rac homestart and onward travel

How Does Car Breakdown Cover Work?

When you renew your car insurance, are you ever unsure about whether to add breakdown cover? In this post we’ll be discussing breakdown cover, how it works and the various types of breakdown cover available so you can decide what’s right for you.

What is Breakdown Cover?

Breakdown cover means that if your car or van suffers a mechanical failure while you’re on the road, all you need to do is call your insurer’s approved breakdown assistance provider. They will then dispatch a mechanic who will attempt to fix your vehicle at the roadside. If this isn’t possible, they’ll take your vehicle to the nearest garage, and give you whatever support you need to get to your destination, or to return home.

But there are different levels of breakdown cover available, and not all of them are suitable for all drivers.

All breakdown policies will also vary depending on the provider so make sure that you read the breakdown policy wording to ensure you know what is included.

Below is an example of what may be included with our chosen breakdown provider:

RAC Roadside Cover

This covers you for roadside repairs so long as you’re more than a quarter of a mile away from your home. If the RAC mechanic is not able to repair your vehicle at the roadside, they will tow you for up to 10 miles – either to your home, or to one of our approved garages.

Home Start Cover

The standard RAC Roadside cover will only cover you if you breakdown more than a quarter of a mile away from your home. If you want the cover to extend to breakdowns that happen closer to home, you’ll also need Home Start cover.

As well as Home Start and Roadside cover, this will also cover you, your vehicle, and up to seven passengers, for onward travel to any single destination in the UK.

If you’re injured or taken ill and you cannot drive, and if none of your passengers can drive, we can also arrange for transportation for your vehicle.

Onward Travel

This gives you additional cover for a number of onward travel options. Depending on your situation, you can choose one of the following:

• Replacement vehicle hire while your vehicle’s repaired. This can cover you for a maximum of two consecutive days, provided you’re aged 21 or over.
• Reimbursement for rail, air, or other public transportation costs. This can be for up to a determined amount per person or per group as set out in your policy wording.
• One night in a B&B for up to eight people.
• Special medical assistance if one member of your party’s hospitalised more than 20 miles from home.

Europe Breakdown Cover

Get European Breakdown Cover and, if your vehicle experiences a mechanical breakdown on continental Europe, we’ll cover you for roadside assistance, for local garage repairs, and for repatriation expenses.

European Breakdown Cover can also cover you for temporary vehicle replacements, for additional accommodation expenses, for replacement drivers, for custom claims, and even for loss or damage of certain camping equipment.

When you get home, your European Breakdown Cover policy can provide additional cover for any legal costs associated with your breakdown, along with the loss of your no claims discount. If you were forced to leave your vehicle abroad, we can cover the overseas collection of your vehicle, along with a replacement vehicle while you wait for its return.

Do I Need Breakdown Cover?

Without breakdown cover, to get any support you’d need to pay a callout fee, and you’d also have to pay for any necessary maintenance and repairs, along with certain other fees. But with breakdown cover, you instead pay a small extra fee on-top of your monthly car or van insurance premiums.

Some breakdown providers will allow you to purchase emergency cover if you’ve broken down and you’re not already a member. But this can prove very costly. Again, you will have to pay a number of fees, and you might have to pay even more if you’ve broken down outside your house.

Plus, breakdown assistance providers generally prioritise their members. This means that, with cover in place, you will probably get the help you need much faster than you would if you weren’t a member.

Adding Breakdown Cover to Your Policy

Adding breakdown cover to your car insurance policy means you get the help you need when you need it and claiming on your breakdown policy will not affect your no claim bonus.

Get breakdown cover added to your vehicle insurance policy with Insure 2 Drive . We’ll give total peace of mind with the level of breakdown cover you need at a price you can afford.

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Quote today.

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RAC Recover Service

Towing you Home

RAC roadside and recovery explained

Getting the right level of cover for your RAC breakdown cover some and a tricky task. You don’t want to take out elements of cover that you don’t need for the premium. But you certainly don’t want to get level of cover that doesn’t meet your requirements and left short if you are found in a breakdown situation.

RAC roadside and recovery is a very popular selection for people who take out breakdown cover. With any type breakdown cover from the RAC you quite have the compulsory RAC roadside assistance element of the cover. Which means that if your car breaks down on a quarter of a mile away from home, more quite your vehicle and attempt to fix the road. Now if you just at the roadside assistance and the patrolman can’t get it repaired Sally Rod he’s going to take you out of the danger situation and take it either a local garage or home is it within 10 miles.

A lot of people may think they’re entitled just with the roadside assistance to be taken home from anywhere if they are in the country. This isn’t the case if you hundred miles away from home happens to be Kent any vehicle can’t be repaired at the roadside the RAC patrol man is going to take you to a garage in Kent is not going to take you hundred miles back to your home address.

So the element allows you to be towed anywhere you like within the UK is the recovery aspects of cover. Typically costs an extra £30 if you’ve opted vehicle-based cover and attached just £50 if you have personal-based cover.

Do you need RAC recovery?

This is an excellent question depends on the situation. It depends on your driving habits not your actual performance and driving and if you consume a lot of petrol but whether you cover a lot distance and whether that distance is long-distance. If you only ever travel around your local city never go anywhere else then you’re not going to need recovery you always going to be within the 10 miles hopefully of the roadside assistance tour that you are entitled to. However if you constantly up and down the country travelling more than 10 miles from your home then it’s worth considering the recovery if you breakdown far away from home consider how you would get back if you breakdown service provider the RAC would not be back. I do think that you can still receive a tow back home with roadside assistance but you going to have to pay for every mile and it will soon add up.

Other things to consider

a lot of people also take out home start. Even if you have the roadside recovery you still not covered at home. You can click here to find out more information about RAC home recovery . You also need to know whether that cover you get from the RAC should be vehicle-based breakdown cover or whether it should be personal-based breakdown cover

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Home start breakdown cover

Few things are as frustrating as not being able to start your car when you have places to be. find out all about home start breakdown cover..

In this guide

What is home start breakdown cover?

What does home start breakdown cover include, when can home start breakdown cover be useful.

• What doesn't it cover?

Can I get home start breakdown cover without taking out a policy?

Frequently asked questions.

Breakdown cover types

We compare the following providers

Breakdown cover

If you have home start breakdown cover, then you can get a mechanic to come take a look at your car if it breaks down or fails to start in your driveway or just outside your home.

This type of breakdown cover can be taken out as a standalone policy, or as part of a more comprehensive breakdown cover policy that can also include things like roadside assistance, national recovery and onward travel.

This will vary by provider.

Typically, home start breakdown cover will have the following options:

• Cover in case your car breaks down or won’t start directly outside your home.
• Some policies might include someone coming out to help you if you break down away from your home but within a certain distance.
• Some policies might include having your car towed to a local garage. More comprehensive policies can also include the option to have your car towed to any address of your choice within the UK.

Always check the details of your policy and make sure you know exactly what’s included to avoid being left out of pocket.

Note that certain elements, like how many times in the year you can call someone out to help you and what type of repairs you’re covered for can also vary by provider and level of cover you take out.

Home start breakdown cover is mostly useful in case you get in your car to go somewhere and find that it won’t start, especially if you drive to work.

That said, breakdown policies that include cover away from home and the option to have your car towed to a garage (whether local or further afield) can be extremely helpful under any circumstances, as even new and well maintained cars might sometimes break down at the side of the road. This can be frustrating, costly and even dangerous, so having the option to call a professional for help is a relief.

What doesn’t it cover?

Depending on the provider and policy level you choose, your cover might not include the following:

• Cover in case your car breaks down away from your home (some will include this up to a certain distance).
• Having your car towed to anywhere other than a local garage.
• Cover for alternative modes of transport for you to continue your journey.

If you break down without insurance, one option you have is to call Green Flag, which offers a breakdown service, on 0800 400 600. Another option is to call the AA, which offers instant cover, on 0800 88 77 66. Note that these options will likely involve paying an emergency call-out fee.

If you have a local garage you often use, one of its mechanics might be able to come over to your property and look at the issue. They might charge more for this than regular repairs when the car is brought to them, but it can be a cheaper option than paying emergency call-out fees.

What do you do if your car breaks down at home?

If this is not a possibility and you have home start breakdown cover, call your insurer and request a mechanic to visit. Note that it can take several hours for someone to be sent out to you.

Is home start included with standard breakdown cover

Who would take out home start breakdown cover.

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Ronny Lavie

Ronny Lavie was a deputy editor at Finder, specialising in insurance content. She has almost a decade of experience writing about financial topics, including five months spent as the interim managing editor for the Fintech Times newspaper. Ronny has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from London Middlesex University. See full profile

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BREAKDOWN COVER 1

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Our breakdown membership ensures there is a level of cover that suits your driving style at a price we're confident you'll be happy with.

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• Electrostal History and Art Museum

You can spend time exploring the galleries in Electrostal History and Art Museum in Elektrostal. Take in the museums while you're in the area.

• Cities near Elektrostal

• Places of interest
• Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
• Central Museum of the Air Forces at Monino
• Peter the Great Military Academy
• Ramenskii History and Art Museum
• Bykovo Manor
• Balashikha Arena
• Malenky Puppet Theater
• Balashikha Museum of History and Local Lore
• Pekhorka Park
• Saturn Stadium
• Orekhovo Zuevsky City Exhibition Hall
• Noginsk Museum and Exhibition Center