What is breakdown cover?

Breakdown cover is an insurance where you receive assistance if your vehicle - or, in the case of Personal Breakdown cover, the vehicle in which you are travelling – breaks down.

Purchasing this additional service for your vehicle means that if you do break down, the breakdown service will provide a roadside repair of your vehicle, or tow if the vehicle cannot be repaired at the roadside.

Do I need breakdown cover?

It's easy to forget about breakdown cover, or to even think do I need breakdown cover? - until that unpleasant moment when your car breaks down.

Whether you're in town or out in the countryside, breaking down is stressful and, if you don't have breakdown cover, it can be expensive to sort out. Towing fees, repairs - even overnight accommodation costs - can make your wallet feel a lot lighter.

Having car breakdown cover offers peace of mind that you will be rescued in the event of a breakdown and that it won’t involve a huge expense in doing so. Breakdown cover means you'll be covered for some or all of these costs (among others), depending on the policy you buy.

Not sure if you're covered ?

But what if you're not sure if you're covered if your vehicle breaks down?

Most of us have numerous Direct Debits and standing orders set up, so it's easy to lose track of our outgoings and to not actually be aware if we have car breakdown cover or not.

We might also have a relative who's not sure if they have active breakdown cover - and who needs some help recovering their details.

You may have breakdown cover:

Purchased directly from a breakdown cover provider (such as startrescue.co.uk)
Or bundled with a newly purchased car, car insurance or your bank account.

If you think you have breakdown cover with Start Rescue but have lost the details, you can check your emails, printed records, or give our friendly team a call on 01206 655000

Finding your breakdown cover policy details

Check your emails or try conducting a search within your emails using ‘breakdown’ as the search word to find details of any cover bought online.

If you think you know which provider you have breakdown cover with, you can also call or email them to find out your current status.

Providers may send an email or letter before the cover is due for renewal.

If you think you've paid for breakdown cover but cannot recall the provider’s name, you can check your bank or credit card statements for the required details. Bear in mind some providers have a trading name and an actual company name, the latter of which may be listed on your statements.

Not sure about the level of breakdown cover you have?

If you've taken out a policy but you're not sure what you’re covered for, locate your Policy Schedule which will confirm the cover level purchased and then check the cover level against the Policy Wording.

Providers have different levels of breakdown cover available. For example, Start Rescue offers 1-Star cover (including Roadside Assistance, Alternative Travel and Overnight Accommodation), right up to comprehensive 5-Star cover, which features all benefits - including Nationwide Recovery, European Cover and Home Assist.

What breakdown cover should I get?

Wondering what breakdown cover should I get? It’s a common scenario people face when looking to purchase a breakdown policy.

Choosing the right breakdown cover policy to fit your needs can be quite difficult when you factor in all of the varying features and benefits of some policies.

Breakdown cover providers tend to offer a range of policies from a standard policy which includes roadside assistance and recovery for your vehicle, you and your passengers, to more comprehensive policies with additional benefits.

What breakdown cover do I need?

When looking to buy breakdown cover, your choice of policy will depend on your needs.

You may just want a basic breakdown cover package, or you might want to opt for a policy which covers a more extensive range of eventualities. If you drive to Europe for holidays or business trips, you may wish to consider purchasing a policy which includes European cover.

Here, at Start Rescue, we’ve tried to make our breakdown cover policies as simple as possible so you know that the cover you choose is the right one for you.