Breakdown

Breakdown cover levels: roadside, recovery, home start, onward travel

Roadside fixes you or tows you locally, national recovery takes you anywhere in the UK, home start covers your drive and onward travel keeps you moving.

Breakdown cover usually comes in four building blocks: roadside assistance (fix it there or tow it to a nearby garage), national recovery (tow you anywhere in the UK), home start (help when the car fails at or near your home) and onward travel (a hire car, hotel or transport costs while it's repaired). Basic policies give you roadside only, and each extra level adds a specific kind of help, so the right mix depends on where and how far you drive.

The names vary between providers, which is where most of the confusion comes from. Below, each level is explained in plain terms, with what to check in the small print.

What does each level of breakdown cover include?

Here is the quick version. The detail on each level follows.

Providers package these differently. One firm's "standard" policy might bundle roadside and national recovery, while another sells every level as a separate add-on. Compare what is actually included rather than the name on the tier.

What is roadside assistance?

Roadside assistance is the entry level. According to Which?'s guide to buying breakdown cover, a breakdown van comes out to you and either fixes the car where it stopped or tows you to the nearest garage. Most policies set a recovery limit (the maximum towing distance) of 10 to 20 miles from the scene.

That works well for short, local journeys. It is less useful if you break down 150 miles from home on a Friday evening, because the nearest garage may not be able to look at the car until Monday, and you would be left to sort out getting yourself home.

Things to check at this level:

• The recovery limit. Is it 10 miles, 20 miles, or something else?
• The home exclusion. Which? notes that many basic policies only work when you are more than a quarter of a mile away from your home.
• Call-out limits. Some policies give unlimited call-outs, while others cap basic cover at two or three a year.

What is national recovery?

National recovery builds on roadside assistance. If the car can't be fixed at the roadside, you, your passengers and the vehicle are taken to a destination of your choice anywhere in the UK. Which? says this usually includes your home if you wish, or the nearest garage to your destination.

This is the level people tend to look at if they regularly drive long distances, tow a caravan or travel between nations of the UK for work or family. It solves the "stuck miles from home" problem, but it doesn't pay for somewhere to stay while you wait or for a replacement car. That is onward travel.

What is home start and do you need it?

Home start covers you when the car won't go at or very near your home address. Providers call it different things, including home start, home assist and cover at home, as Which? points out in its buying guide and survey write-up.

It matters because a lot of breakdowns happen before the journey has even started: a flat battery on a cold morning is the classic example. In that same Which? survey of more than 50,000 motorists, published in October 2021, 47% of recorded breakdowns happened at home.

Two points to check:

1. The distance. Find out exactly how far from home the basic cover starts. If it is a quarter of a mile, a breakdown at the end of your street may not be covered without home start.
2. When it starts. Which? says that if you upgrade to add home assist, most providers take 24 hours to put it in force. Adding it once the car has already failed won't usually help with that breakdown.

What does onward travel cover?

Onward travel is generally found in the more comprehensive policies. Which? describes it as cover for a hire car, overnight accommodation or costs towards taxis and public transport if the provider can't fix your vehicle straight away. Some providers include it as standard; with others it's an optional extra.

As an example of how the levels fit together, picture a car that fails on a Saturday afternoon 80 miles from home, needing a part that won't arrive until Tuesday. Roadside assistance gets a patrol to you and a tow to a local garage. National recovery could take you and the car home instead. Onward travel is what would help pay for a hire car or a night in a hotel so you can carry on with the trip while the garage waits for the part.

When comparing onward travel, look at:

• how many days of hire car are allowed, and the size of car
• whether there is a cap per night or per person on accommodation
• whether costs are arranged by the provider or paid by you and claimed back

Personal or vehicle cover: which does what?

Alongside the levels, there is a second choice: what the cover is attached to.

• Vehicle cover is tied to one specific car, whoever is driving it.
• Personal cover follows you, so it applies in any car you're travelling in, whether you're driving or a passenger.

Which? explains that most policies let you add more drivers. Households with several cars, or people who regularly borrow vehicles, often compare both types. Businesses running several vans or cars face a similar question at a larger scale, which our guide on how many vehicles you need for fleet insurance covers.

It is also worth checking whether you already have breakdown cover. Which? notes that some packaged bank accounts include it, and some car insurance policies offer it as an add-on, although add-on versions may give less than a standalone policy (for example, a lower call-out limit).

When you have a clear idea of the level and type you want, you can compare breakdown cover quotes from specialist UK brokers by answering one set of questions.

Is breakdown cover regulated by the FCA?

Partly, and this catches people out. Under article 12 of the Regulated Activities Order, a provider whose cover consists mainly of help in kind when a vehicle breaks down (repairs at the scene, delivering parts, fuel or keys, or removing the vehicle to a garage or another place) can fall outside the rules for regulated insurance, provided conditions are met. Those conditions include the help in the UK and Republic of Ireland being provided, in most circumstances, by the provider's own staff.

In practice, the Financial Ombudsman Service says it can't look at complaints about policy pricing, call-outs, roadside repairs or vehicle recovery with some providers. It can look at complaints about onward travel, repairs at a garage, overnight accommodation and incidents in Europe. It suggests checking the business on the FCA's Financial Services Register to see whether it is regulated for the service you're complaining about.

If something goes wrong, the steps are:

1. Complain to the breakdown provider first.
2. Give it up to eight weeks to send a final response.
3. If you're unhappy with the answer, or hear nothing after eight weeks, take it to the Financial Ombudsman, as long as the service is one it can look at.

What should you do while you wait for the breakdown patrol?

Whatever level you choose, your safety comes before the cover. The Highway Code says to get the vehicle off the road if possible, switch on your hazard warning lights and wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight or reflective clothing in the dark. A warning triangle can go at least 45 metres (147 feet) behind the car on the same side of the road, but never on a motorway.

On a motorway, National Highways' advice is:

1. Go left. Move into the left lane and pull into an emergency area, lay-by or onto the hard shoulder if you can, with hazard lights on.
2. Get safe. If it's safe, leave the vehicle by the door furthest from traffic and wait behind a safety barrier, away from the road.
3. Get help. Use the free emergency phone (where provided) or your mobile to call National Highways on 0300 123 5000, and contact a breakdown recovery service.

If you can't get out safely or you've stopped in a live lane, stay in the car with seatbelts on and hazard lights on, and call 999.

For drivers who use their vehicle for work, breakdown cover sits alongside the main motor policy rather than replacing it. If you drive a van, our guide to social, domestic and pleasure vs carriage of own goods explains how van insurance use classes work.