Beginner's Guide to European Car Breakdown Cover
If you like to drive on holiday in several European countries such as Spain, Germany, France, Italy, etc, it is very important to buy European car breakdown cover. Driving in a foreign country brings about increased risks simply because you are not familiar with their road traffic conditions. When your vehicle breaks down in some foreign location, do you know how to get roadside assistance immediately 24/7?
The price range for Europe car breakdown insurance is quite wide, since you can choose from many types of optional breakdown coverage. For example, you may be very familiar with UK car insurance, however your premium costs will increase if you want the same level of comprehensive roadside vehicle recovery assistance when abroad. However, some people prefer to buy 1 week car insurance for temporary road trips.
Your existing insurer may be providing extended Europe car insurance coverage on your main policy, such as holiday car insurance cover which may be cheaper compared to buying a stand alone car break down policy.
Whether you are driving alone or traveling with passengers such young children, elders, expectant mothers etc, having proper breakdown car insurance in European countries can minimize the amount of stress and trauma faced during an accident or fault with the vehicle.
You can buy temporary European car insurance or for longer trips up to 90 days, depending on the nature and duration of your trip. We recommend comprehensive European car insurance for 90 days if you are planning a long trip or will be traveling across various EU countries. The probability of accidents or car fault increases with the number of days you are driving.
Be aware that some cheap vehicle breakdown coverage may have hidden clauses. For example, car recovery in remote locations outside city limits can be very expensive and hence excluded in cheap policies. You may end up paying add on fees in the event of calling for roadside assistance. There is also the issue of vehicle repatriation when it cannot be fixed locally due to lack of parts. This is more likely to happen than you imagine, especially for left hand drive vehicles that broke down in cities using right handed vehicles. If your cheap European car insurance plan doe not include repatriation, your total bills can become very expensive.
You may decide to rent a holiday car for traveling across EU countries, and let the car rental companies take care of the insurance and vehicle breakdown recovery matters. Car theft is another common occurrence in certain EU countries, and you may not want to deal with such claims/losses while you are holidaying and not affect your no claims car insurance discount.
The price range for Europe car breakdown insurance is quite wide, since you can choose from many types of optional breakdown coverage. For example, you may be very familiar with UK car insurance, however your premium costs will increase if you want the same level of comprehensive roadside vehicle recovery assistance when abroad. However, some people prefer to buy 1 week car insurance for temporary road trips.
Your existing insurer may be providing extended Europe car insurance coverage on your main policy, such as holiday car insurance cover which may be cheaper compared to buying a stand alone car break down policy.
Whether you are driving alone or traveling with passengers such young children, elders, expectant mothers etc, having proper breakdown car insurance in European countries can minimize the amount of stress and trauma faced during an accident or fault with the vehicle.
You can buy temporary European car insurance or for longer trips up to 90 days, depending on the nature and duration of your trip. We recommend comprehensive European car insurance for 90 days if you are planning a long trip or will be traveling across various EU countries. The probability of accidents or car fault increases with the number of days you are driving.
Be aware that some cheap vehicle breakdown coverage may have hidden clauses. For example, car recovery in remote locations outside city limits can be very expensive and hence excluded in cheap policies. You may end up paying add on fees in the event of calling for roadside assistance. There is also the issue of vehicle repatriation when it cannot be fixed locally due to lack of parts. This is more likely to happen than you imagine, especially for left hand drive vehicles that broke down in cities using right handed vehicles. If your cheap European car insurance plan doe not include repatriation, your total bills can become very expensive.
You may decide to rent a holiday car for traveling across EU countries, and let the car rental companies take care of the insurance and vehicle breakdown recovery matters. Car theft is another common occurrence in certain EU countries, and you may not want to deal with such claims/losses while you are holidaying and not affect your no claims car insurance discount.
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