Vehicle breakdowns where poor roads were to blame rose 15% last year

Last year saw a 15% increase in the number of drivers suffering pothole-related breakdowns, new RAC Pothole Index data shows.*

The RAC’s expert patrols attended a total of 26,048 breakdowns in 2025 – the equivalent of 71 every day – where damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels were the cause, up 3,345 from the 22,703 logged in the previous year.

When comparing the number of such breakdowns during the last three months of 2025 to the same period a year earlier, an increase was also observed – with 290 more instances of drivers needing assistance from the RAC between October and December 2025 compared to 2024, an increase of 6%.

The number of pothole-related breakdowns for both the last quarter of 2025, and the year as a whole, were also above the RAC’s long term of average of 4,883 and 25,309 breakdowns respectively.**

The figures are a further sign of the work that remains to be done to bring the country’s roads up to an acceptable standard. They follow the Government’s new ‘traffic light’ ratings system, published earlier this month, which helps drivers see what condition their local roads are in, how councils are spending their funding, and whether they are following best road maintenance practice.

Analysis of these ratings shows that fewer than one-in-five (17%) councils in England are currently rated ‘green’ for road conditions, with 7% in the worst ‘red’ condition and the rest ‘amber’. When it comes to how much councils are following best practice in looking after their roads, 14% are classified as ‘green’ - doing the right thing and investing for the future - while more than one-in-10 (12%) are at the opposite end of the scale and rated ‘red’. The vast majority – 74% - are ‘amber’ and still have more to do to make the most of the government funding they receive. Just three councils – Portsmouth, Rotherham and West Berkshire – currently score ‘green’ in all categories.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Record levels of funding from central Government and a requirement for councils to demonstrate how they’re making best use of it – to stop potholes appearing in the first place, not just to patch them up – should spell the end of the woeful roads many drivers are sadly used to. But as our latest data shows, drivers are still breaking down in their thousands as a direct result of potholes. So, while there’s light at the end of the tunnel, it’s still a frustratingly long way off.

“The effects of the country’s cold spell at the end of December and into the New Year also remain to be seen when it comes to our failing highways. Wet roads, followed by snow and ice, are the ideal conditions for potholes to form – especially on roads that haven’t had preventative maintenance. 

“But it’s not all doom and gloom. After years of campaigning, we’re extremely pleased the Government has listened to us – and major voices within the road maintenance industry –  by now demanding local authorities use techniques like surface dressing to keep their roads in a better condition for longer. 

“The route to smoother driving surfaces is surprisingly simple: ensure water always drains off the roads, fix potholes as permanently as possible, seal roads against water ingress through preventative maintenance, and resurface those that have gone beyond the point of no return.”

The RAC estimates the cost of pothole repairs to a typical family car is up to £590 for anything worse than a puncture.

Road Surface Treatments Association chief executive Mike Hansford said: “If we had continued to surface dress even at levels experienced in 2012, we would have sealed approximately 37,000kms of additional roads (almost 10% of the UK road network) for another 10 to 15 years, making more of the network more resistant to the sort of damage that leads to potholes.

“The recent cold and then very wet spells of weather have highlighted the fragility of the road network, so it’s important that while the immediate safety issues associated with potholes are managed, we must also focus on longer term repair solutions - including preventative treatments to roads currently in a good or fair condition to protect them from future damage.”

For drivers who have suffered pothole-related breakdowns, the RAC’s nationwide team of mobile servicing and repairs technicians can save the need to get booked into a garage – by replacing suspension springs at drivers’ homes or workplaces instead. To book with an RAC Mobile Mechanic, visit www.rac.co.uk/mobile or use the myRAC app.

^{* The RAC Pothole Index is a 12-month rolling measure of the share of pothole fault breakdowns compared to 2006, corrected for seasonal weather effects and improving longer term vehicle reliability. Data has been collected by the RAC since 2006. Data deliberately excludes punctures as the source of these could be something unrelated to road standard (for instance, the presence of nails and screws)}

^{** Average pothole-related breakdown volumes since 2006}