The Burrow
Feb 24, 2026
Potholes are an unavoidable part of driving. From minor surface damage to more serious road conditions caused by heavy traffic or changing weather, almost every motorist encounters them at some point. While they’re a common frustration, understanding where potholes are most prevalent can help drivers to better prepare for smoother journeys.
To build a clearer global picture, the car insurance comparison experts at Compare the Market analysed pothole-related search trends across cities in Australia, the United States and Europe. The aim was to identify where, in each country, drivers are most actively searching for pothole information, offering insight into road conditions and potential vehicle risks.
To create our rankings, we measured average monthly pothole searches per 100,000 residents, as well as the percentage change in search interest between 2022 and 2025. These indicators will reveal both current concern and how attention toward road conditions has shifted over time. Cities with high search rates and rising interest may point to growing driver awareness, deteriorating road surfaces or increased local infrastructure and added strain on the roads.
By spotlighting cities around the world that have bad road conditions and tracking where public awareness of potholes is highest, this can help drivers to stay informed, drive cautiously in higher-risk areas, and consider car insurance that can help cover you for the cost of any damage caused to your car, particularly if you hit a pothole.
Across Australia, search behaviour highlights where drivers are most engaged with concerns about potholes and local road conditions.
These Australian cities record the most pothole-related searches, reflecting high driver awareness of local road conditions. The figures below show the average search volume from 2022-2025:
Higher search rates can indicate greater driver sensitivity to surface quality, heavier traffic exposure, or more variable weather patterns that affect roads.
These Australian cities show lower ongoing pothole search activity. This may reflect steadier surfaces, fewer perceived issues, or simply lower search engagement among drivers:
Lower search volumes don’t necessarily mean perfect surfaces, but they do suggest fewer online queries related to potholes.
In these cities, rising search interest points to increasing driver attention towards road conditions and potential surface deterioration:
These growth trends can signal rising awareness, recent weather impacts or infrastructure pressures. For drivers, they’re a reminder that staying alert to road conditions, maintaining tyres and suspension, and having insurance cover in place are all part of safely navigating bad road conditions.
Search trends across major US cities reveal where drivers are most actively looking up the latest information related to potholes and local road conditions.
These cities show the highest ongoing volume with pothole-related searches in the US and the highest of all the cities in our index:
These US cities record lower ongoing pothole search activity, suggesting the possibility of higher quality roads:
Meanwhile, these US cities are seeing the highest search volume for potholes over the past four years:
Across Europe, search behaviour shows a different pattern compared with Australia and the US. Overall volumes are lower, creating an interesting contrast in how drivers engage online around potholes and local road conditions.
Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal are home to the cities with the worst roads according to pothole-related search traffic:
Meanwhile, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Greece and France have cities with comparatively low pothole search activity:
Although overall volumes are lower, growth rates show rising driver awareness of road conditions in several cities:
As the figures show, Brussels, Paris and Athens had some of the lowest average pothole searches, yet the fastest-growing search interest. Also, no European cities in the dataset recorded a net decrease over this period. The upward trend suggests growing awareness and conversation around potholes.
The good news is that drivers can help reduce risk by staying alert to sudden changes in road conditions. It’s important to avoid harsh braking or swerving at the last moment. Slowing slightly and keeping tyres properly inflated can help to limit damage from potholes.
If your vehicle has been damaged by a pothole or a poorly maintained road, you might feel daunted about what to do. Luckily, in some cases, you are entitled to make a claim with your local authorities.
Local authorities have an obligation to keep roads in good condition, and making them aware of a pothole – and claiming for any damage – might encourage them to fix the issues. Every case is different, and there’s no guarantee that your claim will be successful.
However, even when you take great care while driving, unexpected hazards can arise. That’s why having car insurance helps provide valuable peace of mind.
Adrian Taylor, Executive General Manager of General Insurance, says: “Damage from potholes and uneven road conditions is one of those motoring risks drivers can’t always fully avoid, but they can prepare for it. A great comprehensive car insurance policy means a rough patch in the road doesn’t have to become a major financial setback.”
This dataset analysed search interest related to potholes across major cities in Australia, the United States and the European Union. The study includes the 30 most populated cities in the USA, the 15 most populated cities in Australia, and the 10 most populated capital cities in the EU, identified using population data.
Population data for all cities was collected from World Population Review. Search volume data was obtained using the Google Ads API, capturing the number of Google searches for the keyword “potholes” over a four-year period from 2022 to 2025 (excluding December 2025).
For each city, the average number of searches per month was calculated for each year. These figures were then normalised by population, calculating the average number of searches per 100,000 people per year. An overall average per city was subsequently calculated across all four years.
Percentage change in search volume was calculated for each city between 2022 and 2025 to identify trends over time.
At a regional level, an average number of searches per 100,000 people per year was calculated using the city-level data for each country or region. These figures were then averaged across the four-year period.
The results were summarised showing the cities with the highest and lowest average searches per capita across all years, both overall and split by country or region. Additional data highlights the largest percentage increases and decreases in search volume between 2022 and 2025, presented both overall and by country or region (no decreases were observed among EU cities).
Sources:
All data is correct as of 19/1/2025. Search volume data reflects Google Ads estimates and may not be fully representative of real-world reporting behaviour.