Photo: Oleg Yunakov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, modified
McLaren hits a pothole on a municipal road; the municipality pays 450,000 zloty
A single pothole cost a Polish municipality PLN 450,000. That was the compensation for a damaged McLaren 570GT, more than PLN 200,000 of it for a replacement car.
The McLaren 570GT was travelling at 30–40 km/h on a municipal asphalt road when it hit a pothole. Both right-hand tyres lost air, the undertray was torn off and the chassis was damaged. The car was rented out for events, so the owner also claimed for loss of use.
What was paid for
The total claim came to PLN 450,000. It covered repairs, towing, loss of use and a replacement car. The last item was the most expensive: more than PLN 200,000. The limit of the municipality's voluntary liability insurance ran out, so it covered the rest from its own budget.
What it shows
The case was described by Auto Świat, citing Poland's Financial Ombudsman. It shows that road managers are liable for the condition of their roads and that the cost of damage, especially to an expensive car, can exceed the insurance limit. The municipality, the date of the incident and the split of the payout were not disclosed.
Source: Auto Świat (12 Oct 2026)