Thurrock Services is operated by Moto and sits just off Junction 30 of the M25, right beside the Lakeside shopping centre.
It is the last junction before the Dartford Crossing so if you are stopping here it is a good moment to pay the Dart Charge if you need to
Location
On paper Thurrock is barely a mile from the motorway, but it doesn’t feel like it. You come off at Junction 30 onto the A13 roundabouts and then wind your way round past the retail parks before you reach the site. If you are watching the clock it is a longer detour than the map suggests, and coming back out to rejoin the M25 takes a few minutes more.
Once you have parked there is another walk to do. The main building is reached by a long ramped walkway above the car park, which is fine on a dry day but less welcome in the rain with children in tow.
Facilities
Inside there is a decent spread for a stop of this size. Thurrock has an M&S Simply Food, Costa Coffee, Burger King, Greggs and a KFC, arranged around a large tiled central concourse with plenty of seating.
Fuel on site is Esso. There is a large bank of Gridserve Electric Highway chargers in Moto livery, signed as Medium Power bays, plus a Tesla Supercharger post in the same area.
The lorry park is the thing that really stands out. Thurrock has a huge HGV area, which makes sense given the Dartford Crossing is just down the road, and it is overlooked by an enormous digital advertising screen that is hard to miss from the walkway.
Interesting Features
Thurrock is the rare motorway stop where the best food option is not actually in the services. The Lakeside retail park next door has a McDonald’s, and if you are already this far off the motorway it is no great extra effort to get to it. Be warned though, it serves the shopping centre as much as the motorway and it can get very busy at peak times, so you may not save yourself anything.
The same goes for the rest of Lakeside. If you need more than a coffee and a sandwich, the retail park is an alternative that most drivers pass straight by.
Thurrock Services Overall Rating
Thurrock gets 6/10. The range of food is good and the EV provision is genuinely strong, but the detour off the motorway and the walk in from the car park cost it. It does feel a bit tired
Alternative Places to Stop
If you are in a car and all you need is fuel, Junction 28 is the better call. It is much closer to the motorway and you will be back on the M25 far quicker. Junction 29 at Upminster is also worth a look if you are coming round anticlockwise.
If you are continuing round the M25 Southbound then Clackett Lane is the better service option