The UK’s ‘pothole plague’ intensified during the summer of 2025, according to the RAC Pothole Index. RAC patrols attended 5,035 pothole-related breakdowns between July and September for issues like broken suspension springs and distorted wheels—a 25% rise compared to the same period in 2024 (4,040).
Over the 12 months ending September 2025, drivers were victims of pothole damage on 25,758 occasions, an 11% rise on the previous year, averaging 71 pothole-related breakdowns a day. The cost of repairs, according to RAC garage data, can be up to £590 for anything more severe than a puncture. A separate survey found drivers spent an average of £320 on pothole-related repairs in 2023-2024.
The problem is pervasive; an FOI request revealed 556,658 potholes were reported in England during the 2021/22 financial year, although the true UK figure is expected to be much higher. Furthermore, 1.4 million potholes were filled in England and Wales between 2022 and 2023, down from 1.7 million the year before.
Despite the disappointing breakdown figures, the RAC notes a small but growing proportion of drivers (12%) reporting that their local roads are in a better state than 12 months ago. However, 47% of surveyed drivers still cite the condition of local, council-run roads as their top motoring bugbear for 2025.
The RAC, alongside industry bodies, advocates for local authorities to carry out more preventative maintenance, such as surface dressing, to keep good roads in better condition for longer and prevent new potholes from forming, rather than relying on costly patch repairs.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams stated: “Confirmation that more drivers fell foul of potholes this summer compared to last is troubling. If nothing else, it underlines the gargantuan task of getting the roads that millions of people rely on back to a respectable standard after years of neglect.”
The government has allocated £1.6 billion until the end of 2026 to tackle the issue, with the aim of repairing up to 7 million additional potholes in 2025-2026.
Source: RAC
