Car breakdown cover comparison

Anyone who regularly travels by car, particularly those who own older vehicles, those who drive at night or in remote areas, as well as families, business travellers and commuters, should invest in the protection provided by breakdown cover.

Getting the best from breakdown cover:

Breaking down is stressful and inconvenient but breakdown cover can come to your rescue, ensuring you receive the assistance you require at any time.
There are two types of car breakdown cover available, ‘standard breakdown’ and ‘pay and claim’ cover. Both offer the same level of cover and call out times. The differences lie in how the assistance is paid for.
‘Standard breakdown’ cover is the most readily available and convenient option for most road users. This type of cover can be vehicle based (specifically for one registered car) or person based (assistance provided for the policyholder for any car they are travelling in, as a driver or passenger). The annual upfront fee covers call outs for that year (which can be limited to a specified number of call outs) at no additional cost.
‘Pay and claim’ cover is potentially the cheapest breakdown option. As with ‘Standard Breakdown’, an annual fee is paid upfront but the cover differs in that the breakdown company do not operate their own patrols but contract out their recovery services to local providers. As a result, upon recovery you will be required to pay the local recovery service provider and retain the receipts in order the reclaim the expense from the breakdown company. This is less convenient than ‘standard’ cover but if cutting cost is a priority then this little hassle may be worthwhile.
Both ‘standard’ and ‘pay and claim’ cover options offer various policies with different features. The level of cover you require will of course depend on your circumstances, in particular the age of your vehicle, your annual mileage and what you use the vehicle for.

The main options to choose between are:

Home assistance

Vehicle assistance in the event of a no-start when parked at home or in close proximity (approx. quarter of a mile).

Roadside assistance

All car breakdown cover policies offer roadside assistance when away from home. The car breakdown cover company will send assistance to fix the problem at the roadside. And if the vehicle can’t be fixed on location, it will be towed to a garage close to home so that the problem can be addressed. Most policies include 60 minutes of free labour, but replacement parts are not included.

Vehicle recovery

This offers roadside assistance and, if the vehicle cannot be fixed on the roadside, transport of the vehicle and passengers to the desired destination.

Onward travel

Onward travel cover helps you on your way to your desired destination whilst your car is being repaired. The level of convenience will depend on the policy. For example, some policies will offer public transport assistance whilst others will provide a hire car and overnight accommodation.

European cover

Most breakdown companies offer European cover, either as a stand-alone policy or an add-on to another breakdown policy. It acts as protection against the complexity and cost of breaking down abroad. With European breakdown cover, English-speaking representatives are on hand to help and the recovery process is likely to be quicker and less stressful.

Save money on breakdown cover

You’re already a long way to saving money on your car breakdown cover by comparing. By inputting your vehicle’s age and the level of cover required, you can compare quotes from multiple breakdown companies in seconds.
Look out for discounts and special offers when shopping around too.
If you have more than one vehicle in your household, it may be worth looking into multi-car policies, a potentially cheaper option than multiple individual policies.
Compare the cost of ‘pay and claim’ cover against ‘standard’ cover, the former is often cheaper.

Car Breakdown cover

Compare breakdown quotes for cars, motorbikes and vans with online car breakdown cover comparison websites. All policies include roadside assistance and local recovery as standard.
Quotes are calculated based on the age of your vehicle and the level of cover you require. We’ll bring you quotes from across our panel of breakdown companies.
Remember that the cheapest policy isn’t always the best policy. Take time to compare policy features to find the best breakdown cover for you.

Why not visit a breakdown cover comparison website and find a great deal or read Start Rescue Reviews.