What onward travel provides
If the vehicle cannot be repaired at the roadside or the same day at a garage, the provider pays for one of the following, up to policy limits:
- A hire car, typically for 24 to 72 hours, of a similar or smaller class. You will usually need a credit card and a clean-enough licence for the hire company.
- Overnight accommodation for the driver and passengers, up to a nightly limit per person.
- Alternative transport — rail or coach fares — to continue the journey or return home.
Some providers add extras: a courtesy car while your own is repaired, a replacement driver if the driver is taken ill, and message-relay services. These are the main differences between brands at this level.
Who should buy it
Onward travel is for people whose journey matters more than the car: families on holiday, people driving to catch a ferry or flight, and anyone whose job means arriving. If you mostly drive within 30 miles of home, the benefit is rarely triggered and the cost is hard to justify.
Exclusions and small print
- Hire car provision is subject to availability and the hire company's own terms; a Sunday night in rural Wales may mean a hotel instead.
- Benefits usually require that the breakdown happened more than a set distance from home.
- Accommodation is for the night, not for the duration of the repair.
- Most policies will not supply a hire car if the breakdown is a result of running out of fuel or charge, or lost keys.