Drivers call for operators of heavier vehicles to fund pothole repairs

A singificant proportion of motorists would like to see additional charges based on a vehicle's weight, with the cash raised spent on repairing the country's potholed roads, new research suggests.

More than half (56%) of drivers believe that operators of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) should contribute more to road repairs through a pothole levy - just one-in-six (17%) disagreed. 

The research, published by Kwik Fit, also found that 44% of drivers want an additional ring-fenced pothole levy placed on delivery vans, with just over one-in-five (23%) against the proposal.

Furthermore, almost half (48%) of the respondents to Kwik Fit’s survey said the owners of heavier cars should pay a higher rate of ‘road tax’ (vehicle excise duty) to reflect their greater impact on the roads, with one-in-five (21%) against.

The 2025 PIT Report (Pothole Impact Tracker) from Kwik Fit, published in March, revealed that UK drivers paid £1.7 billion to repair vehicle damage caused by potholes over the last year.

Additionally, the 2025 Alarm Report from the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) shows that local authorities estimate that £16.8bn would be needed to tackle the backlog of road repairs. This figure has increased by 42% since 2016, with Kwik Fit noting that the cost to drivers has risen by 150% across the same period.

Dan Joyce, operations director at Kwik Fit, said: “The data shows that there is an increasingly pressing need to invest in the maintenance of our road network, but our new research highlights that there are no easy answers as to how this is funded.”

Kwik Fit’s research suggests that most motorists feel they are already personally paying enough to support the country’s road maintenance programme, with only 26% of drivers indicating that they would be prepared to pay more road tax for road repairs in their local area.

“Motorists already feel that they are contributing enough, so it is understandable that they want the additional burden to be on the heavier vehicles believed to do the most damage to road surfaces,” Joyce continued.

“Of course, any costs placed on businesses through levies on HGVs or delivery vans are likely to be passed through to the end consumer, so it’s critical that potential measures are not looked at in isolation.”

The research shows a generational difference in the drivers that would be willing to pay an additional road tax, with 40% of Gen Z and 38% of Millennial drivers open to the idea, compared to just 18% of Generation X and 15% of Boomer drivers.

The Government has announced new measures and additional funding to tackle the impact of potholes. Despite this, Kwik Fit’s research identified that 64% of drivers have said that they do not expect to see an improvement in the condition of roads in their local area in the near future.