A motorist secured £2,500 compensation for pothole damage after following advice from Martin Lewis. The individual, only known as Colin, was “reimbursed” for repair costs after submitting a “fast claim” form to his local council on the advice of Martin.
He had apparently damaged his car after slamming into a pothole left by a utility company back in February. Money Saving Expert, founded by Martin back in 2003, revealed the savings in their latest weekly newsletter. Colin claimed securing compensation would have been “so much harder” if he had not followed the advice.
According to Money Saving Expert, Colin emailed: “In Feb, my car hit a pothole left by a utility company. After looking at the MSE Pothole claims guide, I submitted a ‘fast claim’ to the council.
“The response was in the form of a template rejection letter modified to suit my situation. I responded to the rejection with a ‘full claim’ using your template. The result is that my car is now repaired and the council fully reimbursed me for my repair costs (over £2,500). This would have been so much harder if it hadn’t been for your website, so thank you.”
Data from the AA shows pothole damage costs drivers an eye-watering £579 million in 2024. It means the average road user had spent around £300 on the cost of repairs as a result of pothole damage.
Money Saving Expert has previously claimed it was “possible to successfully claim for repairs in full” if there is evidence that the authority responsible for the road was at fault.
They claimed the key question road users had to ask is whether the pothole could and should have been fixed before any vehicle has driven over it. Money Saving Expert stressed road users also needed to prove it was the pothole which had damaged the car.
They stress this may involve getting a signed letter from a mechanic confirming that potholes likely caused any issues. However, holes must be at least 40mm deep to be considered an actual pothole.
Martin explained that road users would be unlikely to get compensation if it emerges there was nothing the authorities could have done to prevent an incident.
He explained: “A compensation culture is dangerous and we need be wary of this, especially when taxpayers are footing the bill. Yet the authorities have a legal duty to maintain roads so they’re safe for everyone to use. If they don’t and your car’s damaged, they should help pay the costs to repair it.”