Average pothole-related repair costs 'hit record high' as craters trigger issues with car tech as well as punctures

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Britain's motorists are having to fork out on record-high vehicle repair bills to fix damage to their cars caused after driving through potholes, says a new report.

The research suggests bills jumped in 2024 with the nation's motorists faced with an estimated £1.7billion outlay to get their cars back on the road.

The average repair bill for pothole-triggered problems surged to £144 in 2024, according to Kwik Fit's annual Pothole Impact Tracker (PIT) report. This is up from £120 in both 2022 and 2023.

However, over a million drivers are said to have faced pothole-related repair costs of more than £300 as the litany of craters on our highways and streets is not just causing punctures, cracked wheels and broken suspension components but also tempering technology fitted to modern motors.

With advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) now common features in modern cars, potholes are having a knock-on effect on these too. 

A third of cars repaired last year also needed at least ADAS feature to be recalibrated, adding further costs, Kwik Fit said. 

Britain's motorists are having to fork out on record-high vehicle repair bills to fix damage to their cars caused after driving through potholes, says a new report

The claims come on the eve of the release of the industry's yearly state of the road report.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) will publish its Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey findings on Tuesday, which is likely to expose the woeful condition of our network.

Kwik Fit's PIT Report is based on feedback from 2,000 UK drivers in a poll - not the company's own repair bill data from cars it repaired in 2024.

It includes drivers who have been recovered at the roadside after clobbering a pothole as well as those who have been able to drive to a garage despite the mechanical problems. 

Unsurprisingly, punctured and damaged tyres were the most common issue relating to pothole damage, occurring in 38 per cent of cases. This is followed by snapped and ruptured suspension components (28 per cent) and broken wheels (22 per cent). 

Almost half of drivers who said they had their car repaired after driving though a crater also said they had to pay extra for wheel alignment after the collision with the pothole triggered tracking issues with the steering.

The average repair bill for pothole-triggered problems surged to £144 in 2024, according to Kwik Fit's annual Pothole Impact Tracker report. This is up from £120 in both 2022 and 2023

With ADAS featuring in most modern cars, potholes are having a knock-on effect on these too. A third of cars repaired last year also needed at least ADAS feature to be recalibrated

Some ADAS features, especially those using cameras like adaptive cruise control, may require calibration after certain repairs, including windscreen replacements

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Some 34 per cent said thumping through a pothole had caused ADAS gremlins.

Different types of ADAS include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind spot detection, lane departure warning and lane assist, and automatic parking assist.

Some ADAS features, like those using cameras, may require calibration after certain repairs, including windscreen replacements. 

Dan Joyce, operations director at Kwik Fit, said: 'Anything which adds unnecessary costs to motorists is especially unwelcome in the current economic climate but even the financial burden is outweighed by the risk to safety.

'The main components which bear the bulk of the damage – tyres and wheels, suspension and steering - are interlinked. 

'Even if a car is driveable after hitting a pothole, the impact may have compromised its handling, as can be seen by the fact that many drivers have had to have vital ADAS technology recalibrated. 

'Not only do potholes present an immediate risk at the time of impact but they can have a longer-term effect on its safety on the road.'

Infuriatingly for drivers, most had to dip into their own pockets to pay for these unwanted and avoidable repair bills, they told the garage company.

Just six per cent surveyed said they had successfully claimed compensation from the local authority responsible for the road - or from National Highways, which overseas motorways and major trunk routes.

Seven in ten said they had to fork out for the repairs.

One in six told Kwik Fit they claimed for the repair costs on their car insurance, while 7 per cent said they were covered by separate tyre insurance policies, which have grown in popularity in recent years as the station of the nation's roads worsens.

The claims come on the eve of the release of the AIA's yearly state of the road report. Its findings will be published on Tuesday and likely showcase the woeful condition of our network

Last year's Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance report showed an estimated road repair bill at a record £16.3bn as it said our crumbling local routes were at 'breaking point'

The findings have been published just hours before the AIA releases its in-depth ALARM report, which is expected to confirm an increase to the backlog of road repairs required in England and Wales.

Its 2024 report showed an estimated road repair bill at a record £16.3billion as it said our crumbling local routes were at 'breaking point'.

It added that the cost to put Britain's roads right had jumped by £2billion (16 per cent) in 12 months, with one in every ten miles of local roads having surfaces in a 'poor' condition. This equates to around 22,300 miles.

But even more worrying, over 107,000 miles of local roads – 53 per cent – have deeper structural problems and risk crumbling completely if not re-built within 15 years.

It concluded that road repairs carried out flat out across England and Wales would take 11 years to complete due to the dilapidated condition. 

Half of drivers told Kwik Fit they believe that the roads in their area are in a worse condition than they were 12 months earlier, with only 16 per cent thinking they are better. 

Three in five said they don't expect the roads in their local area to improve in the near future, despite fresh pothole repair funding announced by the government.

The 2025 Kwik Fit PIT Report is the company's tenth annual poll regarding pothole repair costs.