Pothole breakdowns up by a quarter in 2025
Pothole breakdowns rose by 25% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
According to the RAC Pothole Index, RAC patrols attended 5,035 pothole-related breakdowns this summer for jobs such as broken suspension springs, distorted wheels and damaged shock absorbers.
This is up from 4,040 during the same months in 2024 and also higher than the average of 4,372 typically recorded from July to September.
Meanwhile, over the 12 months to the end of September, drivers were direct victims of potholes on 25,758 occasions, an 11% rise on 23,147 during the same period a year earlier. This equates to an average of 71 pothole-related breakdowns attended by RAC breakdown patrols every day, which is up from 68 a day the previous year.
Gargantuan task
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “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.
“Every pothole breakdown means hassle, frustration and ultimately cost for drivers – up to £590 for anything worse than a puncture.
“As a country, we’re a long way off having the roads that everyone deserves. But we hope the rot has at least been stopped and that new multi-year funding settlements give local authorities the certainty they need to plan and deliver better road maintenance programmes.
“This will not only fix the roads that are in a desperate state, but prevent future potholes from appearing in the first place.”
