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- Simply select the breakdown cover option you want to see the deals you can get – you don’t need to share any personal details.
- Think about the age of your vehicle, how often and far you drive, and the consequences of breaking down.
- See how the cost of cover can vary depending on whether you want to pay annually or monthly.
- Sort the breakdown cover policies available by price, provider, or whether you want personal or vehicle specific cover.
- Decide on the breakdown cover best suited to you, choosing from trusted providers including AA, RAC, CoverMyBreakdown and MotorEasy.
Use our comparison table to find breakdown cover from leading providers, including:
What is breakdown cover?
Breakdown cover provides emergency roadside assistance if your vehicle lets you down. As a minimum, breakdown cover normally covers the cost of sending a mechanic to your car and towing it to a garage, if they can’t repair it.
More comprehensive breakdown policies may offer extra features and protection, such as recovery to any location, “at home” recovery, and covering the costs of alternative travel and/or accommodation. This makes it vital to compare breakdown cover and find the policy and provider that’s right for you.
Breakdown cover is available for cars, motorbikes, vans and other types of vehicle.
» MORE: Breakdown cover explained
How does breakdown cover work?
Breakdown cover works in much the same way as an insurance policy.
- Buy your breakdown cover: Compare car breakdown policies and select the provider and level of cover you want. Cover normally lasts for a year.
- If you break down: Contact your breakdown recovery provider who will arrange for a mechanic to come to you. Assistance should be on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Get the help you need: The mechanic will try to fix the problem at the roadside or will tow your vehicle (or arrange for it to be towed) to a garage if that’s not possible.
Choosing the right breakdown cover for you
There are two main types of breakdown cover policy: It’s possible to get breakdown cover which covers one vehicle specifically, or which covers you, and any vehicle you’re in.
Vehicle breakdown cover
Vehicle cover applies to a specific vehicle, whether that be a car, motorbike or van. As a result, this type of policy allows anyone who is driving the covered vehicle to call for assistance if it breaks down. It may be a good option if you have one car in your household that different people drive.
Personal breakdown cover
With personal breakdown cover, the policy applies to a particular named driver. This means you can claim on the policy and get help if any vehicle you’re travelling in breaks down, including if you are a passenger. This type of policy may be better if you have multiple cars in your household or you frequently travel in different vehicles.
» MORE: What is the difference between personal and vehicle breakdown cover?
Is personal or vehicle breakdown cover cheaper?
Vehicle breakdown cover tends to be cheaper than personal breakdown cover. This is mainly because personal cover provides cover if you’re travelling in someone else’s car, increasing the risk to the breakdown cover provider that you’ll one day make a claim on the policy.
What does breakdown cover include?
Exactly what is included in your breakdown policy depends on the level of cover you choose. The main breakdown cover options include:
Roadside assistance
With roadside assistance, or roadside recovery, a mechanic will come to your aid if you break down while driving. If the problem can’t be fixed at the roadside, you can normally expect to be towed to a nearby garage. Roadside assistance is considered the most basic form of breakdown cover, and is therefore usually the cheapest.
National recovery
National breakdown recovery is similar to roadside assistance, except you get to choose where your car is towed to. National recovery may be worth considering if you regularly travel longer distances, but will cost more than a standard roadside policy.
Onward travel
Onward travel breakdown cover entitles you to the usual mechanic and tow, but also typically covers the cost of overnight accommodation, and the use of a rental or courtesy car or public transport, to help you get to where you were heading towards. As a result, onward travel tends to be among the most expensive breakdown options.
Home start breakdown cover
With home start assistance, you can get help if your car doesn’t get off the drive or breaks down very close to home. If you have standard breakdown cover, without ‘at home’ assistance, you’ll normally need to be a certain distance from home – perhaps somewhere between a quarter and one mile away – to qualify for help.
European breakdown cover
This type of policy provides cover if you are driving through Europe and suffer a breakdown.
What does breakdown cover exclude?
Providers will set their own terms, but most policies won’t cover repeat call-outs for the same fault, problems resulting from a lack of routine maintenance, or the recovery of your car if you’ve been in an accident. If you’re towed to a garage, the cost of parts and actually repairing the car won’t usually be covered either. Depending on the type of policy you have and any add-ons you may have paid for, there may be other things you’re not covered for, so always check the policy details carefully.
Optional breakdown cover extras
Most breakdown providers offer the chance to add optional extras to a standard policy, though you’ll pay more for the additional cover. Depending on the policy, some of these add-ons may be included anyway, so check first.
Key replacement
This can help cover the cost of stolen, damaged or lost keys, and sometimes even the cost of replacement locks.
Tyre replacement
This add-on helps cover the cost if you get a puncture or damage a tyre.
Fuel cover
Typically, this provides cover if you mistakenly fill up your vehicle with the wrong type of fuel. Some policies may also offer assistance if you run out of petrol.
Battery replacement
This add-on can help cover the cost of a new car battery if yours can’t be recharged or is faulty.
Special vehicle cover
You may need additional cover if you’re towing a trailer or caravan.
» MORE: What can breakdown cover include?
How much does breakdown cover cost?
The cost of breakdown cover differs between providers and policies, but mainly depends on the:
- Type of cover – personal cover typically costs less than vehicle cover.
- Level of cover – a straightforward roadside recovery plan will cost less than an onward travel policy, for example.
- Number of vehicles/drivers covered – the cost is likely to be higher if you want to cover multiple cars or people.
- Add-ons you choose – opting for extra protection, such as key cover and battery replacement, usually adds to the price.
How to get cheaper breakdown cover
To help save money on car breakdown cover, you may want to:
- Compare breakdown cover providers: Don’t simply opt for the first breakdown policy you see. Shopping around can help you find cheap breakdown cover suitable for you.
- Don’t auto renew: If your existing cover is about to end, never simply auto renew. Always check if you can get a cheaper deal elsewhere, and speak to your current provider to see if you can get a better price with them.
- Buy cover suited to your needs: If you only drive short distances or have a newer car, you may feel a cheaper basic policy will suffice and save you money.
- Consider vehicle cover: It usually costs less to cover a specific vehicle rather than a person.
- Look at joint cover: Having a single policy which covers more than one person will often work out cheaper than arranging separate policies for each.
- Pay annually: Paying for your cover upfront, annually, instead of regular monthly payments will usually cost you less in total.
- Pay an excess: Some breakdown policies require you to pay an excess if you use your cover to get help. It may be that these policies are cheaper, but you’d need to check.
- Check if you already have cover: Sometimes breakdown cover is among the benefits offered as part of a bank account package, or you’ll have had the option to include it with your car insurance, as an add-on. But always check whether the cover is suitable for your needs and if the price stacks up.
» MORE: Compare car insurance
Breakdown Cover Comparison FAQs
No, there is no legal obligation to have breakdown cover. It’s entirely your decision whether you want it or not.
The time when you appreciate breakdown cover the most is when your vehicle breaks down. If you want peace of mind that assistance is quickly and easily at hand if your car has a problem, it’s usually worth buying.
» MORE: Do you need breakdown cover?
You should be able to get breakdown cover for most cars, although some providers may only cover cars up to a certain age. There may also be further restrictions if you use your car for business or racing, for example.
Some car insurance policies allow you to add breakdown cover as an optional extra. This is a convenient way of buying breakdown cover, but still compare prices and check the level of cover it provides.
Some providers offer breakdown cover which requires you to pay an excess. An excess is a one-off, fixed payment that you would make to the breakdown provider every time you need to call them out. You may find breakdown cover with an excess fee is cheaper than a policy where an excess isn’t payable, but always check if this is the case.
This depends. If you only own and drive one car, it may make more sense to buy vehicle-based cover. However, if you regularly drive or are a passenger in another car, then personal-based cover may be more suitable.
Generally, flat tyres are covered by breakdown cover, meaning you can request assistance if you break down and a wheel needs changing. If tyre replacement isn’t part of your standard policy, there may be an add-on you can pay for at an extra cost.
Standard UK breakdown cover won’t normally cover you if you drive abroad. However, you can get European breakdown cover if you are planning to drive in Europe.
Breakdown cover can be paid for annually or monthly. Annual breakdown cover requires upfront payment, but may work out cheaper than spreading the cost over monthly payments.
You get to choose the start date for breakdown cover and, depending on the policy, you may be covered as soon as you’ve made your payment. If you choose cover that starts immediately, you may find there is a 24-hour period before full cover applies, and perhaps a longer wait for other elements of cover, such as key and battery replacement, to begin.
The number of call outs you can make will depend on the policy. Some may have a limit on the number you can make in a year, while others may allow unlimited call outs (it’s likely these will cost more). Be aware that there may also be a general exclusion on making repeated call outs for the same problem.
If your car breaks down and you don’t have breakdown cover, you could pay an emergency call-out fee to a local garage for them to come and help you. Alternatively, you could contact a breakdown provider and get instant cover, although this will be more expensive than buying cover in advance.
Price is important when looking at policies, but you should only choose the cheapest breakdown cover if it meets all your needs. If you think you will want to use the services offered by a more comprehensive policy, then it may be more useful and cost-effective to spend more on this extra cover so you avoid paying additional costs later on.
Breakdown cover can be cancelled, but whether you’re entitled to a refund depends on timings and the policy. If you want to cancel the cover you’ve just bought, you’ll automatically have a 14-day cooling off period in which to do so. You should be entitled to a full refund, as long as you haven’t claimed on your cover. If you want to cancel after this period and/or after you’ve made a claim, you may not be able to get your money back or you may need to pay a fee to get a partial refund, depending on the provider.
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What is the Difference Between Personal and Vehicle Breakdown Cover?
