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The proportion of breakdowns caused by potholes in the first quarter of 2018 was the third-highest on record, according to the RAC.
The motoring organisation said the percentage of breakdowns its patrols were called to that were likely to be attributed to poor road surfaces, such as damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels, was 2.3%.
This was a big increase on the 1.2% recorded in the last quarter of 2017, and behind only the first quarter of 2015 (2.6%) and the first quarter of 2017 (2.7%) since data was first compiled in 2006.
The RAC said the latest figure may have been below expectations given the severe winter weather during the period, but that it expects the second quarter of the year to be a better indicator of the true state of the country's roads.
The RAC's Pothole Index, which predicts the likelihood of pothole-related breakdowns, worsened slightly during the quarter for the fourth time in succession.
RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: "Few would disagree that the harsh cold weather experienced over the last three months has led to a further deterioration of road surfaces.
"While RAC patrols saw the third-highest quarterly share of pothole-related breakdowns in the first three months of 2018, the figure was not as high as we had been expecting, probably due the fact that the weather hit relatively late in the quarter. For this reason we feel we are likely to see more vehicles suffering pothole damage in the second quarter of 2018 compared with recent years."
Bizley said that historically the second quarter of the year has seen a reduction in pothole-related breakdowns, so the next set of figures would be a key indicator of the state of road maintenance.
He said: "The start of the year normally sees the highest number of breakdowns attributable to poor-quality road surfaces, but more telling will be how much this drops in the second quarter.
"Ever since we started analysing these faults, this second-quarter figure has dropped sharply as local authorities catch up with repairs to address the worst damage to their roads caused by winter weather.
"We will be monitoring the situation very closely to see what effect the harsh winter weather has had. If the index doesn't reduce or, worse still, continues to increase, then this will be a very strong indication that our roads are still in a dire state of repair."
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