Are you a pothole reporter or a pothole ignorer?

40% have never reported a pothole before but 22% have reported more than six times (ALA, 2026). Not reporting potholes not only increases the risk to road users but leaves little grounds to claim compensation from the council.

The pothole problem in the UK

Most Brits (90%) said that the pothole problem is getting worse in the UK. There has been a record backlog of pothole repairs. However, the total repair cost also rose by 1.8bn last year so, the problem is not soley down to a lack of investment.

Potholes get worse every winter and the winter just gone (2025/26) was the wettest in a decade. Patch and dash repairs are also more prone to recurring damage because roads are the weakest where two different materials meet.

Drivers encounter potholes as frequently as every 15 seconds in the UK with B roads being the worst culprits. There are on average 6 potholes every mile in the UK. This will mean that on average drivers encounter a pothole very regularly. You are likely to encounter a pothole every 28 seconds on M, A and B roads, but as often as every 15 seconds for unclassified roads. The speed you travel over a pothole can largely determine its impact, at motorway speed, the car’s forward momentum helps the wheels skip over the pothole, whereas slower speeds (between 25-50mph) can actually be more damaging.

What should you do about them?

Drivers will all know the impact of driving on pothole-filled road surfaces. You can swerve around them, risking moving into the path of oncoming traffic or a cyclist or risk damage to your car from the pothole itself.

It costs the council around £70 to repair a pothole, and the average council pothole-related payout is £390; and with the possibility there could be several victims from the same hole, compounding the costs incurred by drivers. Leaving potholes unreported creates more opportunities for damage.

According to the money-saving expert, you can only claim on pothole-related damages if the council were made aware of the pothole, it has caused serious risks or damages, or there has been a delay in repairing the road.

The best thing to do is report potholes that you encounter but this is easier said than done for several reasons:

1. You can’t report potholes as you drive, and it can be difficult to pinpoint them after the fact.

2. Stopping and getting out of your car to report a pothole adds time to your journey and it may not be practical or safe to stop.

3. You might assume that someone else has already reported the pothole, but there are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of unreported potholes waiting to damage a car or cause an accident.

4. You might even think there is no use in reporting potholes but this leaves you unable to claim if damage occurs.

5. You may not know how to report potholes

We asked British drivers how often they report potholes and 40% said they have never submitted a report (ALA, 2026) and may not know how. Of those who had reported at least one pothole, the most common answer was that they had reported one more than six times.

Despite our entire cohort reporting that potholes are getting worse or at best, staying the same, only 1/5 frequently report the problem. And it’s road users that ultimately pay the price when councils aren’t made aware.

What are the council’s obligations and when can you claim?

While there are no nationwide agreements on pothole repair timelines, Buckinghamshire Council outlines how they are categorised, what action should be taken and by when. Emergency (cat 1a) should be repaired within hours, serious risk (cat 1/1b), should be made safe within a day. High risk, medium risk and low risk (all cat 2) should be repaired in a timely manner (usually 7-30 days).

With this in mind, it is important to report potholes that have the following criteria as the council has an obligation to make them safe:

Edge-of-carriageway defects are usually prioritised as they deteriorate more quickly and pose major risks to cyclists.

If your car does get damaged by a pothole, there are certain cases where you can claim for these damages.

1. If the pothole was dangerous: size, location, road speed and traffic volume may determine this

2. The pothole directly caused damage: often potholes can indirectly cause damage, this is harder to prove.

3. The council knew about the problem, or should have known (the pothole was reported).

4. The council failed to act within a reasonable timescale (major defects in dangerous locations should be resolved within a week).

The consequences of not reporting potholes

Damage to your car or bike from hitting or swerving to avoid a pothole can result in an expensive repair if it isn’t covered by your car insurance. But potholes also pose dangerous hazards, particularly to vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists and cyclists.

Potholes most frequently damage tyres (45%), suspension (26%), alloys (24%) and wheel alignment (18%) but other secondary or indirect damages can occur to a wide range of components such as oil pans, exhaust systems, casings and more.

The ultimate pothole protection checklist

When you don’t report potholes, there is little recourse for claiming compensation from your local council as they can’t be expected to act on a problem that has not been highlighted. In case your car does get damaged by an unreported pothole, it is best to be armed with the following:

1. A photograph of the pothole with something to indicate scale

2. Record the exact location

3. Photos of damage or a diagnosis

4. Repair invoices

5. Pothole report history on the council website, FixMyStreet, or Fill That Hole.

6. (prove the council were made aware and make a note of when the first report was made).

7. If the case was closed, request what action was taken/decision was made

8. Familiarise yourself with cat 1 pothole defects so you can understand whether the council have acted reasonably.

9. Have tyre and alloy wheel insurance to cover the cost of the most common pothole damages.

10.  Use an extended warranty to help cover sudden mechanical or electrical failures that may have indirectly resulted from a pothole.

11.  Have cycle insurance