RAC analysis shows the number of pothole compensation claims has doubled in a year and 20,432 claims have been submitted to 18 councils in 2023, compared to 8,327 the previous year.
The largest increase in claims was by Surrey council which rose from 734 to 3,418 and Gloucestershire local authority saw the highest amount of refusals on claims by 98%.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “These findings are a stark reminder that the ongoing poor condition of many of the UK’s local roads is burning holes in the budgets of both local authorities and drivers.
While some councils appeared to prioritise paying legal fees over settling pothole claims, the cost in time and money of defending claims appears to far outweigh the expense of reimbursing drivers for the damage done to their vehicle in the first place.
“Even if a driver successfully pursued compensation, the average sum paid out of £260 is often well below the cost to fix a pothole-damaged car, for anything more serious than a punctured tyre.
“We strongly urge drivers to inform councils about any potholes they are aware of, either via the RAC’s website or using the free Stan app which collects data on the state of UK roads.”
Williams added, “It’s vital that this money is used by councils not to merely fill potholes, but to carry out preventative maintenance – through surface dressing roads at regular intervals to stop roads falling apart in the first place.
“Roads that are beyond reasonable repair should be resurfaced.”
Adam Hug, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “Instead of paying for costly compensation claims, councils much prefer to use their budgets to keep our roads in a good condition, in turn reducing the risk of damage to vehicles and personal injuries.
“However, this has become increasingly challenging, with an estimated and growing £16.3 billion backlog of repairs to bring all local roads across the country up to scratch.
“Each claim for compensation sent to a council is robustly judged on its own merits and in accordance to the law.
“All councils need greater, longer-term funding certainty so that they can invest in preventative treatments that help avoid more dangerous potholes developing in the first place.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “For too long, this country has suffered from a pothole plague, which is why this Government is taking action by investing a further £500 million for 2025/26.
“For next year, this goes beyond our manifesto commitment to support local leaders to fix up to a million more potholes.
“We want to achieve this in the most cost-efficient way for the taxpayer by providing local authorities with multi-year funding settlements, enabling them to better maintain their roads and avoid potholes in the first place.”
