Breakdown cover from just £6

Breakdown cover from just £6
- 8/10 cars fixed at roadside
- Unlimited callouts
- 5 star Defaqto rated
Millions of Brits drive on holiday to Europe every year. So unfortunately, by law of odds, a few of us are going to end up at the roadside standing next to our broken vehicle. We explain what you’ll be covered for when you take out European breakdown cover, from roadside assistance to courtesy cars. More importantly, we tell you what insurance companies won’t pay out for. Which could help you stay cool, calm and collected on your big trip away.
European cover offers the same protection when you’re driving on the other side of the Channel as you would get with equivalent UK breakdown cover. This could mean roadside assistance to get you back up and running, or a tow to the nearest garage if your car needs a more serious looking over.
Some insurers might even pay to get you and your car sent home if it’s beyond repair, which could be vital if you’re pulled over in a ditch in rural Europe, unable to even come up with the word for “help”. Plus, without breakdown cover, you might end up blowing the whole holiday budget on getting the car fixed.
European breakdown cover isn’t included as standard with UK breakdown policies, or as part of car or travel insurance, so you’ll need to pay extra for this cover.
There are different types of cover depending on whether you want to take a car, van or motorbike. You’ll also have to decide whether you want one-off cover for a single holiday, or whether you want to be covered all year round.
Be wary of time limits on multi-trip policies. You might not be allowed to be abroad for more than 90 days in the year, or more than 31 days at a time. If you think you might break these caps then call the insurer and ask if it can extend cover. Bear in mind too that some UK breakdown providers won’t offer cover if your trip is to a second home, so watch out for this exclusion.
What’s covered varies between insurers, and some insurers offer more than one level of cover. Here’s a list of some of the most common features you might get, depending on the policy you opt for.
The specific countries each provider includes will vary. Most providers are happy to cover at least all EU and European Economic Area (EEA) countries. Many will go beyond this to cover some non EEA countries such as Norway and the parts of Turkey that fall within Europe. Watch out for any exclusions though – for example, not all companies cover Russia.
Some providers offer tiers of cover – so you might pay less for driving in Western European countries than those further afield, for example.
If your car conks out in Europe and you don’t have European breakdown cover, you’ll need to find a local recovery company and repair garage yourself. You may also need to muddle by in the local language. Unless you’re fluent, this could mean relying on the likes of Google Translate to interpret technical car jargon. Many UK-based breakdown companies offer English-speaking helplines, often with multi-lingual operators, to help you get things sorted.
Plus, you’ll be liable for the full cost of rescue and repairs, and potentially for getting your car back to the UK. These costs can quickly mount up. While it might seem like an annoying extra expense, unless you have an ultra-reliable car the relatively low cost of European breakdown cover could prove to be money well spent.
It should be. Unless your provider has contacted you to say differently, any existing policies should continue on the same basis as before the UK left the EU.
If you’re buying standalone European breakdown cover from one of the UK’s leading providers, expect to pay from £7 a day for single-trip cover, depending on the country or countries you’ll be driving in. Annual cover is likely to set you back at least £100ish and could be much more, depending on the provider, but could work out cheaper than lots of single trips if you drive in Europe regularly.
If you already have UK breakdown cover, it may be more cost-effective to add European cover to your existing policy.
Factors affecting the cost of European breakdown cover include:
To get a quote for European breakdown cover, you’ll need to supply:
Ask your provider for a quote and see what cover you’ll actually get for the countries you’re heading to. Is it just roadside assistance, or will it tow your vehicle and offer you a courtesy car too? Use comparison sites or get quotes directly from other companies too. See if any offer a better deal; you can use this to haggle with your existing provider.
Buying good-quality European breakdown cover is only one of the things to sort out before you drive in Europe. Here’s a checklist of some of the main things to tick off your checklist.
Most UK car insurance policies cover you to drive the insured car in Europe, but this is usually only on a third-party basis. And check that your policy covers you for the countries you plan to drive in. For full insurance cover in Europe, you may wish to extend your existing policy or buy a short-term European car insurance policy.
Some European countries have specific laws to follow, so check before you go. For example, some require you to keep your lights on at all times, or that all kids under 12 must sit in the back. Check what safety equipment the countries you’re driving in expect you to carry too. Many require you to carry a reflective safety vest and red safety triangles. In France, you’re also expected to carry a breathalyser.
You’ll also need to make sure your tax and MOT are up to date (a legal requirement for driving in the UK too), and that you have hard copies of all relevant documents, including:
In some cases, you may need to attach a GB sticker to your car. You won’t need this if your number plate already includes the GB identifier, unless you’re travelling to Cyprus, Malta or Spain. These countries always require a GB sticker, no matter what’s on your number plate.
This may be needed to trigger cover if you have an annual policy.
Dealing with different rules and languages can make driving in Europe stressful enough in the first place. Breaking down part way between Paris and Provence could send those stress levels through the roof. Buying good European cover can give you peace of mind that if your car lets you down, you won’t be left stranded and struggling. Shopping around and comparing quotes can help keep costs down – but check the small print to make sure you strike the right balance between price and quality of cover.
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