How to claim pothole compensation if your car is damaged on the road

Roads across the UK are littered with potholes and if you hit one it can have a serious and costly impact on your car. Think tyre replacements, steering problems and body damage - they can all be down to these pesky holes in the road.

However, in some cases you can get out of paying the bills to repair your car as the local authority responsible for the road is in charge of keeping it well maintained. This means you can claim against it for compensation if a pothole damages your car.

Which? has broken down how to make a pothole claim and when you will be entitled to compensation.

How to claim for pothole damage

The Which? website has laid out the guidelines for making a claim. Here’s what they said:

• Collect all the evidence of pothole damage that you can. Make a note of exactly where the pothole is, and take photos showing the depth of the pothole and any damage caused when you hit it. 
• Report the pothole to your highways agency or local authority. Find out who is responsible for maintaining the road and report the pothole to them. 
• Keep all receipts for repair work. If you’ve had to get damage to your vehicle or bicycle caused by a pothole fixed urgently, keep your receipt. If you haven’t needed to get the damage fixed urgently, get a quote.
• Make a claim. Check your local authority’s claims procedure as it may require you to provide certain information before making a claim.
• Negotiate with the council. Don’t be afraid to negotiate with the council on costs for repairs.
• Appeal a rejected claim. If your claim is rejected, ask to see details of the council’s road inspection reports to see whether the council did follow it as they should have. If it hasn’t, appeal the decision.
• Take your pothole claim to the small claims court. You can also use the small claims court to pursue your claim, but we suggest you seek legal advice first.