Drivers face rising repair bills as pothole damage hits £1.8bn

Pothole damage has cost UK drivers a record £1.8bn over the past 12 months, according to the latest Pothole Impact Tracker report from Kwik Fit.

The research found that 12.8 million drivers experienced vehicle damage after hitting potholes, with an average repair bill of £137.40.

This marks the highest annual total recorded since Kwik Fit began tracking the data in 2013, surpassing the previous peak of £1.7bn in 2022.

The study also found that road conditions are influencing vehicle purchasing decisions, with 2.5 million drivers saying they had opted for a larger or more robust car, such as an SUV, due to the state of local roads.

In addition, 5% of motorists said they had changed their wheel or tyre size to better cope with pothole impacts.

Tyres were the most commonly affected component, accounting for 56% of damage cases, followed by wheels at 32% and suspension components at 24%.

One in eight drivers, at 12%, said the damage was severe enough to require recovery by a breakdown vehicle.

Dan Joyce, operations director at Kwik Fit, said: “Our annual PIT report shows that the situation is the worst it has been since we started monitoring the cost of damage. The fact that many drivers are changing their decisions on which type of car to buy based on their local road surface shows how important this issue is.