Halfords has launched a free vehicle damage check as more than a quarter of drivers say their vehicle has been damaged by a pothole.

Research suggests there are over 11m potholes in the UK

The new service delivers a professional assessment of the parts of a vehicle most commonly impacted by potholes, accompanied by a damage report.

The free test is available at more than 600 Halfords locations nationwide and, according to the retailer, could help drivers gain compensation from councils, when submitted alongside other evidence, such as images of the pothole and of the vehicle.

Recent research from Halfords indicated that 27% of UK drivers said their vehicle had been damaged by a pothole in the previous 12 months alone, causing £718 worth of damage per vehicle on average – a UK-wide total of £7.5bn per year.

Yet a Freedom of Information request made to all UK county councils in September 2024 found that just 18% of claims for compensation are successful – with a lack of evidence cited as a key reason why drivers are often not paid out.

In conjunction with the announcement, Halfords is calling for the Government to step up its current pledge of filling in one million potholes a year, believing the figure, even if reached, will simply “plaster over the cracks”.

Data from Stan the App, which detects and classifies potholes, suggests that there are more than 11 million potholes in the UK.

Karen Bellairs, Halfords’ managing director of garages, said: “As the UK’s leading motoring retailer, we are doing our part. We are now calling on the Government to do theirs. They have pledged to fill one million potholes a year – but with 11 million potholes on our roads, and more appearing every day, this is simply going to plaster over the cracks.”