Between November 2023 and February 2024, there were total of 90,852 breakdowns on British roads – an 11.3 per cent increase from the same period a year before (81,617 total). Of these, tyres have been reported as the most common cause of winter breakdowns (November to February) in the UK for three years running.
Sam Sheehan, motoring editor at cinch, added some advice: “Getting a puncture is a case of rotten luck. But you can help to avoid tyre-related breakdowns by keeping your tyres at the recommended pressure and changing them when the tread gets too low, or they get too old (e.g. when they’re 7-10 years old or start cracking).”
The main reasons for breakdowns
- Tyre issues – 16,943 (18.6% of total)
- Loss of power – 6,572 (7.2% of total), which is up 4.5% compared to a year earlier (6,289)
- Engine – 2,918 (3.2% of total), which is up 6.3% compared to a year earlier (2,744)
- Out of fuel – 2,263 (2.5% of total), which is up by just one compared to a year earlier (2,262)
- Clutch/gears – 1,985 (2.2% of total), which is up 10.4% compared to a year earlier (1,798)
(‘Unknown, ‘other’ and ‘not recorded’ accounted for 54,787 responses but were excluded from this list for clarity. Source: National Highways via FOI request by Cinch)
In addition, 25,895 of the 90,852 breakdowns between November 2023 and February 2024 happened on so-called smart motorways. That means 28.5 per cent of all breakdowns that occurred during this time were on smart motorways, which only cover an estimated 13 per cent of England’s motorway network.
It’s also a staggering 169.5 per cent increase on the number of breakdowns on smart motorways compared to the same period in 2022/23 (9,609 – 11.8% of the total).
Sam Sheehan added some advice if you do break down on a motorway: “…First of all, put on your hazard lights. And if you’re on a normal motorway, safely pull onto the hard shoulder. If it’s a smart motorway, carefully pull into an emergency refuge area. Everyone should then get out of the car if it’s safe, hop over the barrier and stand well clear while you call for help. If you can’t reach an emergency refuge area on a smart motorway, pull over as far left as you can, keep your seatbelt on and call ‘999’ for help.”
Online car retailer Cinch obtained the data through a freedom of information (FOI) request to National Highways.