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Car finance ›
The Pothole Report
Updated: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Many motorists feel that potholes are a significant issue across the UK, with some areas facing poor road conditions and lengthy repair delays. According to the RAC, there are thought to be more than 1 million potholes in the UK. The AA even noted a 16% increase in breakdowns due to potholes, from 543,000 in 2022 to 631,852 in 2023.
Even if you already budget for all the costs linked to owning a vehicle and use a car finance calculator if you’re buying on finance, potholes can come out of nowhere, quite literally, and cause frustrating unexpected costs and damage to your vehicle.
We surveyed over 2,000 people to identify the UK areas with the most severe potholes and uncover the cities where people wait the longest for them to be fixed.
Almost 70% of people rate the potholes in their area as very severe or higher
We asked people throughout the UK to rate the severity of potholes from a 1 (no potholes) to a 10 (extremely severe potholes) and any potholes rated a 7 and above were deemed ‘bad’.
Over 68% said they had bad potholes in their area. Nearly 23% rated the severity of their local potholes as 8/10, closely followed by 22% who rated them as 7/10.13% of respondents, chose the most severe rating, a 10 on the scale.
On the other hand, only a small fraction of respondents (6%) rated the severity of potholes as 3 or below, indicating that very few areas were completely free of this issue.
Over 10% of people say potholes in their local area are never resolved
The most common time it took to repair potholes in the UK was over 6 months, with 29% of respondents stating it took this long. Meanwhile, almost 21% said they were typically resolved between 3 and 6 months.
Additionally, 11% said that potholes are never resolved in their local areas.
17% of respondents said that potholes are resolved in 4 weeks or under while 5% said they were resolved within a week.
People in South West England reported the most severe potholes
Survey respondents from the South West of England reported the most severe pothole issues. Over 18% of respondents in this region rated the severity as a 10.
Opinions were mixed in Northern Ireland. While some respondents said there were a lot of extremely severe potholes (14%), it also had the highest percentage of people saying there were no potholes in their local area (3%).
South East England and Northern England fare slightly better in terms of pothole severity, with a lower percentage of respondents (13%) rating them as extremely severe.
Potholes in Central England often take more than 6 months to be repaired, while people in Northern Ireland say their potholes are never resolved
Central England, South West England, and Northern England are regions where potholes tend to be resolved the most slowly, according to respondents. This is because over 30% of respondents in these regions indicated that potholes are resolved very slowly, while over 10% reported that potholes are never resolved.
In contrast, respondents in South East England and Wales reported better pothole resolution times. In South East England, 23% of respondents said that potholes are resolved either very quickly (within a week) or quickly (within a month), while in Wales, this figure was even higher at 21%.
Scotland has mixed results, suggesting that depending on where you live, potholes may get repaired quicker than other areas. 21% of respondents in Edinburgh and 10% in Glasgow, said potholes were resolved within a month. 29% of people in Glasgow said potholes in their local area were resolved very slowly, compared to 26% in Edinburgh. 11% of respondents in Glasgow and 7% in Edinburgh said that the potholes nearby have never been resolved.
Which UK cities have the worst potholes?
Sheffield tops the list, with 21.9% of respondents rating the potholes in their local area as extremely severe. Nottingham and Southampton follow closely, with 17.7% and 15.9% of respondents reporting extremely severe potholes in their areas.
Interestingly, the capital cities of Wales and Scotland, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, also feature among the top 5 locations, with 15.9% and 15.3% of respondents, respectively, citing extremely severe potholes.
The highest percentage of respondents reporting their region has ‘no potholes’ live in Belfast
Belfast had the highest percentage of respondents saying there were no potholes in their local area, with 3%.
Bristol and Birmingham, 2 major cities in England, are among the top 5 locations with the highest percentage of respondents reporting no potholes, at 1%, respectively. These figures suggest that while potholes may still be a concern in these cities, there could still be pockets of well-maintained roads.
Which UK cities see their potholes repaired the slowest and quickest?
Newcastle has the highest percentage (15%) of respondents saying that potholes in their local area are never resolved. Birmingham and Belfast follow closely, with 15% and 14% of respondents, respectively, reporting that potholes in their localities remain unresolved indefinitely.
Of the respondents who reported potholes in their area throughout Southampton, 12% stated that they had never been addressed.
Potholes in London are fixed quickly, according to survey respondents. 9% of respondents said that potholes in their local area are resolved within a week. Bristol followed closely, with 6% of respondents reporting similarly prompt resolution times.
Several major cities in England, including Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Leeds, also featured among the top rankings. In each of these locations, almost 5% of respondents said potholes are usually resolved within a week.
Are potholes worse in the north or south?
Cities in the northern regions, such as Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester, rated the severity of potholes as a 10, saying these are resolved very slowly or not at all.
For example, 53% of respondents in Newcastle rated the severity of potholes an 8 or above, while 56% reported the same about Liverpool. Over 51% of people in both cities also said they took more than 6 months to be repaired or were still waiting for the council to fix them.
In contrast, cities in the southern regions of the UK, such as London and Southampton, generally report lower severity ratings. For example, in London, only 22% of respondents rated the severity of potholes in their local area as 9 or 10.
The survey data suggests that potholes in southern cities are also resolved more promptly. For example, 38% of Bristol respondents indicated that potholes are resolved within 3 months, compared to 26% who said the same about Leeds.
Methodology
The data in this study is accurate as of May 2024.
We surveyed 2,001 people in the UK to find out where potholes are the worst and how long it takes to repair them on average. This survey included responses from residents in 15 major UK cities to ensure a balanced view of all regions.
In the survey, respondents were asked to rate the potholes in their area from a 1 (no potholes) to a 10 (extremely severe potholes). Any ratings above a 7 were deemed ‘bad’.
The survey was carried out on 23 May 2024 and all data was correct as of that date.
The number of potholes in the UK was sourced from the RAC on 28 May 2024.
The increase in breakdowns from 2022 to 2023 was sourced from the AA on 28 May 2024.
Many motorists feel that potholes are a significant issue across the UK, with some areas facing poor road conditions and lengthy repair delays. According to the RAC, there are thought to be more than 1 million potholes in the UK. The AA even noted a 16% increase in breakdowns due to potholes, from 543,000 in 2022 to 631,852 in 2023.
Even if you already budget for all the costs linked to owning a vehicle and use a car finance calculator if you’re buying on finance, potholes can come out of nowhere, quite literally, and cause frustrating unexpected costs and damage to your vehicle.
We surveyed over 2,000 people to identify the UK areas with the most severe potholes and uncover the cities where people wait the longest for them to be fixed.
Almost 70% of people rate the potholes in their area as very severe or higher
We asked people throughout the UK to rate the severity of potholes from a 1 (no potholes) to a 10 (extremely severe potholes) and any potholes rated a 7 and above were deemed ‘bad’.
Over 68% said they had bad potholes in their area. Nearly 23% rated the severity of their local potholes as 8/10, closely followed by 22% who rated them as 7/10.13% of respondents, chose the most severe rating, a 10 on the scale.
On the other hand, only a small fraction of respondents (6%) rated the severity of potholes as 3 or below, indicating that very few areas were completely free of this issue.
Over 10% of people say potholes in their local area are never resolved
The most common time it took to repair potholes in the UK was over 6 months, with 29% of respondents stating it took this long. Meanwhile, almost 21% said they were typically resolved between 3 and 6 months.
Additionally, 11% said that potholes are never resolved in their local areas.
17% of respondents said that potholes are resolved in 4 weeks or under while 5% said they were resolved within a week.
People in South West England reported the most severe potholes
Survey respondents from the South West of England reported the most severe pothole issues. Over 18% of respondents in this region rated the severity as a 10.
Opinions were mixed in Northern Ireland. While some respondents said there were a lot of extremely severe potholes (14%), it also had the highest percentage of people saying there were no potholes in their local area (3%).
South East England and Northern England fare slightly better in terms of pothole severity, with a lower percentage of respondents (13%) rating them as extremely severe.
Potholes in Central England often take more than 6 months to be repaired, while people in Northern Ireland say their potholes are never resolved
Central England, South West England, and Northern England are regions where potholes tend to be resolved the most slowly, according to respondents. This is because over 30% of respondents in these regions indicated that potholes are resolved very slowly, while over 10% reported that potholes are never resolved.
In contrast, respondents in South East England and Wales reported better pothole resolution times. In South East England, 23% of respondents said that potholes are resolved either very quickly (within a week) or quickly (within a month), while in Wales, this figure was even higher at 21%.
Scotland has mixed results, suggesting that depending on where you live, potholes may get repaired quicker than other areas. 21% of respondents in Edinburgh and 10% in Glasgow, said potholes were resolved within a month. 29% of people in Glasgow said potholes in their local area were resolved very slowly, compared to 26% in Edinburgh. 11% of respondents in Glasgow and 7% in Edinburgh said that the potholes nearby have never been resolved.
Which UK cities have the worst potholes?
Sheffield tops the list, with 21.9% of respondents rating the potholes in their local area as extremely severe. Nottingham and Southampton follow closely, with 17.7% and 15.9% of respondents reporting extremely severe potholes in their areas.
Interestingly, the capital cities of Wales and Scotland, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, also feature among the top 5 locations, with 15.9% and 15.3% of respondents, respectively, citing extremely severe potholes.
The highest percentage of respondents reporting their region has ‘no potholes’ live in Belfast
Belfast had the highest percentage of respondents saying there were no potholes in their local area, with 3%.
Bristol and Birmingham, 2 major cities in England, are among the top 5 locations with the highest percentage of respondents reporting no potholes, at 1%, respectively. These figures suggest that while potholes may still be a concern in these cities, there could still be pockets of well-maintained roads.
Which UK cities see their potholes repaired the slowest and quickest?
Newcastle has the highest percentage (15%) of respondents saying that potholes in their local area are never resolved. Birmingham and Belfast follow closely, with 15% and 14% of respondents, respectively, reporting that potholes in their localities remain unresolved indefinitely.
Of the respondents who reported potholes in their area throughout Southampton, 12% stated that they had never been addressed.
Potholes in London are fixed quickly, according to survey respondents. 9% of respondents said that potholes in their local area are resolved within a week. Bristol followed closely, with 6% of respondents reporting similarly prompt resolution times.
Several major cities in England, including Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Leeds, also featured among the top rankings. In each of these locations, almost 5% of respondents said potholes are usually resolved within a week.
Are potholes worse in the north or south?
Cities in the northern regions, such as Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester, rated the severity of potholes as a 10, saying these are resolved very slowly or not at all.
For example, 53% of respondents in Newcastle rated the severity of potholes an 8 or above, while 56% reported the same about Liverpool. Over 51% of people in both cities also said they took more than 6 months to be repaired or were still waiting for the council to fix them.
In contrast, cities in the southern regions of the UK, such as London and Southampton, generally report lower severity ratings. For example, in London, only 22% of respondents rated the severity of potholes in their local area as 9 or 10.
The survey data suggests that potholes in southern cities are also resolved more promptly. For example, 38% of Bristol respondents indicated that potholes are resolved within 3 months, compared to 26% who said the same about Leeds.
Methodology
The data in this study is accurate as of May 2024.
We surveyed 2,001 people in the UK to find out where potholes are the worst and how long it takes to repair them on average. This survey included responses from residents in 15 major UK cities to ensure a balanced view of all regions.
In the survey, respondents were asked to rate the potholes in their area from a 1 (no potholes) to a 10 (extremely severe potholes). Any ratings above a 7 were deemed ‘bad’.
The survey was carried out on 23 May 2024 and all data was correct as of that date.
The number of potholes in the UK was sourced from the RAC on 28 May 2024.
The increase in breakdowns from 2022 to 2023 was sourced from the AA on 28 May 2024.
For a better road ahead
Moneybarn is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association, the official trade organisation of the motor finance industry. The FLA promotes best practice in the motor finance industry for lending and leasing to consumers and businesses.
Moneybarn is the trading style of Moneybarn No. 1 Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 04496573, and Moneybarn Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 02766324. The registered address for these companies is: Athena House, Bedford Road, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3LJ.
Moneybarn’s VAT registration number is 180 5559 52.
Moneybarn Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702781)
Moneybarn No. 1 Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702780)
