How to claim compensation for pothole damage to your car

Potholes have become one of the biggest problems on Britain’s roads. If your vehicle has been damaged by potholes, here’s how to claim compensation for the damage. 

Collect evidence 

Potholes can cause a variety of damage, so make sure you check over your vehicle carefully when collecting evidence.  

These are the most common things to check for: 

• Punctures, bent rims and other damage to your tyres 
• Snapped suspension springs 
• Shock absorber damage 

You should make a note of the time and location the damage occurred, as well as taking a picture of the pothole.  

You can take pictures of the damage to your vehicle, but the best thing to do is to get it professionally checked by a mechanic, who can write a report of the damage for you. 

Find who is responsible 

Usually, it’s the local council who are responsible for maintaining the roads in their area. However, if you’re on a boundary, make sure you do your research to ensure you contact the right council. 

It’s difficult to prove if a council has been negligent. The best way is to ask for copies of road maintenance schedules within two weeks of the damage to show a failure on the council’s part. You’ll need to prove the damage would not have occurred if action was taken beforehand. 

Report it 

You’ll need to go to your local authority’s website and fill in a compensation form. The more information you give, the better. Try to include the time, place, photos, a mechanic’s report etc. 

If you get an offer, but it doesn’t cover your costs, you can go back and complain. You have a good chance of success if the pothole has previously been reported and no action has been taken. 

If your claim has been rejected you can take legal action and go to court, but this can be costly and time-consuming.  

Insurance claim 

If you have comprehensive insurance, you can claim for damages this way instead. 

However, you’ll need to check your insurance carefully to make sure claiming for pothole damage won’t affect anything else, like your no claims bonus. 

Check out our blog for more information about Britain’s pothole problem.