Different types of breakdown cover

Breakdown cover will give you peace of mind that you’ll not be left stranded on the roadside. As with all insurance products there are numerous providers and policy types.

Find the best breakdown cover for your car.

Types of breakdown cover

Here is a summary of the types of breakdown cover on offer:

Roadside rescue
If you break down, this type of policy will get you moving again or towed to the nearest garage. Only the specified car in the policy will be covered, and incidents at your home or within a specified radius of your home will not be covered.

If the car can be fixed at the roadside you should receive a guaranteed number of minutes (usually up to 60) of free labour to repair minor mechanical or electrical faults. All you are likely to have to pay for are the parts.

If your vehicle cannot be repaired at the roadside it will be towed to the nearest garage within a specified radius.

Roadside rescue and home rescue
This should offer the same level of cover as roadside rescue and extends the cover if your car breaks down at home or within a ¼ mile of your home. If the vehicle cannot be fixed, it will be towed to your local garage.

Roadside rescue and recovery plus
This type of policy should provide:

• All the benefits of Roadside rescue and home rescue (see above)
• Accommodation in a local hotel while awaiting completion of repairs, providing the incident occurs more than a certain number of miles away from your home, or
• A hire car to complete your original journey or return home, or
• The cost of alternative transport to enable you to complete your original journey or trip home.

European rescue
If you drive on the continent it’s worth considering a European breakdown policy.

Some of the benefits include:

• Roadside breakdown assistance
• Payment for delivery of replacement parts if they're not available locally
• The return of your vehicle if it cannot be driven
• The cost of travelling home if your car is stolen

Some insurers provide this free of charge with their car insurance policy, so check your car insurance small print first.

Other things to consider

You should consider using a well-known company for your breakdown cover as the larger the company providing the cover, the larger their recovery operator network is likely to be. Most large insurers have at least 2,000 operators.

Insurers will usually offer you the option of either insuring yourself or the vehicle. By covering the vehicle, your car will be covered if it breaks down no matter who is driving it. If you insure yourself, you will be covered whether you are travelling as a driver or passenger. Always read the policy terms and conditions if you are not clear as to what cover you have.

Always read the small print carefully as you may receive extra benefits in your policy it would be useful to know about. For example, some insurers offer discounts for second and third cars kept at the same address.