Frequently Asked Questions

We charge a fee for the work we do to set up and manage your breakdown cover.  You will always see this fee clearly in any quote we give you.  Previously this fee was still charged but was included as part of the overall price of our product.

You only pay this fee if you buy a Start Rescue policy and this fee covers the general operational overheads  which include the overall administration of your policy, as well as making sure we can help you any time you break down – 24 hours a day, all year round.

The amount of the fee will vary depending on what type of breakdown cover you choose.  Both your insurance premium and the fee are taken together in one payment.

Vehicle Cover – Provides cover for your vehicle, regardless of who is driving.

Personal Cover - Covers you when you are a driver or passenger in any eligible vehicle.

Yes, we provide electric vehicle breakdown cover for  electric vehicles across the UK and Europe, using our vast network of well-trained, experienced recovery operatives. 

Yes. We offer Continuous Monthly Cover for our UK, One to Three Star vehicle cover.

Your policy will renew each month unless you tell us to stop. 

We do not offer Continuous Monthly Cover for our European Four or Five Star vehicle cover or any Personal Cover policy. 

Our Continuous Monthly Cover policy renews automatically each month using the payment card you provide (credit or debit card). Our Continuous Monthly Cover does not involve a credit agreement, is not an instalment plan, and is not paid by Direct Debit. Your monthly premium is simply taken from your card each month to keep your cover active.

Imported vehicles can only be eligible for cover if: 

• HMRC have been notified and any applicable VAT is paid
• The vehicle has gained approval (if required),
• The vehicle is registered and taxed with the DVLA,
• The vehicle has a valid MOT certificate;
• The vehicle is insured.

We cannot cover:

• Vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg (3.5 tonnes).
• Campervans, buses, limousines, motorhomes, horseboxes, vehicles with more than 10 seats or agricultural machinery
• Vehicles carrying livestock, refrigerated loads or hazardous chemicals
• Vehicles used for private hire, public taxi services or for rental
• Vehicles being used for courier or delivery services, racing, rallies, contests, or speed trials or practice for any of these activities.
• Vehicles with trade plates, those just purchased at auction, having just been imported and/or being transported in connection with the motor trade.
• Vehicles with existing faults or that are already broken down.
• Vehicles that aren't kept in a safe condition or modified in a way which will affect its reliability or our ability to provide our service or don’t have a valid MOT and road tax.

Please check your policy wording for full terms and conditions.

Yes, we have a special team of EV recovery operators who are fully trained to handle high voltage battery systems and other parts of electric vehicles. These operators get ongoing training to make sure we can always help you safely and quickly.

If the vehicle can’t be fixed on the spot, we can help you find a suitable local garage.

If there is no garage available to look at the vehicle, and you have bought our Two through to Five Star cover, we will pay to transport the vehicle and passengers to your home or to the place you were originally travelling to (whichever is nearer).

If you have our One Star breakdown cover, we will pay to take the vehicle and passengers to any place you choose within 10 miles of where you broke down. If you need to go further than 10 miles, we can give you a separate price to help with that. Please just ask.

Any work done except roadside help is a separate agreement between you and the garage. You will need to pay for all parts fitted at the roadside or at the garage.

If you don’t have a policy with us and your vehicle has broken down, you can’t buy a policy to cover that problem. But we might still be able to help you. Call us on 01206 785999 or 0333 320 0975, or use our app and tell us what’s wrong. We’ll let you know what options we can offer.

We've teamed up with Cornmarket Insurance Services Limited. If you're already a Start Rescue customer, you can find special deals just for you on our website or by logging into the Customer Lounge. 

Depending on your situation, we may provide alternative accommodation.

• In the UK: We will pay up to £150 for a lone traveller, or £75 per person for you and any passengers, towards the reasonable cost of overnight accommodation including breakfast while the vehicle is being repaired. The most we will pay per incident is £500.
• In Europe: if the vehicle breaks down abroad and can’t be fixed the same day and you can’t stay at your pre-booked accommodation, we will pay up to £150 per person for one night, including breakfast for all passengers. The maximum amount per incident is £1000 including travel expenses to reach the nearest suitable accommodation.

Accommodation must be approved by our Rescue Co-ordinator in advance and will be paid on a pay and claim basis.

If you buy a new policy, you need to wait 24 hours before it starts, unless you've picked a start date that's more than 24 hours away. Then, it will start at the beginning of that day.

If you have chosen our Two to Five Star Cover, for the first 48 hours from the start date of your policy, cover is limited to One Star Cover only (Roadside Assistance and Local Recovery up to 10 miles within the UK).

This restriction will not apply at renewal where there is no break in cover or to Short Term European Cover.

If you have Annual Vehicle or Personal Cover and want to make changes to your policy, such as changing the vehicle, adding a vehicle or upgrading the cover level, we require a minimum of 48 hours notice before cover can be effective. If you have monthly continuous cover and want to make changes, you will need to cancel your current policy and set up a new policy with the new details. Cover will be restricted to One Star Cover for the first 48 hours from the start date of the policy.

If your car can’t be fixed on the same day, or a period agreed between you and our Rescue Coordinator and you're far from home (at least 20 miles away), we can help! We'll pay up to £250 in the UK or £500 in Europe for another way to travel or for renting a small car to help you finish your trip. If someone needs to go back and get your fixed car later, we’ll pay up to £150 in the UK or £200 in Europe for two people if you have our Four or Five Star European Cover.

The use of alternative travel will need to first be agreed with our Rescue Coordinator.

You will need to pay for the hire car or travel costs and keep the receipts to get the money back.

If you have Personal Cover, you are covered as a driver or passenger in any eligible vehicle.

If you have Vehicle Cover, our policy only covers the vehicle registered with us, but any driver of that vehicle is covered.

If you change the vehicle, let us know as soon as possible so we can update our records:

• If you have Annual Cover, you can do this through the Customer Lounge or by calling our Customer Service team.
• If you have Continuous Monthly Cover, you will need to cancel your current policy and set up a new policy.

Unless you have Personal Cover, your policy only covers the vehicle we have registered for you.

If you change the vehicle, tell us right away.

If you have Annual Cover you can do this through the Customer Lounge. We require a minimum of 48 hours notice before cover can be effective.

If you have Monthly Continuous Cover, you will need to cancel your current policy and set up a new policy. Cover will be restricted to One Star Cover for the first 48 hours from the start date of the new policy.

If your new vehicle is in a different age group, you may have to pay more, but you won’t get a refund or credit.

Your policy documents are available to view in your online Customer Lounge. If you want them to be sent to your email, choose your policy, and click the “Email Documents” button, the documents will then be sent to the email address you have registered with us.

We don't give refunds after the 14 day cooling-off period or if a claim has been made. 

If you have an Annual policy, you can either change the vehicle on your policy to cover another vehicle at the same home address for the rest of the policy term or you can cancel the policy with no refund.

If you have a Continuous Monthly Cover policy, log in online to your Customer Lounge and cancel your policy before the next payment is due. Payment is taken up to 2 days before your monthly policy is due to renew.

If you lose your keys, break them, or lock them inside the vehicle, we will come out to help you and can take the vehicle back to the recovery operator’s base or to your home if it’s nearer.

But things like getting new keys made, programming them, or using special equipment to move the vehicle or secure storage costs are not covered. You would have to pay for those extra services yourself.

As a renewing customer with an annual policy, you never pay more than the standard website retail prices for new customers for the same type of cover. 

Your renewal price might go up as and when the vehicle gets older or if you have an annual policy and you choose a different level of cover, but it will still be cheaper than the standard website retail price new customers pay for the same cover.

If you have any questions about your renewal price, please log in to your online Customer lounge and contact us from there.

Yes, if your vehicle is in an accident, we cover this as part of the breakdown policy and we will help you based on the level of breakdown cover you have.

If you have One Star cover, we will pay up to £250 (including VAT) towards the cost of a fuel drain and flush to be completed at the roadside or the recovery of the vehicle and passengers to the nearest suitable repairer (within 10 miles) and their reasonable costs to drain and flush the fuel tank. We will also include 5 litres of the correct fuel, as part of the overall £250 (inclusive of VAT) claim limit.

If you have our Two to Five Star Cover and you would prefer to have the fuel drain and flush done by your own chosen repairer, we will pay for the vehicle to be taken to a repairer within 20 miles of the breakdown

This service requires prior authorisation from our Rescue Coordinator and is offered on a pay-and-claim basis.

You can update your card details online by logging into your Customer Lounge.

For Annual policies select ‘Manage Automatic Renewal Settings & Saved Cards’ and select ‘Add Additional Card’. You can delete an existing card and add a new one.

If your policy has Automatic Renewal Protection enabled, make sure to set the new card for the renewal.

For Continuous Monthly Cover policies, please select ‘Manage Payment Card or Cancel Policy’ and select ‘Change Payment Card’.

Yes, someone else can pay for your policy. Make sure the cardholder is present and gives permission for the payment.

If you have an Annual policy which is set to automatically renew or a Continuous Monthly Cover policy, the payment will be taken from this card at each renewal. Ensure you have the cardholder's permission to use their card at each renewal.

If you do not wish to use this card for renewal, you will need to update your payment card details online in your Customer Lounge.

You can reset your password by clicking the “Forgot Password” link on the Customer Lounge login page.  You’ll need to use the email address you used when you first set up your policy.  If you’ve changed your email or can’t remember which one you used, you’ll need to call our Customer Services Team.

Yes you are covered if the vehicle runs out of fuel or charge. We will pay for the vehicle and any passengers to be recovered to the nearest fuel station or charging point.

If your vehicle's fault isn’t covered, our Rescue Coordinator can give you a quote for assistance on a pay-on-use basis.

If you decide to go ahead with the assistance, you’ll need to pay for it with a credit or debit card at the time.

No, you are only entitled to one call-out per breakdown and one vehicle recovery to a chosen destination under the initial call-out.

If you have broken down at home and the garages are closed, and you have Three or Five Star Cover which include Home Assist, we may advise you to wait until garages are open again and then call for assistance the following day. If the issue can’t be fixed, we'll pay for the vehicle to be recovered to a garage for repairs.

We allow unlimited call-outs for each vehicle that is insured if you have Vehicle Cover, or for each insured person if you have Personal Cover.

However, we will not cover a call out for the same fault we have already attended within 28 days unless a permanent repair has been completed by a garage.

If you have an Annual Policy, log in to your online Customer Lounge and choose the policy you want to change.

• For vehicle-based policies, click on “Upgrade Vehicle Cover”
• For personal policies, click on “Upgrade Personal Policy”

You will then see the cover options you can choose and any extra cost. Pick the upgrade that works best for you and follow the instructions online to complete.

If you have a Continuous Monthly Cover policy, you will need to cancel your current policy and set up a new policy with the new level of cover.

If the vehicle breaks down in the UK, you can use our mobile app or call our 24 hour rescue number. Tell us where you are and give us a phone number so we can contact you.

We will try to fix the vehicle at the roadside first. If  it can’t be fixed , we will pay for the vehicle to be taken to the nearest garage that can repair it.

If there is no garage available to look at the vehicle, and you have our Two to Five Star cover, we will pay to take you, the vehicle, and any passengers to your home or to the place you were originally travelling to (whichever is nearer).

If you have our One Star breakdown cover, we can take you, the vehicle and any passengers to any place you choose within 10 miles of where you broke down. If you need to go further than 10 miles, we can give you a separate price to help with that. Please just ask.

To add someone to your Personal Policy, log in online to your Customer Lounge and choose the policy you want to change. 

Click on “Upgrade Personal Policy" to see the cover options and any extra cost. Pick the option that works best for you and follow the online instructions to complete.

If the vehicle is stolen or vandalised, you should contact your insurance company. Please contact us for assistance after you have spoken to your insurance company.

If the vehicle is vandalised in Europe and you have Five Star Cover, we will pay for the vehicle to be transported to a nominated address in the UK and we will also pay up to £1,000 for alternative transport for the passengers to reach the same destination as the vehicle.

If you have One Star breakdown cover and need to be recovered further than the 10 miles local recovery which is included, we can still take you to the place you choose but you will need to pay for the extra miles at the time we help you. You can pay over the phone with a credit or debit card.

If you think you might need recovery for more than 10 miles, you may want to choose a higher level of cover, like Two to Five Star, which might suit you better.

If you are an existing customer you can upgrade from One Star cover in the Customer Lounge. 

You cannot upgrade cover for an existing fault or breakdown and we require a minimum of 48 hours notice before the upgraded cover can be effective.

If you have One Star breakdown cover, you can be recovered within 10 miles of where you break down.

If you have Two to Five Star cover, there's no limit to the distance you can be recovered within the UK. If the vehicle can't be repaired at the roadside within 60 minutes, and a local garage can't help in a reasonable time, we'll pay for the vehicle and any passengers to be taken to your home or to your preferred destination anywhere in the UK, whichever is nearer.

Two to Five Star Cover is limited to One Star Cover for the first 48 hours from the start date of the policy.

If your car or motorcycle is 10 years old or younger, you can upgrade your Annual Vehicle policy to either:

• 4 Star Cover: This includes roadside assistance, recovery anywhere in the UK and recovery in Europe.
• 5 Star Cover: This includes roadside assistance, recovery anywhere in the UK, help at home, and recovery in Europe.

You can make these changes to you Annual Vehicle policy in your online Customer Lounge or by contacting our Customer Services Team.

Unfortunately, we don’t offer European Cover for:

• Vans
• Personal cover
• Vehicles older than 10 years; or
• Continuous Monthly Cover policies

You can buy a multi-car policy by adding all the vehicles you want to cover during the quote process. Each additional vehicle gets a 10% discount automatically.

For Annual Vehicle cover you can also add more vehicles to an existing policy, as long as all vehicles are registered to the same address. To do this, log in to your online Customer Lounge. You won’t be covered for any additional vehicles for the first 48 hours of updating your vehicle details with us.

If you have our Continuous Monthly Cover policy, you cannot make changes to your policy and you will need to set up a new policy for the additional vehicle(s).

We cover the registered vehicle if it breaks down and any breakdown to a towed caravan or trailer of a proprietary make which is fitted with a standard towing hitch and does not exceed 7 metres/23 feet in length, not including the length of the A-frame and hitch

Recovering a trailer with livestock inside isn't covered under the policy and depends on the decision of the Recovery Operator at the scene.

If the trailer can't be recovered with the animals inside and you don't know anyone nearby who can help, we'll try to find a local company to help move the animals separately. You'll need to pay for this extra service right away using a credit or debit card.

We will ask if there's a specific garage you want your vehicle to go to, and you'll need to arrange the booking and any repairs. If you need help finding a garage, we can help find one and give you the details so you can book your vehicle in.

We suggest waiting for help to make sure your vehicle is fixed properly. If you cancel and your vehicle breaks down again with the same problem, you will be charged for the second and any later callouts.

If you have purchased the appropriate cover, the following countries are covered under the European extension:  Andorra, Austria, Balearics, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Isles, Corsica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, San Marino, Sardinia, Serbia, Sicily, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City.

Any work beyond roadside assistance is a separate agreement between you and the garage that does the repairs. You will need to pay for all parts fitted roadside or at the repairing garage.

We will cover the cost of ferry and toll fees only within the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

If your car breaks down in another country and you have our Four or Five Star Cover, call us right away.

If you're on a special toll road or private road in Europe, first use the phones on the road to get help from the local authorities, who will move the vehicle. After they move the vehicle, you can call us using the numbers in your policy, and we'll help you from there!

Yes, you need to follow the laws of the countries you travel to and through. At a minimum, you should take your:

• Credit card (required for hire cars and some hotels)
• Driving licence (and any extra documents you might need with it)
• V5C vehicle registration document
• International driving permit (if required in the country you are travelling to or through)
• Proof of outbound and inbound travel dates
• Travel itinerary
• Vehicle insurance certificate and documents
• Breakdown Cover policy

Depending on the problem you tell us about, we will first try and repair the vehicle at the roadside. If we can’t, we will pay to take it to the nearest suitable garage for repairs. We may also offer other ways to help, following your breakdown.

If the vehicle cannot be fixed in a reasonable time (agreed with our Rescue Coordinator), we will take you, the vehicle and any passengers back to the UK.

If the vehicle breaks down on the motorway in the UK and you can't use your mobile phone, use the emergency telephones located every mile. The police will take your details and contact us to arrange for you, the vehicle and any passengers to be recovered.

Yes, you can cancel your policy at any time.

If you wish to cancel within the 14-day cooling-off period, please contact our Customer Services Department regardless of whether you have an annual or monthly policy.

We do not provide refunds after the 14-day cooling-off period or if a claim has been made.

For Annual policies, cancellation after the cooling-off period must be arranged through our Customer Services Department.

For Continuous Monthly Cover policies, you can cancel after the 14-day cooling-off period by logging in to your online Customer Lounge and cancelling your policy before the next payment is due. Please note that payment is taken 2 days before your policy is due to renew. The 14 day colling off period applies from when you first took out the policy and does not apply every month.

For Continuous Monthly Cover and Annual Cover where Automatic Renewal Protection is enabled, you will not have to do anything as long as the card linked to your policy remains valid at the time of the renewal. We will email you a renewal quote prior to the renewal date, and if there are any issues such as there not being enough funds in your account we will notify you asap to inform you that the policy has not renewed.

If you have an Annual policy and do not have Automatic Renewal Protection enabled you will need to log in to your online Customer Lounge and choose the policy you would like to renew.
Click on ‘View Your Current Renewal’, and review your renewal, you can amend your renewal quote by clicking on ‘AMEND QUOTE’. Once you are happy with your renewal quote please click ‘RENEW NOW’ and following the online payment instructions.

We send renewal communication to your registered email address approximately 30 days before the renewal date for Annual policies and 21 days before Continuous Monthly Cover policies. If you haven't received this email, please check your spam or junk folder.

If your email address has changed, you can update it in your online Customer Lounge by logging in with the original email you used to join. Alternatively contact our Customer Services Team to make the update.

If there was a mistake with your email address when you signed up, don't worry - contact us and we'll help you correct it.

If you have a serviceable spare wheel or aerosol repair kit, along with the locking mechanisms for the wheel, we will attempt to repair the vehicle at the roadside.

If you are not carrying these items we will recover you within 10 miles of the breakdown to the nearest suitable garage. If recovery of more than 10 miles is required, you will need to pay the extra milage costs.

If the vehicle is not designed to carry these items, we will recover you in line with the recovery limit you have chosen.

We can help by sending up to 2 messages to your friends, family, or co-workers to let them know what's going on.

Yes, Start Rescue has a free Mobile App for all customers to help with vehicle breakdowns. It's quick and easy to set up and lets you report a breakdown easily. This can help save on call costs and your phone's battery life. Once you complete the information on the app we will know who you are, where you are, and your policy number. We'll call you to confirm the details, so you save even more costs.

You can download the Start Rescue app from your device's app store.

For Annual Cover, if Automatic Renewal Protection is not enabled, you don't need to do anything. Your policy will end on the date shown in the renewal reminders.

If Automatic Renewal Protection is enabled, log in to your online Customer Lounge and select the policy you don't want to renew. Click on ‘Manage Automatic Renewal Settings & Saved Cards,’ then choose ‘OPT-OUT OF RENEWAL PROTECTION.’

For Continuous Monthly Cover log in to your online Customer Lounge and select the policy you don't want to renew. Click on ‘Manage Payment Card or Cancel Policy’ then choose ‘Cancel Policy’.

For Annual Cover you can turn Automatic Renewal Protection on or off anytime by changing the setting online in your Customer Lounge or by calling our Customer Services Department. Your setting will either show as Enabled (on) or Disabled (off).

For Continuous Monthly Cover, you cannot disable Automatic Renewal Protection, however, you can cancel the policy before the next payment is due to be taken. You can do this online in your Customer Lounge or by contacting our Customer Services Team.

We aim to have a Recovery Operator with you within 60 minutes. However, this may vary due to factors outside of our control, such as traffic from accidents, local events, or weather conditions. In mainland Europe, the time may also vary depending on your location. 

If you have received an email advising we can no longer provide European breakdown assistance for your vehicle from renewal, it's likely because your vehicle is now too old.

We can only provide European cover if your vehicle is 10 years old or younger.

When we help with your vehicle, pets might need to stay inside to keep everyone safe. If you have big animals such as those in a trailer or horsebox, we'll try to help find a way to move them. But, you'll have to pay for this extra service, as it's not part of the breakdown policy.

If you're driving in the EU, EEA, Switzerland, Serbia, or Andorra, you don't need a special insurance paper called a "green card" anymore. This makes it easier to travel!

But remember:

• Make sure your vehicle insurance lets you drive in these countries.
• Take your vehicle's registration papers.
• Carry your driving licence.

Because rules can change, it's smart to check the latest info before going on your trip!

We always try our best to help, but if you’re unhappy, you can contact us and we'll try to fix the problem right away. You can also email us at customerservices@startrescue.co.uk — just remember to include your name, policy number, details of what's wrong and what you expect from us.

If you'd like, you can also write a letter to us at:

Customer Services, Call Assist Limited, Axis Court, North Station Road, Colchester, Essex CO1 1UX

For further details of how to make a complaint please click here.

If you chose an excess when you purchased your policy, it will be shown on your policy schedule. You can view your policy schedule online in your online Customer Lounge. 

You can upgrade your policy to remove the excess at any time, online in your Customer Lounge. The excess will still apply to any claims made before the upgrade, or within 48 hours of the upgrade.

If you have purchased Four or Five Star cover, there's no limit to how far you can be recovered within Europe.

If your vehicle can't be repaired at the roadside within 60 minutes, and a local garage can't help, and if it still can't be fixed within 48 hours or by your planned return time (whichever is later), we'll take you, your vehicle, and passengers either back home or if you would prefer and it is closer, your original destination within Europe.