M6 Junction 1 – A426 Rugby
Junction 1 of the M6 is where the M6 meets the A426, for Rugby. The nearest town is Rugby, about 2.5 miles to the south, with Lutterworth (4 miles north-east) also close by. Villages right beside the junction include Churchover, Newton and Newbold on Avon.
Roads that meet at or beside this junction: A426. The main road at the junction is the A426.
The M6 begins here, just off junction 19 of the M1 at Catthorpe. For traffic news on the M1, see our sister site M1 Traffic.
From here, the drive north to junction 2 (Coventry) is about 7.4 miles. The M6 runs about 210 miles from here to junction 45 near Gretna.
The nearest motorway services are Rugby services, at J1.
- Junction M6 J1 · Rugby
- Signed for A426 · Rugby (M6 begins at the M1, Junction 19)
- Nearest town Rugby, 2.5 miles south
- Map section Section 1: J1–J4A, Rugby, Coventry and Birmingham
Live traffic at M6 junction 1
The speed strip below shows the M6 from junction 1 to junction 3, both directions, from National Highways’ live data, checked every five minutes.
Live traffic speed flow: M6 Junctions 1 to 3
Untick all three to see just the speeds. We show the important overhead signs and the mandatory speed limits (red ring); see every overhead sign.
Go to our live M6 traffic speed flow map ›
How busy is the M6 at junction 1?
The Department for Transport counts traffic on the stretches either side of this junction. On the stretch it labels J1 to J2 it counted 99,800 vehicles a day in 2025, 19% of them lorries. See how busy the M6 is junction by junction.
| Stretch (DfT label) | All vehicles a day | Lorries | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| J1 to J2 | 99,800 | 19,171 (19.2%) | 8.6 |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport, 2025
Junctions either side
Live traffic news at M6 Junction 1
This is the news for Junction 1 only, not the whole M6. For the rest of the motorway see all the latest M6 traffic news, the overhead signs and the speed limits in force now.
Updated 00:42 Mon 5 Oct 2026