The breakdown cover is an additional car option that you can buy to make sure you receive assistance in fixing or towing your vehicle to a garage in the event that your car breaks down during a trip. Roadside assistance is among the various kinds of breakdown cover you can purchase.
Breakdown cover is a great option in the event that your vehicle breaks down suddenly. It could cover everything from a flat battery to punctured tyres. When you are covered by breakdown cover the insurance company will send a qualified mechanic to your vehicle breaks down. The mechanic will repair your vehicle and get you to the highway, or tow your car into the closest garage in case you require additional time to assist in fixing it. Breakdown cover policy will ensure that you don’t get stuck in the middle of your trip and will assist you in fixing your vehicle. The majority of insurance providers cover the majority of vehicles, which includes bicycles, cars, vans motorhomes, caravans trucks and buses. There may be specific requirements for these types of vehicles like a maximum weight or age of the vehicle. Make sure to read the small print on a contract to make sure you’re covered.
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What is breakdown cover function?
The details can differ based on the coverage you’re covered you are insured with, but generally you just pull over and contact your policy provider if you’re experiencing problems with your vehicle.
When you call the insurance provider, they’ll request your address and assist in determining what’s wrong with your car to dispatch a mechanic to you. You might also be able to make use of an app to call your insurance company and provide them with your location. Be sure to have the number of your insurance provider on your phone, and write it in a scrap of paper that you keep in your vehicle, together with your account number unique code, account number or other information about your policy that you receive with your cover.
Different kinds of breakdown cover
There are five types of breakdown cover that you can pick from. The most appropriate type or cover for you will depend on the amount and where you travel as well as the coverage you require.
1. Assistance at the roadside
Assistance for roadside emergencies is by far the most basic form of cover and is covered in the majority of insurance policies available for purchase.
Roadside assistance assists you at the side of the road if your vehicle fails on the way to work. A trained technician arrives at your location and repairs the issue on the spot. If your vehicle requires additional assistance, they’ll take the vehicle to the closest garage or the one that you choose or your service provider based on the terms of the policy. The most important thing to bear in mind when selecting the level of cover is that help is only available if your vehicle is unable to continue operating within a specific distance of your residence, typically at minimum a quarter of a mile away.
2. Home recovery
A home recovery, also called ‘home start’ is a solution when your car is unable to start at the address you have registered for or within a small distance of your home. It is typically not covered under roadside assistance coverage and therefore, obtaining home start is a great option for those who frequently commute close to home. The precise distance that you are eligible for assistance under home start will depend on the policy you have with your insurance provider.
You’ll get the same amount of assistance as roadside assistance and, in the event that the mechanic isn’t able to repair your vehicle and tow it to the closest garage. This type of breakdown cover is beneficial when you travel frequently for in short distances or have to leave your vehicle in a parking lot for a time and it results in a depleted batteries or sub-par tyres.
3. Onward journey
A return journey or alternative transportation’ breakdown cover guarantees that, even if your vehicle isn’t able to be repaired on the roadside the journey won’t come to a standstill.
If you travel onward you may be able to get an arrangements for overnight accommodations and reimbursement of travel expenses and medical aids, or any other type of public transportation depending on the terms in your contract to assist you in reaching your destination safely and securely. This is a good option for those who travel often over long distances, particularly for business reasons, since it will help you arrive at your meeting in time or do not miss your train or flight. If you decide to purchase onward journey breakdown cover it is important to determine whether there are any limitations regarding what is covered. For instance, costs like ferry and toll costs may not be covered as part of the coverage, and the costs for accommodation could be limited to a certain amount of nights or a certain number of guests and the cost for taxis or a car you hire could cover only a certain amount of days or miles.
4. National Recovery of Vehicles or the National Recovery of Vehicles
The National Recovery, which is also referred to as’vehicle recovery’ offers the convenience of having your vehicle towed anywhere within the UK you prefer, regardless of how far. For instance it could be a garage that is specialized you prefer or even your home address.
This is an excellent alternative if you often travel for long distances as it gives you peace of mind knowing that you and your car can receive roadside assistance regardless of where you are, even when you are miles from your home or your preferred destination for return.
5. European recovery
If you are planning to drive your vehicle on the next journey to Europe and you are looking for a cover, you’ll find that European recovery cover could be an excellent alternative for you.
With this type of cover in case your vehicle is damaged, you are able to repair your vehicle on the side of the road or have it taken to the closest garage. Although it’s similar to roadside assistance, the primary advantage for European recovery is getting an expert’s assistance in sorting out your vehicle while you’re traveling abroad. It is also possible to have your vehicle sent home to UK in the event that your insurance policy allows the cost of transport. Although these are the most popular types of breakdown insurance, different companies may provide different types of breakdown cover as well as you can choose to purchase multi-car cover or commercial cover as well as family cover.
Different types of breakdown policies
In addition to the various types of cover In addition, you are able to select the type of policy that is best for you either traditional or insurance style.
Traditional style
If you choose to purchase traditional-style breakdown cover and you’ll receive all the benefits your chosen policy provides after you’ve paid the annual or monthly fee to the policy company.
Style of insurance
In an insurance-type cover you must make a payment in advance for repairs or towing costs and car rental, as well as any other services you require in the event that your vehicle breaks down. Then, you can get the money back by presenting the receipts to the insurance company.
How can you tell the differences between personal cover and car cover?
A breakdown cover is available as an individual cover or a vehicle cover.
Personal cover
Personal cover is designed for a particular individual. If you purchase your own private cover is not a matter of what vehicle breaks down, as long as you’re driving.
Benefits of having a personal cover are:
* You’ll receive assistance regardless of the vehicle you use * If your insurance provider provides this you’ll be covered regardless of whether you were an passenger in the vehicle If you own multiple vehicles, it could be an excellent option personal cover is able to cover others in your family , if your insurance provider permits it.
The disadvantages of having personal cover are:
If you’re not in the car, any other owner of the vehicle or family member will not be covered under your personal cover The coverage is typically more expensive than obtaining vehicle cover for your car. If there’s more than one driver who is driving your vehicle, you may be interested in obtaining family cover as an addition to your personal cover in the event that your insurance company allows. The amount of people covered by family cover will be determined by the policy’s proof of coverage. Family members must reside at the same address in order to be considered as family cover and each member is given the same amount of protection. In general you can add any member in the family cover including children, spouse or flatmates – in the event that you reside in one household.
Cover for the vehicle cover
A car cover is a way to claim damages if the car you are driving. This policy is applicable only for specific vehicles and not on other vehicles.
Benefits of vehicle cover:
* Your insurance provider might permit you to cover only a handful of vehicles covered under this policy, provided that they have been registered to your home address. * It’s typically cheaper than an individual cover This is an excellent option for drivers use your vehicle If you only own one vehicle, this could be an option to consider.
The disadvantages of car cover:
* You will not be protected if you’re driving other person’s vehicle. You are able to cover only one vehicle under the vehicle cover This isn’t ideal when you own multiple vehicles and is more expensive to cover each vehicle separately as opposed to obtaining a personal cover If you wish to cover more than one vehicle the multi-car cover is a viable option if the insurance company provides it. The number of vehicles covered under multi-car cover will be determined by the insurance company and each vehicle will receive the same amount of protection. Typically, multi-car cover requires that all vehicles be registered at the same address.
What is a breakdown cover includes and excludes?
What’s covered and what’s not depends on the amount the breakdown cover you purchase, as well as the terms and conditions.
To find out exactly what’s excluded from your insurance policy You should go through the policy’s documents thoroughly, and then determine what you are able to assert a claim for and what’s not covered.
The most frequent exclusions from the breakdown cover are:
There is a problem in your vehicle that doesn’t cause your vehicle to fail such as running out of fuel , or having a malfunctioning entertainment center, horn or any other car accessory that is damaged. The breakdown could be caused by an accident on the road (though they may be capable of towing your vehicle) The reason for the breakdown is inadequate maintenance on your car, such as wearing out tyres or vehicle management issues such as refilling with the wrong type of fuel Breakdown due to your vehicle not being roadworthy * Breakdown on private property (except when it’s your property and is covered under your insurance policy) Breakdowns with pets or animals inside the vehicle * Cost of replacing parts policy could have an activation time of just a few hours, a few days or even a few weeks, or a part cover that can last up to 30 days.
Breakdown cover additional accessories
There are a variety of add-ons you can choose to add additional coverage in addition to the policy you have chosen. The options available for additional coverage will vary between the policy companies.
Consider whether an additional add-on could assist in making the policy more to meet your requirements when you select breakdown cover for you.
A few common breakdown cover accessories include:
* Replacement of a Tyre * Battery Key replacement * Fuel mis-filling * Family cover * Multi-car cover * Special vehicles cover