Pothole claims up 90% in three years, says RAC
Claims for pothole compensation to councils in Britain have risen by 90% between 2021 and 2024, according to analysis by motoring group RAC.
The study also found that only a quarter of claims made by drivers in 2024 will result in payment.
However, the RAC noted that the number of claims fell in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said “ever-increasing pressure” on budgets was affecting councils’ ability to repair roads, while the Department for Transport said the government was spending £7.3 billion on improving road surfaces over the next four years.
Potholes have become a big problem for many drivers. Repair bills can be expensive and They can also cause injuries to passengers, cyclists or pedestrians.
The RAC said the data it analyzed showed 53,015 compensation claims were made to 177 local authorities in 2024.
This was up from 27,731 in 2021, but marked a decrease from the 56,655 seen in 2023.
Only 26% of claims resulted in payment in 2024, with claimants receiving an average payment of £390.
The RAC estimates a typical repair bill for a family car with damage worse than a pothole explosion is £590.
Potholes can damage shock absorbers and suspension springs and also distort the wheels.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams told the BBC: “Councils appear to have a variety of different criteria for what they classify as potholes.
“They usually need to be four centimeters deep and many centimeters wide.
“If you hit one, it could cause a real jolt and serious damage to the vehicle… not only does it damage vehicles, but it also poses a serious road safety hazard, especially on two wheels.”
RAC notified 207 municipalities about pothole compensation claims. Of the 177 who responded, Derbyshire County Council saw the largest increase in applications from 224 to 3,307 over the three-year period.
But Derbyshire councilor Charlotte Hill, the council’s cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport, said claims had fallen by 72% since May 2025.
He told the BBC: “Going forward, Derbyshire’s motorways could become more proactive rather than reactive and look to carry out repairs before they become a problem for residents.”
Glasgow City Council and Oxfordshire County Council saw the next largest increases between 2021 and 2024.
Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport management, Andrew Gant, said in a statement that “the emphasis should be on maintenance work to prevent potholes from forming in the first place, which is much more cost-effective than repairing them later.”
“That is why we have invested around £14.5 million since 2024 in the largest surfacing programs we have run for at least 20 years.”
Surface coating is a protection process that aims to prevent the formation of potholes.
The BBC has contacted Glasgow City Council for comment.
A Department for Transport spokesman said the government would invest £7.3bn to help councils resurface roads over the next four years.
“This will turn the tide on years of underinvestment in our road network, allowing local authorities to move away from expensive, short-term repairs and invest in proactive maintenance and prevent potholes from forming in the first place,” they said.
A Local Government Association spokesman said “increasing pressure on budgets” for road maintenance is affecting their ability to do as much of it as they would like.
“New funding for roads will help turn the tide on the gradual decline of local roads, but it will take time for this to shift from reactively filling potholes as required by pothole compensation laws to a more proactive, sustainable approach.”
