Pothole damage cost UK drivers £1.25bn in vehicle repairs last year

Pothole damage cost UK motorists a total of £1.25 billion in vehicle repairs over the last year, new research has revealed.

Poor road conditions have affected more than 10 million drivers in the past 12 months, with the average bill amounting to more than £100 each.

Costs likely to ‘rise even further’

Repairs for pothole damage have amounted to a hefty cost of £3.4 billion over the course of the last three years, according to Kwik Fit.

The automotive servicing and repair company said motorists have been forced to pay out an average bill of £115 to cover the cost of repairs and components, including tyres, suspension and wheels.

Kwik Fit predicts that these costs are likely to rise even further, as some 1.4 million motorists have not yet had the damage to their vehicles repaired.

And with the current health crisis causing financial uncertainty for many, it is likely that such repairs will be delayed even longer.

Millions of repairs needed

More than a quarter of UK motorists said they hit more than 30 potholes over the course of a month, amounting to an average of one per day.

A third of these drivers who hit a pothole in the last year said it caused damage to their vehicle, with tyres being the most common item needing repair, followed by suspension and steering.

Almost the entire cost of repairs has had to be shouldered by motorists or their insurers, with only a mere £8.1 million refunded to drivers in compensation from local authorities in England and Wales.

Kwik Fit found that many drivers would be prepared to pay higher council tax fees of up to 12.5 per cent more, if it guaranteed improvements to road conditions.

The worst affected areas

London proved to be the worst area for poor road conditions, with motorists in the capital having to cover a cost of £307,231,000 for pothole damage last year - a rise of 50 per cent on the year before.

The South East has also seen a rise in costs, along with the South West.

Costs to drivers in the North West, East Midlands regions and Wales have remained relatively static year on year.

By comparison, drivers in Scotland, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the North East have seen total costs decrease from last year. But even so, drivers were still faced with a collective bill of £360 million for pothole damage.

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