on to the A45 roundabout at Dunchurch or back to Watford Gap on the M1. If the car is stranded, ring 999 or National Highways on 0300 123 5000, be recovered off the carriageway, then call us.
Only about eight miles long, the M45 leaves the M1 at J17 and runs west to become the A45 near Dunchurch, linking Rugby and south Coventry to London. There is one numbered junction at the western end and nothing else: no services, no fuel, little traffic and no lighting. The stopping points are Watford Gap on the M1 just south of J17, Dunchurch village, or the retail car parks around Rugby up the A426.
If you can still control the car safely, leave at the next junction or pull into a services. If not, use the hard shoulder or an emergency area rather than a running lane, but never as a place to wait for a fitter: nobody can change a wheel there.
Put your hazards on. If it is safe, get everyone out on the passenger side and behind the barrier; if not, stay in with seatbelts on. Call 999 if you are in a live lane or in danger. Otherwise call the road operator (details below) and get moved to a place of safety. On a smart motorway use an emergency area and the orange SOS phone, and do not rejoin until the signals are set.
Once you are somewhere a van can park beside you, call 07473 720871 with the road, the direction, the nearest junction or marker post and the tyre size. We confirm the price and a realistic time before we set off.
The usual arrival band from our Brent Cross base; we confirm a real time when you call.
| Junction | Serves | Nearest safe stop | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 J17 | M1 for London, Northampton, Leicester and the Catthorpe interchange | Watford Gap services on the M1 between J16 and J17, or Crick village via M1 J18 | Around 2 hours, confirmed before we set off |
| J1 | A45 Dunchurch, Rugby, Coventry; the motorway ends here and continues as the A45 | Dunchurch village car parks or the retail parks in Rugby off the A426 | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
There are no motorway-style services on this road. Use the junction table for the nearest safe stop.
The M45 offers nowhere to stop, so our part starts at Watford Gap on the M1, in Dunchurch village or a Rugby retail park off the A426.
A slow leak from the M1 often becomes obvious on the M45, because the road is straight and a pull to one side is easy to feel. Drive gently to Dunchurch or on into Rugby. There we inspect from the inside: a puncture in the middle band, no wider than 6 mm, is plugged and patched to BS AU 159.
How a mobile puncture repair is done →With so little traffic, a blowout on the M45 is more likely to leave you alone in the dark than stuck in a queue. Hold the car straight, slow gently and get off at J1 if it still rolls. If not, an empty motorway is still live: stand behind the barrier and phone National Highways on 0300 123 5000 for recovery.
What to do after a burst tyre →Spare out, jack in hand, locking key nowhere to be found: an awkward discovery at Watford Gap after a driver has pulled in off the M45 to check a noise. Do not force it with a hammered-on socket. We remove locking nuts with dedicated tools at Watford Gap, in Dunchurch or around Rugby, and can leave a normal set behind.
How locking wheel nuts are removed →Night on the M45 means a dark, unlit motorway with hardly any passing cars, which is when a failed tyre feels most serious. Our phone is answered at any hour, and although Rugby is a long way from Brent Cross we set off once the car is somewhere workable: Watford Gap, open through the night, or a quiet street in Dunchurch.
How our 24 hour tyre service works →Motorway advice follows the Highway Code (motorway rules 253 to 273 and breakdown rules 274 to 287) and National Highways breakdown guidance; repairs follow BS AU 159, the British Standard for tyre repairs.
You leave the M1 at J17 and the pressure warning appears as the M45 straightens out. Nothing on the spur will do, so drive gently to J1, turn into Dunchurch and stop on a quiet side street.
A rear tyre bursts eastbound after the A45 roundabout, no other headlights in sight. Hold it straight, ease off. Still in control, go on to Watford Gap; if not, hard shoulder, behind the barrier, 0300 123 5000.
You pulled into Watford Gap to check a wobble, lifted the spare and realised the locking key is not with the car. Park in the car section and the nut comes off without touching the alloy.
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Written and checked by Hiwad Yarkhil, founder of Rescue Tyres LTD, Unit 9 Adrian Avenue, Brent Cross, London NW2 1LX. Updated 2026-10-08.
Watford Gap one side, Dunchurch and Rugby the other: reach whichever you can and we meet you there.
