How do I claim for pothole damage?

If you have been unlucky enough to damage your car by hitting a pothole, to make a claim you will, firstly, need to get as much information as possible about the pothole, this is to include:

Where the pothole is (road name, town, postcode etc.), the measurements of the pothole (include pictures if it is safe to take them), the contact details of anyone who witnessed the damage and the time and date you hit the pothole

Once you have pulled together all of the relevant information you will need to contact both the council and your insurance company. It is advisable to contact your insurance company first, as their terms regarding pothole claims may differ.

The AA advises that you then ‘Write to the council responsible for the road with all the details you’ve collected, including copies of your quotes, invoices and receipts’. This may not be an easy claims process, unfortunately, and your third step might be to appeal dependent upon the council’s decision.

For more information on how to make a claim for pothole damage, contact your insurer in the first instance.