What are the different levels of breakdown cover, and which do I need?
The four building blocks every policy is made from, the difference between covering a vehicle and covering a person, and the exclusions that catch people out at the roadside.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 18 min
- Read
- 5 min
Short answer
Nearly every policy is built from four components: roadside assistance, which comes to you if you break down away from home; national recovery, which takes you and the car onwards rather than to the nearest garage; home start, which covers a breakdown at or near home; and onward travel, which provides a hire car, a hotel or a train fare. Decide which you actually need, then check whether you already have cover through your bank account, your insurer or a new car warranty.
Breakdown cover is one of the most commonly duplicated purchases in British household budgeting. A packaged bank account, a car insurance policy add-on, a manufacturer's warranty and a standalone membership can all cover the same car at once, and a great many people are paying for at least two. It is also one of the most commonly misunderstood, because the headline price hides which of the four components is included and whether the policy follows the vehicle or the person. Both of those decisions change what happens at the roadside more than the brand does.
Step by step
- Check what you already have before buying anything.Packaged bank accounts frequently include cover. Some car insurance policies include it or offer it cheaply as an add-on. New cars usually come with manufacturer roadside assistance for the warranty period, and some manufacturers extend it each time the car is serviced at a franchised dealer. Look at all three before renewing a membership.
- Understand roadside assistance.The base level: a patrol comes to you if the car breaks down away from home, usually beyond a set distance such as a quarter of a mile. Most policies exclude breakdowns at your home address at this level, which is where a great many actually happen.
- Understand home start.Covers a breakdown at or near your home address. Worth having if your car sits outside overnight, if you do short journeys, or if the battery is not new — the flat battery on a winter morning on your own drive is the single most common call and the base policy usually excludes it.
- Understand national recovery.Without it, a patrol who cannot fix the car at the roadside takes it to a nearby garage, which may be nowhere useful on a Sunday two hundred miles from home. National recovery takes the vehicle and the occupants to a destination of your choice anywhere in the UK. This is the component people most regret not having.
- Understand onward travel.Provides a hire car, overnight accommodation or public transport while the car is repaired. Its value depends entirely on whether being stranded would be a real problem — a family two hundred miles from home on a Friday evening, or a lone driver five miles from a station.
- Decide between personal and vehicle cover.Vehicle-based cover follows a named car and covers whoever is driving it. Personal cover follows you into any vehicle you are driving or a passenger in. A household with three cars and one driver wants one, and a household with one car and three drivers wants the other. Getting this backwards is a common and expensive error.
- Read the exclusions properly.The recurring ones are: a limit on the number of call-outs per year; a waiting period before the policy can be used after joining; no cover for a vehicle that has broken down as a result of a known unrepaired fault; running out of fuel or misfuelling covered only on some policies; and exclusions for vehicles over a certain age, weight or size. Check the age and weight limits if you drive a van, a camper or an older car.
- Check what happens to a car that cannot be recovered easily.Low-slung cars, electric vehicles that cannot be towed conventionally, cars with the wheels locked, and vehicles in a multi-storey or an underground car park all need particular equipment. If any of that applies, ask before buying rather than at the roadside.
- Match the level to how you actually drive.Someone doing 3,000 local miles a year in a well-maintained car needs far less than someone driving an ageing estate the length of the country with a family in it. Buying the top level out of anxiety is as wasteful as buying the bottom level and being stranded.
Common mistakes
- Buying cover without checking the bank account and the insurance policy first — Duplication is widespread. Ten minutes reading two documents you already have frequently saves the whole cost of a membership.
- Choosing vehicle cover in a household with several drivers and one car, or the reverse — The two structures cover completely different things, and the mismatch only becomes visible at the roadside when the car being driven or the person driving it is not the one on the policy.
If it doesn't work
Broke down on the driveway and the policy would not come out
Cause: No home start on the policy — Fix: The most common gap there is. If your car sits outside and does short journeys, home start is the component most likely to be used.
Recovered to a garage in an unfamiliar town on a Sunday
Cause: Roadside only, without national recovery — Fix: The patrol has done exactly what the policy provides. National recovery is what takes the car onwards to your own garage.
Joined the day the car broke down and cover refused
Cause: A waiting period on new policies — Fix: Most providers impose one, precisely to prevent this. Some offer immediate cover at a premium, which is worth knowing when you are already stranded.
Second call-out for the same fault refused
Cause: Policies exclude repeat call-outs for a known unrepaired fault — Fix: Reasonable in principle. Fix the underlying fault; the patrol's report usually names it clearly.
Electric car could not be recovered
Cause: Some EVs must be transported on a flatbed and cannot be towed — Fix: Check the provider handles electric vehicles before buying. Most major providers now do, but equipment availability varies locally.
Paying for cover twice
Cause: Bank account plus a standalone membership — Fix: Check the bank account benefits and the car insurance schedule. Duplicated cover is extremely common and one of the easiest household savings to find.
Questions people ask
Do I need breakdown cover if my car is new and under warranty?
Usually not separately — most manufacturers include roadside assistance for the warranty period, and many extend it annually with a franchised dealer service. Check what level it is, though: some manufacturer schemes are roadside and recovery only, with no home start or onward travel.
Is the AA or RAC better than a cheaper provider?
The larger providers have their own patrols and higher first-time fix rates; smaller and cheaper ones often subcontract to local recovery operators, which can mean longer waits and more variable service. Whether that is worth the difference depends on how much a two-hour wait would cost you.
Does breakdown cover include an accident?
Generally no. Breakdown cover is for mechanical and electrical failure; recovery after a collision is handled through your motor insurance. The two are separate and it is worth knowing which number to ring before you need it.