Breakdown Guides

Personal breakdown cover

By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

If you own more than one car or regularly drive someone else’s vehicle, then opting for personal breakdown cover could offer the best value. (Updated 16/6/10)

The benefits of personal cover

While it might cost you a little extra, personal cover means that you'll get assistance no matter what vehicle you're driving because it’s you rather than the car that’s covered. Some policies will even cover you as a passenger if the car you're riding in breaks down on the road.

Personal breakdown cover might also be a good idea if your car is more than 10 years old as this will attract a higher premium.

But if other people regularly drive your car it makes far more sense for you to get the car itself covered - that way no matter who is driving it, they’ll be able to get assistance if they breakdown.

The level of cover

Cheaper breakdown policies often only offer roadside assistance plus a tow to a local garage or your home - you'll have to pay for any parts and repairs on top of your monthly premium. But you can also get top of the range policies that will cover any necessary repairs, callouts if your car breaks down outside your home and possibly even breakdown cover if you go abroad.

Check the small print

No matter which type of policy you go for, you should always make sure that you read the small print before you sign up. Two different policies offering personal breakdown cover might both offer very different services for your money.

The way you pay

There are also loads of different options when it comes to how you pay for your breakdown cover. You’ll pay a set monthly fee with a traditional policy, but there are also “pay per claim” options available, which might offer the best value if you drive a fairly new, reliable car. But paying in this way does mean that you need to make sure you have the money ready at all times just in case you do break down.

Some car insurance policies and even premium bank accounts now also offer “free” breakdown cover, but you need to use all of the services on offer to really make these kinds of deals work for you.

Choosing your breakdown cover

To get the best value deal, you have to think carefully about your needs before signing up. While it’s important to make sure that you get adequate breakdown cover, you also need to be careful that you don’t end up paying out for unnecessary extras.