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.
How to Check If You Have Breakdown Cover
It's easy to forget whether you’ve taken out breakdown cover—especially when many of us have numerous Direct Debits and standing orders. To check if you're already covered, follow these steps:
- Search your emails for keywords like “breakdown”, “policy”, or the name of a known provider.
- Look through any physical paperwork you’ve kept from recent vehicle-related purchases.
- Check your bank or credit card statements for regular payments to known breakdown cover providers—note that some may appear under a different trading name.
- If you suspect you're covered through a bank account or insurance policy, check their terms or call customer services.
How can I find my breakdown cover provider?
If you’ve lost track of your provider, try the following:
- Search your inbox using provider names such as “Start Rescue”, “AA”, “RAC” or “Green Flag”.
- Review recent car insurance or finance documentation, as cover is sometimes bundled with these.
- Call providers you think you may have used—they can search by personal details.
What should I do if I experience a breakdown?
If you break down and aren’t sure you’re covered, follow these steps:
- Move your vehicle to a safe location if possible.
- Switch on your hazard lights and ensure everyone is safe.
- Call your suspected breakdown provider or roadside assistance number.
- If you're not covered, they may still assist you on a pay-per-use basis.
- Consider taking out a policy immediately if you’re not already covered.
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.
Types of Breakdown Cover Explained
Breakdown cover comes in several forms to suit different needs. Here’s a breakdown of the main types:
What types of breakdown cover are available?
Roadside Assistance – The most basic form of cover. If you break down, help is sent to try to fix the vehicle at the roadside. If it can’t be fixed, towing to a nearby garage is usually included.
National Recovery – Includes everything in Roadside Assistance, but also offers towing to any location in the UK. Ideal if you frequently travel long distances.
Home Start (Home Assistance) – Covers callouts at or near your home, for example if your car won’t start in your driveway.
Onward Travel (Alternative Travel) – Provides support such as a replacement vehicle, accommodation or travel expenses so you can continue your journey.
European Cover – Extends cover to countries in mainland Europe. Useful for holidays or business trips abroad.
Personal Cover vs. Vehicle Cover – Personal cover protects you regardless of the vehicle you're in. Vehicle cover applies only to the specific car registered on the policy.
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.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Breakdown Cover
Choosing the right breakdown policy involves understanding your driving habits, vehicle condition and travel plans. Important factors include:
- Age and mileage of your vehicle – Older cars may benefit from more comprehensive policies.
- Daily commute or long-distance travel – Frequent long journeys may justify National Recovery.
- Do you need cover for multiple vehicles or people? – Consider multi-car or personal policies.
- Do you travel in Europe? – Opt for a policy with European Cover.
- Do you park at home or on the street? – Home Start may be useful if your car won’t start at home.
- Budget – Balance features against affordability to get the best value.
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.
Will my policy cover my breakdown?
Whether your breakdown cover policy will cover you in the event of an incident occurring depends on what your policy includes.
For example, if your car won’t start at home, you will need home assistance included on your policy.
This is why it is key to always read the policy wording so you know what types of incident you will be covered for, and where.
Need breakdown cover?
If you've discovered you're not currently covered, you can get a quick quote from our website
We have policies starting at just £19.75.
How about insurance?
Find out how to check if your vehicle insurance is up to date.
