Drivers issued warning as potholes reports rise by 20% leading to £470 breakdown costs
New data revealed by the RAC has laid bear the scale of Britain's pothole problem
Car breakdowns are on the rise, as new data has revealed that those caused by potholes have risen by a staggering 20% in 2025 alone.
In 2024, 7,900 drivers called the RAC between January and March after their car took damage from running over a pothole.
In 2025, that number has jumped to 9,400, or a 20% rise in cases recorded by the car insurance company.
Read more: Martin Lewis lists 'top' 12 Cash ISAs ahead of limits cut
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Our pothole-related breakdown data is a very clear reflection of the true state of the UK’s roads, and it sadly shows the pothole plague is as prevalent as ever.”
On average, repair bills for running over potholes set drivers back £470, with the usual damaged being diagnosed as blown tyres, broken suspension and faulty steering.
A spokesman for the Department for Transport added: “The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing a quarter of our record funding boost.”
The UK's pothole problem is well known, with an estimated 6 potholes per mile on council-controlled roads across England and Wales.
It's resulted in the government announcing that authorities in England will start to receive their share of the government's record £1.6 billion highway maintenance funding.
Last month, the government confirmed an additional £500 million boost to this fund, which is estimated to fill 7 million potholes a year.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said: "The broken roads we inherited are not only risking lives but also cost working families, drivers and businesses hundreds – if not thousands of pounds – in avoidable vehicle repairs.
"Fixing the basic infrastructure this country relies on is central to delivering national renewal, improving living standards and securing Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.
"Not only are we investing an additional £4.8 billion to deliver vital road schemes and maintain major roads across the country to get Britain moving, next month we start handing councils a record £1.6 billion to repair roads and fill millions of potholes across the country.
"British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us.
"We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities."