Do You Need Breakdown Cover?

Legally? No. You aren’t required by law to take out breakdown cover and there’s nothing forcing you to take it out. If you don’t want breakdown cover then don’t take it out – simple as that.

So, the question isn’t really do you need, but rather do you want breakdown cover. That brings up a huge range of questions that need to be answered before you can make a confident decision about this cover.

Average Cost of Breakdown Cover

This is very hard to figure out exactly, as it is a very competitive market and every company is trying to do their best to undercut others. Prices are constantly fluctuating, which means that you could be faced with entirely different figures depending on the time of year, if you’re taking advantage of deals or even based on the car you’re driving.

You’ll also find that different companies offer cover for a range of different eventualities, with some being fully inclusive while others offer very basic protection. Additionally, you can cover either a vehicle or an individual – again prices differ wildly between providers here.

If you shop around enough then you can find basic cover for as little as £15 a year, but don’t be surprised if you have companies like the RAC or AA asking upwards of £70 for their complete package annual membership.  

One thing to think about is taking out insurance with a company who provide you with breakdown cover as part of their package. This essentially gives you free cover for the year, but it will limit the number of insurance companies that you would be looking at.

Reliable Vehicles

Something that is often brought up when considering whether or not to take out this policy is how reliable your car is. While this can impact the price of your premium – after all newer cars are less likely to breakdown – it isn’t really an accurate way of determining your requirements.

Many breakdown call outs happen for incidents such as:

• Flat tyres
• Dead batteries
• Ran out of fuel/ put in the wrong fuel
• Stone through windscreen/ radiator
• Lost keys
• Minor accidents

These can happen at any time to any vehicle, regardless of how mechanically reliable it is. That said, having a more reliable vehicle could determine the level of service you require and could potentially reduce the cost of your policy.

What Happens If You Don’t Have Cover?

Don’t worry, if you don’t take out cover it isn’t the end of the world. There are plenty of avenues you can go down if you breakdown without cover such as calling the highways agency, a local garage or even getting out breakdown cover on the spot.

This may be more expensive than the price of your annual premium, but you could still end up saving money if you very rarely require these services. Unfortunately, this is a big risk to take and there’s no real way of knowing whether or not this is the best option until everything’s panned out.

Read more: What to do when you breakdown?

My Breakdown Cover is too Expensive!

If you have an old car that frequently breaks down and requires a call out from your breakdown company then chances are your premiums will be sky high. This can be a real problem, as often increased renewal prices make you question whether paying for the cover is really worth it.

When this happens, it may be worth looking into selling your car and buying something a little newer and more reliable. While it may be a large initial cost, you are likely to save a small fortune on repairs, garage bills, breakdown cover and even general running costs.

Looking to sell your car quickly? At Cashpoint4Cars we buy all sorts of cars, including non-runners, often within 48hours giving you cash into your account on the same day. Find out how much we’d pay for your car today by entering your registration number.

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