Potholes Cost American Drivers 26.5 Billion Dollars a Year. Here Is What One Crater Does to Your Car and Why Your Insurance Probably Will Not Help.

TL;DR

• Pothole damage costs American drivers $26.5 billion a year, and the average repair runs about $600 per hit. Spring is peak season.
• Your car insurance might cover it under collision, but filing a claim could raise your premium more than the repair costs. Do the math before you call.
• Check tire pressure weekly, slow down on rough roads, and budget $300 to $500 for a spring alignment and tire inspection before one bad crater turns into a $1,500 suspension job.

Key Numbers at a Glance

It is the last week of March. Snow is melting. And underneath it, the roads are falling apart.

Every spring, the freeze-thaw cycle leaves behind thousands of craters in American roads. Water seeps into cracks, freezes, expands, and blows out chunks of asphalt. The result is a minefield for your tires, wheels, and suspension.

This is not a minor inconvenience. According to AAA, pothole damage costs American drivers $26.5 billion every year. That is billion with a B. The average single pothole hit costs about $600 to repair. And if you are driving in the Northeast, your odds of taking a hit are 60 percent higher than drivers in the South or West.

What One Pothole Can Actually Do to Your Car

A single bad hit can cascade through multiple systems. Here is what repairs typically cost, according to automotive repair data tracked by RepairPal and AAA:

The sneaky part: alignment damage does not always show symptoms right away. You might drive for weeks with your wheels slightly off, chewing through tire tread unevenly. By the time you notice, you need new tires AND an alignment. A $100 fix becomes a $500 problem.

The Real Cost Is Not Just the Repair

Consumer Reports estimates that degraded roads cost the average American driver about $725 per year. That includes direct repair costs, accelerated wear and tear on tires and suspension, and wasted fuel from rough surfaces. Over a typical five-year ownership period, that is $3,625 in road-quality costs alone.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave US road infrastructure a grade of D+ in its 2025 report card. Thirty percent of pavement in the Northeast is rated as poor. The federal gas tax, which funds road repairs, has lost 81 percent of its purchasing power since 1993 because it was never indexed to inflation.

Translation: the roads are getting worse, not better. And your car is paying for it.

The Worst States for Pothole Damage

Data from TRIP, a national transportation research group, shows which states have the most highway miles in poor condition:

• New York: 7,292 miles of highway in poor condition
• Ohio: 4,925 miles in poor condition
• New Jersey: 3,995 miles in poor condition
• Washington, D.C.: Drivers pay $1,100 per year in vehicle damage, 48% above the national average
• Rhode Island: $845 per year, 32% above average
• California: $760 per year, with Los Angeles and Bay Area drivers topping $1,000

If you live in the Northeast or drive through urban areas regularly, you are statistically paying hundreds more per year in road damage than the national average.

Can You Claim Pothole Damage on Insurance?

Yes, but think carefully before you do.

Collision coverage (not comprehensive, which is a common misunderstanding) covers pothole damage. Your insurer treats it as a single-vehicle accident. That means:

1. You pay your deductible first, typically $500 to $1,000
2. The insurer covers the rest
3. Filing a claim could raise your premium at renewal

Here is the math that matters: if your repair costs $600 and your deductible is $500, you are filing a claim to recover $100. But that claim could increase your premium by $200 to $400 per year for three to five years. You just paid $600 to $2,000 to save $100.

The rule of thumb: only file a pothole insurance claim if the repair cost significantly exceeds your deductible. Think $1,500 or more in suspension or wheel damage.

Some cities will reimburse pothole damage directly if you file a claim with the local government. St. Paul, Minnesota, for example, has paid about 35 percent of pothole damage claims filed with the city. But success rates vary wildly, and most cities reject the majority of claims.

How We Calculated the Five-Year Road Cost

$725 per year (Consumer Reports estimate for road-degradation vehicle costs) multiplied by 5 years equals $3,625. This includes direct repairs, accelerated tire wear, fuel waste from rough surfaces, and alignment drift. Your actual number depends on where you drive, how often you hit highway versus city streets, and your vehicle's suspension type (low-profile tires and sport suspensions are more vulnerable). Check your tire tread depth and alignment annually to catch damage early.

Your Spring Pothole Protection Checklist

1. Check tire pressure weekly. Underinflated tires are more vulnerable to pothole damage. Use a $10 digital gauge and check against the placard on your driver's door jamb. Takes 3 minutes.
2. Get a four-wheel alignment. Cost: $100 to $150 at any tire shop. If your car pulls to one side or your steering wheel is off-center, you likely already have alignment damage. Do this before you destroy a set of tires.
3. Inspect tires for sidewall bulges. After hitting a pothole, run your hand along the sidewall. A bulge means internal damage and the tire needs immediate replacement. Driving on a bulging tire risks a blowout.
4. Budget $300 to $500 for spring maintenance. Alignment plus tire inspection plus any minor suspension adjustments. This is cheaper than the $600+ average repair from an unexpected pothole hit.
5. Photograph road damage. If you hit a pothole and sustain damage, photograph the pothole, your car's damage, and note the exact location. You need this for both insurance claims and city reimbursement requests.
6. Slow down on unfamiliar roads. Most pothole damage happens at speed. Reducing speed gives you time to steer around craters and reduces impact force if you cannot avoid them.

FAQ

Q: Does comprehensive insurance cover pothole damage? No. Comprehensive covers things that happen to your parked car (theft, hail, falling objects). Pothole damage is classified as a collision event because your car struck a road hazard while moving. You need collision coverage.

Q: Is it worth filing an insurance claim for pothole damage? Only if the repair cost significantly exceeds your deductible. A $600 repair with a $500 deductible means you recover $100 but risk a premium increase of $200 to $400 per year. For claims under $1,500, paying out of pocket is usually cheaper long-term.

Q: Can I sue the city for pothole damage? In theory, yes. In practice, most cities have sovereign immunity protections and strict filing deadlines (often 30 to 90 days). Some cities have formal pothole claim processes. Check your city's public works department website.

Q: Are certain cars more vulnerable to pothole damage? Yes. Vehicles with low-profile tires, sport suspensions, and lower ride heights take more damage. SUVs and trucks with higher clearance and standard tire sidewalls fare better. If you drive a car with 19-inch or larger wheels, budget more for tire and wheel repairs.

Q: Why are roads so bad right now? The federal gas tax has not increased since 1993. Meanwhile, construction costs have risen, vehicles have become more fuel-efficient (generating less tax revenue per mile), and EV adoption further reduces gas tax income. The result: a growing gap between what roads need and what gets funded. The ASCE estimates the US has a $2.6 trillion infrastructure gap.

Q: When is pothole season? Late February through May, peaking in March and April. The freeze-thaw cycle during late winter creates the most damage. Potholes that form in January may not become visible until spring thaw exposes them.

Sources

• AAA Pothole Damage Report (2023): Annual cost of pothole damage to US drivers
• Consumer Reports (2025): Per-driver annual cost of degraded road conditions
• American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card (2025): US road grade and gas tax purchasing power
• TRIP National Transportation Research Group (2025): State-by-state highway condition data
• RepairPal (2026): Average auto repair cost ranges