‘National scandal’: Britain’s crumbling roads blamed as pothole write-offs soar

Britain’s crumbling road network is leaving many drivers facing soaring repair bills. New data reveals a quarter of cars damaged by potholes have to be written off, with experts now branding UK roads a “national scandal”.

Insurance company Aviva says 25% of all pothole-related damage claims now result in cars being written off, underlining the severity of the impact on motorists. The findings come amid growing warnings that UK roads are deteriorating faster than they are being repaired, leaving drivers to pick up the cost.

Analysis of three years of data from January 2023 to January 2026, Aviva reports that the average pothole claim now stands at £3,863. That’s around 54 times higher than the estimated £72 cost of filling in a pothole, based on the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey Report 2025.

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Damage linked to potholes ranges from punctured tyres and cracked alloys to more serious faults involving suspension systems, wheel alignment, batteries, radiators and bumpers. In some cases, insurers say the damage is so severe that even relatively modern vehicles are deemed uneconomical to repair.

Hannah Pinches, motor claims director at Aviva, said many drivers still underestimate the risk posed by potholes.

“While some damage may be minor or motorists may be unaware it has been caused by a pothole, our data shows the impact potholes can have,” she said. “Even seemingly minor damage could result in a vehicle being written off as the structural or safety integrity of the car has been compromised.”

Pinches also noted that seasonal conditions play a major role, with pothole-related claims often rising in winter when poor visibility and harsh weather mask road defects. In warmer months, expanding and contracting road surfaces can cause cracks to form and worsen rapidly.

“While these may appear minor at first, cracks can quickly weaken the road surface, turning into potholes and cause significant damage to vehicles,” she added.

The issue is not just financial but safety-related too. “As our data shows, motorists may swerve to avoid potholes but this in turn can lead to collisions involving other cars or vulnerable road users,” Pinches explained.

Roadside assistance provider the AA has also warned that potholes are now the “number one transport issue” for the vast majority of drivers, with patrols responding to hundreds of thousands of breakdowns linked to road defects each year.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said Britain risks treating roads as a “periphery issue” when they are fundamental to the economy and everyday life.

“Our country without roads is nothing. 90% of freight goes by road and 80% of passenger journeys are by road,” King said. “If we didn’t have the roads, the country would be at a standstill. There would be no goods in our shops, no exports, and people wouldn’t get to work.”

He added the current approach to maintenance – often described as “patch and run” repairs – is failing, with holes repeatedly reappearing because underlying road surfaces are not properly resurfaced.

Longer-term investment, he argued, would be more cost-effective and reduce both breakdowns and compensation claims.

Motorists, meanwhile, are increasingly questioning the value of the taxes they pay as road conditions worsen according to Rob Cubitt, managing director of used car dealer Cubitt Cars.

“Drivers feel more squeezed than ever. Fuel is up, vehicle tax is up, the cost of everything is up – and yet the roads we are driving on seem to be getting worse. People can’t help but ask: where is all our money going?” he said.

King also argued that while government funding for repairs has reached record levels, it must be delivered more effectively and used in a more coordinated way by local authorities.

“It’s that lack of coordination that is so frustrating,” King explained. “A road gets resurfaced and then the gas or water companies come along and dig it up again. Local authorities have powers they can use, including lane rental systems, but too often they are not used effectively.”

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