M6 Toll to Drayton Manor
T3 (Lichfield south) is the closest M6 Toll junction to Drayton Manor theme park. Around 6 miles from exit to car park. The 2-zone toll for a car is £9.10 contactless or £8.00 on Breeze, whether you join from the south at T1 or from the north at T8.
Route at a glance
| Origin | Route on the toll | Car toll | Distance after exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEC / M42 J9 | T1 (Coleshill) to T3 (Lichfield south) | £9.10 | around 6 miles via A4091 |
| Sutton Coldfield | T2 (Bassetts Pole) to T3 (Lichfield south) | £6.70 (1 zone) | around 6 miles via A4091 |
| Stafford / M6 north | T8 (M6 J11a) to T3 (Lichfield south) | £9.10 | around 6 miles via A5 east |
| London / M40 / M42 | M42 J9 then T1 to T3 | £9.10 | around 6 miles via A4091 |
The peak-Saturday case for the toll
On a sunny Saturday in school holidays, the M6 northbound through Spaghetti Junction routinely takes 90 minutes from M5 J8 to M6 J6. The M6 Toll covers the same span in 22 minutes. For a family arriving from the south, the maths is brutal:
- Toll cost: £9.10 for the 2-zone T1-to-T3 segment.
- Time saved versus the free M6: 60 to 90 minutes on a peak Saturday.
- Effective cost per hour saved: under £10, less than any park ride upgrade.
- Bonus: arriving stress-free in time for the 10:00 park opening rather than 11:30.
If you are coming back on the same day
Return-leg traffic on a summer Saturday is the same story in reverse. Park empties from 17:00 onwards and the A38 / A4091 traffic merges with M6 evening flow at exactly the wrong time. Paying the toll southbound (another £9.10 for T3 to T1) is the cleanest way home for any family heading south.
Round-trip toll for a Drayton Manor family from the south: £18.20 contactless, or £16.00 on Breeze. Easy money for a day-trip-saving 2 hours of motorway crawl avoided.