Breaking down is stressful and inconvenient, but breakdown cover can provide valuable peace of mind - ensuring you receive assistance at the roadside at any time of the day or night. To help you decide what type of breakdown cover is right for you, we've compiled a short guide that explains what it is, how it works and how you can save money but still find the policy that's right for you.
Breakdown cover is known by a variety of names, most commonly roadside recovery and roadside rescue. It provides assistance to motorists who have broken down and are unable to continue their journey.
Breakdown cover is a sound investment for anyone who regularly travels by car. It is particularly suitable for people who own older vehicles, for those who regularly drive at night or in remote areas, families and business travellers or commuters.
There are two types of breakdown cover available:
When it comes to choosing between the two, your main considerations will be price and convenience. This is because both options will provide the same level of cover and average call out times (around 40 minutes). If convenience is important to you, then with standard cover you can avoid the hassle of paying for the call out upfront and then having to reclaim the money back.
Breakdown companies often have their own definitions for the different cover levels and services they provide, however the four main options that they all offer are:
Most breakdown companies also offer European cover, either as a stand-alone policy or as an add-on to a standard policy. If you plan on taking your car to the continent - perhaps on a booze cruise to France, for example - then European breakdown cover is a sound investment. Breaking down abroad is not only costly but can be complicated too - with European breakdown cover you'll deal with English-speaking representatives and the recovery process will be quicker and less stressful, too.
The level of breakdown cover that's right for you will of course depend on your circumstances, including the age of your vehicle and your annual mileage. How you use the vehicle will have a bearing on the level of cover you need too, for example the requirements of a driver who does high mileage and relies on their vehicle for commuting or business use will be different than those of a driver who only uses their car now and again for short trips in the locality of where they live.
Understanding how breakdown companies price their products can help you to keep the cost of your policy down. Some companies offer fixed price premiums while others calculate premiums based on a range of criteria, such as your vehicle’s age and your annual mileage etc. What this generally means is that if your policy is classed as ‘high risk’ you will pay more for cover, and if you are classed as ‘low risk’ you will pay less. If you suspect that you are classed as a high risk then you should shop around for a fixed-price policy instead, it'll probably be cheaper.
Similarly, multi-car policies can often prove cheaper for families than family membership policies that cover individual family members.
For more savings, pay and claim cover is usually considerably cheaper than standard cover, so if you don't mind paying for the call out and then claiming the money back, you could save pounds on your premium.
It's always worth checking for discounts and special offers too. Above all, the key to saving money is to shop around and compare breakdown cover policies online.
With Gocompare.com you can compare quotes for breakdown cover for cars, motorbikes and vans; all policies include roadside assistance and local recovery as standard.
Simply tell us how old your vehicle is and what additional levels of cover you require and we’ll bring you quotes from up to 15 breakdown companies. You can then filter your results to compare up to four policies side-by-side; by comparing policies on features as well as price you can find the one that best suits your needs.
Remember that the cheapest policy isn't necessarily the best policy for you, and by spending a little more you may actually get better value for money.