How long should a tarmac driveway last?

15 to 20 years when laid on a 150mm compacted sub-base with proper edge restraint. Poorly based tarmac often starts breaking up within five to eight years, usually at the edges first.

Does a driveway need resealing?

Tarmac benefits from a seal coat at around year ten. Block paving needs joint sand topping up annually rather than sealing, and sealing is optional and cosmetic. Resin bound should not be sealed.

How do I know if my driveway needs replacing or repairing?

If it rocks underfoot, holds standing water in the wheel tracks, or has settled dips over about 25mm, the base has failed and repair is temporary. If the levels are true and it just looks tired, an overlay or relay will do.

Will a driveway add value to my house?

Off road parking reliably improves saleability in this area, particularly on streets with permit or narrow on street parking. Condition matters more than material, and a failing expensive surface reads worse than a tidy tarmac one.

8 min read · Updated 29 August 2026

How Long Does a New Driveway Last?

Honest lifespan figures by surface, the five things that cut them in half, and what a driveway looks like when it is genuinely finished rather than just tired.

Realistic lifespans

These are the figures we stand behind for driveways built to a proper specification and given basic maintenance in the Hampshire and Surrey climate.

Surface	Typical life	Life if base is skimped	First thing to fail
Tarmac	15 - 20 years	5 - 8 years	Edges and oxidation
Block paving	20 - 25 years	3 - 6 years	Settlement in wheel tracks
Resin bound	15 - 20 years	4 - 7 years	Base cracks reflecting through
Gravel	10 - 15 years	2 - 4 years	Migration and potholing
Concrete	25 - 30 years	8 - 12 years	Cracking and spalling

The five things that halve a driveway's life

A thin sub-base. Anything under 100mm of compacted Type 1 under a car drive is a countdown, and on clay we want 150mm or more.

No edge restraint. Without a haunched edge, block paving spreads and tarmac crumbles from the sides inwards. This is the single most common defect we find on drives under five years old.

Standing water. Water that cannot leave will find the sub-base, wash out the fines and let the surface move. Every year of standing water costs several years of life.

Tree roots. A mature root under a drive will lift any surface. If there is a large tree within about six metres, the driveway design needs to acknowledge it, with a flexible surface and a root barrier.

Overloading. A skip lorry or a delivery HGV on a domestic drive built for cars will do more damage in one visit than a decade of family use.

Maintenance that genuinely adds years

Tarmac: keep the edges supported and diesel off the surface. A seal coat at around year ten, £8 to £14 per square metre, restores colour and slows oxidation. Skip it and you lose perhaps three years.

Block paving: top up the kiln dried sand annually. Empty joints let blocks rock, rocking grinds the arris and once the interlock has gone the field spreads. Ten minutes a year with a bag of sand is the best value maintenance in landscaping.

Resin bound: keep it clear of leaf mulch, because that is where moss and staining start. Two washes a year is enough.

Gravel: rake back the high spots, top up every two to three years, and keep the edge boards or kerbs intact.

When repair beats replacement

If the surface is tired but the levels are true and there is no rocking underfoot, the base is fine and you are looking at a cosmetic job. Tarmac can be overlaid at 25 to 30mm for £30 to £50 per square metre. Block paving can be lifted, the base corrected locally and the same blocks relaid at £35 to £60 per square metre.

If the drive rocks, holds water in the wheel tracks or has a settled dip more than about 25mm deep across a wide area, the base has failed and any surface work is decoration on a problem.

What we build to

Our standard domestic specification is a 250mm dig, geotextile membrane, 150mm compacted MOT Type 1 in two layers, then the surface build up appropriate to the material, with a haunched concrete edge throughout and a defined drainage outfall.

That is written into every quote along with the guarantee, which is one of the reasons our drives are still flat when the neighbour's is not. Call 07538 218723 for a survey.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a tarmac driveway last?: 15 to 20 years when laid on a 150mm compacted sub-base with proper edge restraint. Poorly based tarmac often starts breaking up within five to eight years, usually at the edges first.
Does a driveway need resealing?: Tarmac benefits from a seal coat at around year ten. Block paving needs joint sand topping up annually rather than sealing, and sealing is optional and cosmetic. Resin bound should not be sealed.
How do I know if my driveway needs replacing or repairing?: If it rocks underfoot, holds standing water in the wheel tracks, or has settled dips over about 25mm, the base has failed and repair is temporary. If the levels are true and it just looks tired, an overlay or relay will do.
Will a driveway add value to my house?: Off road parking reliably improves saleability in this area, particularly on streets with permit or narrow on street parking. Condition matters more than material, and a failing expensive surface reads worse than a tidy tarmac one.