Pothole insurance claim figures released; 10 most affected cars revealed

The list of the top 10 cars from three to eight years old most affected by potholes has been released by Warranty Direct.

The list was measured by the cars’ "chance of an axle and suspension-related claim annually".

The worst affected car is the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, while three other Mercedes models appeared in the top 10: the GL-Class at number five, the 2006-2009 Mercedes Mercedes-Benz E-Class at number nine and the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class at number 10. 

Of the 10 worst affected vehicles, five are SUVs, while two saloons, two hatchbacks and an MPV make up the rest of the cars, including the Vauxhall Astra, Range Rover and Land Rover Discovery 3.

The least affected cars are the Ford S-Max and Nissan Qashqai, with neither car having been subject to a measurable percentage of policy claims. Interestingly, the BMW X5 features on both the top 10 and bottom 10 lists, although this anomaly can be put down to the differing criteria of the two lists.

A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson responded to the figures, saying: “The cars in question are not cars in our network, but owners of cars can contact us. There are no known issues with susceptibility to damage from potholes, but the focus needs to be upon the potholes and what will be done about repairing the roads. There is no record of susceptibility, and all of the cars that feature on the list are older models.”

Land Rover distanced itself in an official statement from the models mentioned in the list: "Land Rover is committed to providing a consistent high quality driving and ownership experience for all of its customers. The data concerns older and previous-generation models and does not reflect either the progress Land Rover has made in recent years or positive indicators from our own robust quality and customer satisfaction metrics."

Top 10 cars with the highest percentage chance of an annual axle and suspension related claim, by "percentage chance of an axle and suspension related claim annually"

Mercedes-Benz R-Class (2006-2015) - 15.82%

Saab 9-3 (2004-2012) - 15.05%

Hyundai Santa Fe (2006-2012) - 13.98%

Land Rover Discovery 3 (2004-2010) - 13.37%

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (2006-2015) - 12.61%

Vauxhall Astra (2004-2012) - 11.56%

Range Rover (2002-2013) - 11.28%

BMW X5 (2007-2013) - 11.27%

Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2006-2009) - 11.17%

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (2005-2010) - 11.15%