There’s a reason almost every driver you know has a story of pothole frustration. It’s because it’s largely inevitable that you’ll fall victim to one somewhere at some point. What’s important, though, is what you do next. When our cars bump a curb or take a small jolt from a pothole, sometimes it seems so minor that we just grit our teeth and go about our day. Bear in mind, though, that you may not have gotten off as easily as you first thought. 

The fact that you felt only a minor impact doesn’t necessarily mean that your vehicle hasn’t sustained damage. If it has, it’s vital to determine what’s happened and what needs to be done next. This can prevent worse harm being done to the vehicle, as well as keep you and other drivers safe. There are also potential ways to secure compensation for the damage done by a pothole, if you know the avenues you can try to take and the time frame you have to do so. 

There are some things you can do in the immediate aftermath of hitting the pothole, while there are others that are jobs to be done in the days and weeks ahead. In either instance, though, as they’re such a ubiquitous threat on the roads, all drivers should know what to do after striking a pothole.

Of course, any time your vehicle takes a bump or a ding, all kinds of things immediately run through your mind. The first step is to pull over as soon as possible to determine what you’re dealing with. After all, it may be dangerous to drive any further. Even if that’s not the case, your vehicle may require prompt service. 

There are some immediate signs of major damage, such as buckling of the wheel arches, that will tell you that you need to see a mechanic ASAP after the pothole encounter. It’s also important to keep in mind that you may have been driving when visibility was poor, such as in the dark, so it definitely pays to have a flashlight in your vehicle as part of your emergency kit for these sorts of situations.

You should take your time to thoroughly inspect your vehicle. If you’re not a mechanic who’s experienced with all the subtle yet important signs, the first thing to ascertain is that there hasn’t been catastrophic damage to the underside of your vehicle. 

It may not even be something visible. Have a careful listen for escaping gas or any sounds that your vehicle wasn’t making before, which could indicate suspension damage or similar. It may well be a case for a mechanic, and the more information you can give them about any changes to your vehicle afterward, the better they’ll be able to diagnose and resolve problems.

After you’ve determined that your vehicle hasn’t been damaged (or arranged proper care if it unfortunately has), your next priority should be reporting the troublesome pothole in question. To do so, you’ll first need to find out which body is responsible for that particular road.

State highways, etc., are typically administered by the state’s Department of Transportation. If on a California highway, for instance, you can use the Caltrans Division of Maintenance Customer Service Request form, which allows users to identify a pothole using a drag-and-drop pin-on-a-map graphic. As Texas’s own Department of Transportation notes, though, other roads, such as those within a city’s boundaries, are that city’s responsibility, not the state’s. Of course, these authorities usually have huge areas to maintain and significant backlogs of other repairs and improvements to make, so there’s no telling how long it may take for the repair to ultimately be made.

Still, you’re raising critical awareness about the issue, and that could save many tires and suspensions from needless extra strain or damage. On top of that, such reports can also serve as important evidence should a motorist seek compensation from the relevant authority for damage caused to their vehicle. This is because, as CNN Legal Analyst and Atlanta attorney Cody Randall put it in an Instagram post on the matter, “the city or the county, whoever’s maintaining that road, has to have knowledge that the defect exists and an opportunity to remediate it” for them to be found liable for damage caused by a pothole. 

As the Los Angeles Times reported in 2024, 44 million drivers in the United States had their vehicles damaged by potholes in 2023. Looking a little further back, the American Automobile Association reported that pothole damage had cost the country’s drivers approximately $26.5 billion in total in 2021.

Compensation claims can be made if you act quickly. The time limit is up to 90 days after the collision in New York City, for instance, potentially differing a lot by location, though successfully receiving compensation for it is another matter. The onus is on the driver to demonstrate irrefutably that the responsible body was not taking care of the road as they should. This is why those who hit potholes should take the time to take photographs of the section of road, the pothole itself, their vehicle, and any damage. 

Be prepared to have little success with your claim. In fact, the Michigan Department of Transportation notes that “the majority of damage claims are denied under governmental immunity laws.” While Michigan law says that government agencies must “maintain the highway in reasonable repair,” defining a failure to do so is a tricky matter. As CNN Legal Analyst and Atlanta attorney Cody Randall explained on Instagram, counties and states often have “sovereign or qualified immunity,” which means, in effect, “you actually have to ask them for permission to sue them,” and they must choose to allow it. 

If you determine that your chance of receiving compensation from the local authorities is low, there’s another course of action that could help: Your existing car insurance. As State Farm reports, “pothole damage is usually covered with collision coverage, minus the deductible,” the latter typically being up to around $1,000. After a quote for the price of a repair, you might find that you’d end up parting with more money in the long run by taking this route. 

The Insurance Information Institute clarifies that adding collision coverage to a standard policy can cover the driver against impacts from potholes or other similar road hazards, though “it does not cover wear and tear to a car or its tires due to bad road conditions.” Such conditions often come hand in hand with potholes because of the way they form (rain freezing in existing cracks in the road expands and causes them to become larger), which also contributes to spring being the absolute worst time for potholes. A driver must prove that it was a collision with a pothole that caused the damage to get their insurance to pay out.

An additional complication to keep in mind is that your no-claims status may also be at stake from using it. All in all, as is so often the case with auto insurance, there’s a lot that needs to be considered prior to any claim. It can be important to avoid cheap car insurance to ensure your coverage is comprehensive, should it be needed for reasons like this. 

Claims, whether through your personal vehicle insurance or for compensation from the relevant body, may be a non-starter. They may also result in lots of paperwork and evidence-gathering that adds up to much more time and/or money spent than the payout would ultimately be worth. There’s something much less time-consuming that you can consider first, though: Check the warranty on your tires. 

According to Edmunds, road hazard coverage can be added to a typical tire warranty to cover dangerous objects that could be on the road and potentially puncture a tire. Without this addition, the warranty will typically only be applicable for manufacturing defects, not accidental damage. This is why the road hazard add-on could be valuable, but it certainly doesn’t simply mean a free tire in every case. Additional fees, such as those for road hazard coverage on an additional tire, may also be added to the bill you end up receiving. The circumstances, the type of tire, and the damage it sustained are important to consider. 

Ultimately, a driver has several options available to them if they hit a pothole, and while each incident will be different and have different effects, the immediate priority is damage control. Often, the aim is to recoup as much of the expense as possible in the circumstances, which is a result in itself and better than not getting anything back at all.