The route taking driverson a whistle-stop tour past Thirsk, Northallerton and Teesside may not give Route 66 a run for its money but the humble A19 has been named Britain’s best road.

Drivers got their kicks from Doncasterin South Yorkshire to Seaton Burn, six miles north of Newcastle, as the route claimed top spot in wide-ranging research by independent watchdog Transport Focus.

In its Strategic Road Users Survey, 9,000 regular travellers were asked to rank the road network managed by National Highways, which carried 95.8 billion vehicle miles of traffic in 2023, up 2.3% on 2022.

The A19 was given the top spot with the highest overall satisfaction at 85%. Fans said its historic destinations and reputation as the little brother of the A1 is part of its charm. York Civic Trust pointed out that it directly connects three places with important Roman origins, Newcastle, York and Doncaster.

The A19 near Northallerton (

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But they added: “The A19, as a 124-mile road, is actually quite new, and much younger than its big brother, the A1, that it runs parallel with, and was part of the Great North Road. Being a less well-known road to drivers can be an advantage, as many view it as less busy and with fewer traffic jams than the A1(M).”

Potholes are a complaint for drivers across England, but the A19 won praise for its “clear road, decent surface, and good markings”. It improved from last year’s score of 77% and climbed six places.

Alex Robertson, Transport Focus boss, said the poll showed “the maintenance of roads is more important to users than building new roads”. He added: “With road user perceptions of road surface quality deteriorating since 2022 and declining satisfaction with journey times, National Highways must focus on delivering safe, smooth journeys.”

The M25 area was judged the worst region, though the M42 was deemed to be the worst motorway. The South West was the most popular region with drivers.

Top 10

A19 (Doncaster to Seaton Burn)

M40 (London to Oxford)

M4 (London to south Wales)

M5 (Birmingham to Exeter)

A1(M) (Sections between London and Edinburgh)

A38 (Bodmin to Mansfield)

A46 (Bath to Cleethorpes)

M56 (Manchester to Dunkirk, Cheshire)

A30 (London to Land’s End)

M3 (Sunbury-on-Thames to Chilworth)