Breakdown Insurance

What is Breakdown Cover Insurance?

Breakdown cover protects you if your vehicle breaks down. For example, if your vehicle gets a flat battery, a punctured tyre or a more serious fault, having Breakdown cover means you won’t be stranded on the roadside. We sell breakdown cover as standalone, however we can cover any vehicle - including van, car, horsebox and taxi.

There are two main types of Breakdown Insurance:

•    Personal – Personal Breakdown cover applies to the individual, rather than a particular car or vehicle.
•    Vehicle – Vehicle Breakdown cover applies to a particular named vehicle. Any vehicle that’s not on the policy would not be covered.

Why do I need it?

Legally, you don’t need breakdown cover in the UK. However, many people only think about breakdown cover when they are already stranded on the roadside. Get breakdown cover in advance to avoid additional and unnecessary costs and be prepared for the eventuality of breaking down by covering yourself before it happens. While you can get immediate cover if you ring up from the roadside, this can be at an inflated cost. While this inflated rate isn’t cheap, it can be cheaper than getting recovered by the Highways Agency. 

When purchasing a brand new car, it’s worth checking to make sure you don’t already have cover, as some new cars come with complimentary breakdown assistance. 

What does it cover?

The level of cover you need may depend on your lifestyle, and you can amend your cover at any time, although this is often at an additional cost. Here are the five main elements:
•    Local roadside assistance: This covers breakdown local to your home address. If your vehicle cannot be fixed at the roadside, they will tow you to a local garage.
•    National vehicle recovery: Useful when travelling long journeys, national recovery will send out roadside assistance to wherever you are in the UK.

• At-home breakdown: Also known as ‘Home Start’. If you breakdown outside your home this cover will get you up and running again, your distance from home for it to qualify for home start varies between providers.
• Onward travel: If you’re on your way to work, for example, this cover gets you to your destination. A hire car or covering the cost of a train, bus or flight is usually offered.
• European breakdown cover: This will cover you for the duration of your trip. It’s usually offered as an add-on to other vehicle insurance policies so it’s worth checking whether you’re already covered.

What’s not covered?

Each breakdown policy will have its own terms and exclusions. Read policies carefully and look out for things like: 

•    Call-out limits in a year
•    Exclusions such leaving your lights on or misfuelling
•    Not all policies will assist in changing a flat tyre

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