Essex County Council highways boss Rodney Bass lodged a complaint against his own local authority after a road defect damaged his car.
Bass told BBC Essex that a “serious” defect had caused damage to his vehicle, but his compensation claim was turned down.
He said: "I do have every sympathy with people who suffer damage or injury as a consequence of any problems on the road.
"It is unacceptable that that should be the case. I have damaged my own vehicle, and I've actually tried to get reimbursement, and failed to get reimbursement for my own vehicle on a serious defect."
A spokeswoman for Essex County Council said: "We will not comment on the specific details of individual claims for compensation.
"All compensation claims received by Essex County Council are investigated fully and costs are only paid if the council feels they would be held liable in court for having breached their statutory duties as the highways authority to maintain the highway."
