Britain’s pothole crisis is costing motorists billions of pounds every year, with drivers estimated to spend £3.3 billion annually repairing damage caused by the country’s increasingly poor roads.
There are thought to be around one million potholes across the UK, according to industry estimates, and an unlucky driver who hits one can be left with an average repair bill of £341.
Damage can range from blown tyres and wheel problems to suspension damage and tracking issues.
But the risk of being caught out by a pothole varies significantly depending on where you live.
Research by Censuswide for Close Brothers Motor Finance found that motorists in the West Midlands are most likely to report pothole-related vehicle damage, while drivers in Greater London face the highest average repair costs.
West Midlands drivers face the biggest pothole risk
The West Midlands tops the regional table, with 33 per cent of motorists saying their vehicle had been damaged by a pothole in the previous year.
The average repair bill was £350.
The region includes major cities such as Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, meaning millions of drivers are potentially exposed to damaged road surfaces on a daily basis.
The North East came second, with 26 per cent of motorists reporting pothole damage. Repairs in the region cost an average of £325.
Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland are among the major locations covered by the region.
North West drivers also facing costly repairs
The North West and Wales both recorded a pothole damage rate of 25 per cent.
However, the cost of putting things right was very different.
Drivers in the North West faced an average repair bill of £362, making it the second-most expensive region for pothole damage.
The region includes Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster.
In Wales, meanwhile, the average repair cost was just £238 - the lowest figure recorded in the study.
London has the highest repair bills
Although Greater London did not have the highest proportion of drivers reporting pothole damage, it had by far the highest average repair cost.
Around 24 per cent of motorists in the capital said their vehicle had been damaged by a pothole.
For those affected, the average repair bill was a hefty £512.
That is more than twice the average cost recorded in Wales.
The East of England was close behind the North West, with motorists facing average repair costs of £361. Around 19 per cent of drivers reported pothole damage.
The region includes areas such as Cambridge, Norwich and St Albans.
Potholes are becoming a major concern for drivers
The financial cost is only part of the problem.
Separate consumer research found that 27 per cent of motorists now rank potholes among their biggest concerns when owning and driving a vehicle.
John Cassidy, managing director at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said the condition of Britain's roads had developed into a much wider financial issue for motorists.
He said: “The state of Britain's roads has escalated from a minor driving inconvenience into a multi-billion-pound crisis that is hitting motorists directly in the pocket.”
Cassidy added that an unexpected £341 repair bill could cause significant financial pressure at a time when drivers were already dealing with rising insurance and motoring costs.
He called for continued government support and better resources for local councils to tackle the problem.
Road maintenance backlog continues to grow
Road campaigner Mark Morrell, better known as Mr Pothole, said the scale of the problem was even greater than the latest repair figures suggest.
He said motorists are paying £3.3 billion every year for damage caused by deteriorating roads, while the road maintenance backlog has reached £18.6 billion.
According to Morrell, the backlog is increasing by around £1.22 billion every year.
He also claimed that only one in four motorists successfully recover the cost of repairs after their vehicle is damaged by a pothole.
Morrell called for a ring-fenced, index-linked £4 billion annual resurfacing programme, alongside existing road maintenance funding.
He said the current approach was failing to prevent roads from deteriorating further.
AA deals with thousands of pothole breakdowns
Potholes are also a major issue for the AA, with 96 per cent of its members identifying them as their number one transport concern.
Last year, the breakdown organisation dealt with 613,638 pothole-related callouts.
That works out at an average of around 1,681 callouts every day.
AA president Edmund King warned that potholes remain a serious problem even outside the traditional winter period.
He said: “Even though we associate potholes with rain, snow and wintertime, there are still thousands of miles of road this summer in need of urgent repairs.”
King also highlighted the particular danger potholes pose to motorcyclists and cyclists.
He called for councils to focus on permanent repairs rather than repeatedly filling individual potholes.
Pothole damage by UK region
The research shows a significant difference in both the number of motorists reporting damage and the average cost of repairs.
| Region | Drivers reporting damage | Average repair cost |
| East Midlands | 22% | £339 |
| East of England | 19% | £361 |
| Greater London | 24% | £512 |
| North East | 26% | £325 |
| North West | 25% | £362 |
| Northern Ireland | 18% | £313 |
| Scotland | 13% | £257 |
| South East | 23% | £242 |
| South West | 24% | £326 |
| Wales | 25% | £238 |
| West Midlands | 33% | £350 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 20% | £280 |
The West Midlands has the highest proportion of motorists reporting pothole damage, while Greater London has the highest average repair bill.
At the other end of the scale, Scotland recorded the lowest proportion of drivers reporting damage at 13 per cent, while Wales had the lowest average repair cost at £238.
How to claim for pothole damage
If your vehicle has been damaged after hitting a pothole, you may be able to claim compensation from the authority responsible for maintaining the road.
However, you will need evidence to support your claim.
Start by taking clear photographs of the pothole and the damage to your vehicle. Try to capture the location and surrounding road so the exact position of the defect can be identified.
You should also report the pothole to the relevant local authority and make sure you understand its claims process. The authority responsible for the road can vary, so it is important to check before submitting your claim.
When getting your vehicle repaired, keep all invoices and receipts. These can be used to demonstrate the cost of the damage.
It can also strengthen your case if your mechanic provides written confirmation that the damage is consistent with hitting a pothole.
Drivers should also record as much information as possible about the incident, including the date, time, exact location and circumstances in which the damage occurred.
Importantly, there is no simple guarantee that a pothole claim will be successful. Liability can depend on factors including whether the road authority knew, or should reasonably have known, about the defect and whether it had followed its inspection and maintenance procedures.
So, if you do suffer damage, keeping detailed evidence from the outset is essential.