Big jump in UK drivers breaking down due to potholes
Pothole-related breakdowns hit an unseasonal high in the second quarter of 2025, with RAC patrols attending 9% more than they did in April to June last year, according to new data from the RAC’s Pothole Index.
In total, the RAC said that it dealt with 6,575 call-outs for damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs, and distorted wheels – the breakdowns most likely to be caused by poor road surfaces, compared to 6,050 in the same period in 2024.
Excluding the first three months of the year, which are always the worst for pothole-related breakdowns, this is the highest number of quarterly pothole call-outs since the second quarter of 2023.
The findings also show it continues to be a bumpy ride for the nation’s drivers, with a worsening picture when looking over a longer period to smooth out the effects of weather.
RAC patrols went out to 24,763 pothole breakdowns in the 12 months up to 30 June 2025 – the equivalent of 68 a day – and over 500 more than they attended in the 12 months up to the end of March this year.
Of the three main types of breakdown associated with pothole wear and tear, broken suspension springs top the list – no doubt because they are designed to absorb the impact of irregularities in the road.
Between April and June 2025, RAC patrols went to 4,779 breakdowns due to broken suspension springs, up by 23% (892) from the 3,887 reported in 2024.
The RAC has also seen a major uptick in the number of motorists opting to have their broken springs repaired on their drives by the RAC’s mobile servicing and repairs team instead of at a garage.
The RAC believes the number of pothole breakdowns seen between April and June is ‘unseasonably high’ because the weather in the first three months of 2025 was significantly colder than the same period last year. Winter conditions create more potholes due to water seeping into existing cracks in older roads that haven’t been sealed with surface dressing treatment, then freezing and expanding.
“Although English councils received a record amount of funding for roads at the start of the new financial year in April, it’s too early to notice the benefit of increased maintenance programmes,” said RAC Head of Policy Simon Williams.
“We can clearly see the cold winter weather at the start of the year has left its mark and caused an ‘unseasonable high’ in breakdown volumes during a quarter when we’d typically expect a reprieve,” he said.
