Potholes And Your Car: Where Things Stand In 2026

Last checked 31 August 2026

A few years ago this page reported some good news: RAC patrols were attending fewer pothole-related breakdowns than they had in years. That did not last. The trend has reversed, and 2026 has been worse again.

The Numbers

RAC patrols attended 26,048 pothole-related breakdowns in 2025 — about 71 a day, and 15% more than in 2024.
The RAC Pothole Index puts drivers at roughly 1.55 times more likely to suffer a pothole-related breakdown than in 2006, when the index started.
A wet start to 2026 made it sharply worse: February 2026 alone produced more than six thousand pothole reports to the RAC, several times the daily average for 2025, with water hiding the holes until drivers were in them.
In an RAC survey, 47% of drivers named local road condition as their top motoring concern, and 59% said the roads near them were worse than a year before.

Sources: RAC media releases, October 2025, February 2026 and March 2026.

The Backlog Is Getting Bigger, Not Smaller

The annual ALARM survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance is the standard measure of the state of local roads in England and Wales. The March 2026 edition found:

A record £18.62 billion needed to bring local roads up to scratch — up almost 11% on the previous year.
12 years to clear the backlog at current rates.
1.9 million potholes filled in the year, more than 5,200 a day, at around £78 each.
Around 16% of the network — some 32,500 miles — has under five years of structural life left.

Councils are not idle: maintenance budgets rose around 17% on average, and slightly more of the network is rated as being in good condition. The problem is that the network is deteriorating faster than the money is arriving.

What The Government Is Doing

In April 2026 the government confirmed £1.6 billion for local road maintenance in England, within a wider £7.3 billion commitment across this Parliament. New this time: £525 million of it is held back until councils prove they are spending it properly. Councils must publish reports showing the money goes to road maintenance, set out long-term maintenance plans and demonstrate improved training — and those that cannot risk losing roughly a third of their allocation.

The Department for Transport puts the cost of pothole damage at around £500 a year for the average driver in avoidable repairs.

What Potholes Actually Break

Not, usually, the tyre. The most common pothole casualty in RAC callout data is the suspension spring, followed by shock absorbers, distorted wheels and punctures. A repair beyond a simple puncture typically runs to a few hundred pounds and the RAC quotes figures of up to around £590.

Two practical points follow. Roadside assistance will get you moving if it is a tyre; suspension damage is a recovery job, because spring and tracking work cannot be done at the kerbside. And check your tyres afterwards even if the car seems fine — a sidewall bulge from a pothole impact can fail days later.

Reporting A Pothole

Report local roads to the council, either through its own website or via FixMyStreet. Motorways and major A-roads in England go to National Highways on 0300 123 5000; Traffic Scotland, DfI Roads and Transport for London cover their own networks. Reporting matters beyond the immediate repair, because a council that has been told about a defect loses the defence that it did not know.

Claiming For The Damage

You can claim against the highway authority, but be realistic. RAC analysis of 2024 claims found just 26% of pothole claims were paid — 13,832 out of 53,015 — with an average payout of about £390, and 172 councils rejecting more than nine in ten of the claims they received. Analysis by value paints a bleaker picture still.

The reason is the Section 58 defence under the Highways Act 1980: a council is not liable if it can show it had a reasonable inspection and maintenance regime and neither knew nor should have known about the defect. That defence is not automatic, though, and it can be challenged.

If you are going to claim, do it properly. Photograph the pothole with something for scale and note the exact location. Keep the repair invoice. Then use a Freedom of Information request to ask the council when that road was last inspected and whether the defect had been reported before. If it had been, the Section 58 defence weakens considerably. Expect the process to take anywhere from a month to most of a year.