Motoring is becoming increasingly expensive, with the cost of fuel and car insurance proving beginning to push motorists over the edge. Recent research by MoneySupermarket revealed that 65% of motorists had been forced to alter their driving habits over the past 12 months; reducing the amount of time they spend on the road so as to decrease their total expenditure.

The last thing that is needed is therefore an unexpected and potential costly repair bill if your vehicle suffers a failure. It is therefore unsurprising that a large number of motorists are turning to breakdown cover policies in order to reduce the financial burden that this kind of situation would create.

Avoiding the expense

If you suffer a mechanical problem or even a simple puncture, it is not just the repair costs that you need to look out for. The cost of calling out recovery services to retrieve your vehicle are often excessive, particularly if you breakdown on a duel carriageway or motorway. Costs in excess of £100 are often demanded by the recovery services if they are unexpectedly call out to attend to you.

This is something which you really don’t need on top of the money that will be demanded in order to make repairs once your vehicle has eventually reached a garage. With MoneySupermarket claiming to offer deals from as little as £29, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify risking this potential £100 penalty.

Vehicle or personal?

Motorists can either opt for either a personal or vehicle specific breakdown cover policy. Vehicle cover tends to be the cheapest option as it agrees to cover any breakdown which occurs to a specific vehicle regardless of who is driving it.

With a personal breakdown cover policy, it is an individual person who is covered; meaning that the breakdown cover provider will agree to come out to assist them in the event of a breakdown regardless of what vehicle they are in. This will also include if they are a passenger in another person’s car.

The option which works out as the best value for money will depend each person’s specific situation, with a couple who share just one vehicle in their household potentially making a saving by opting for vehicle specific rather than two individual policies. However, this may not be the case for multiple vehicle households or for people who regularly travel in other people’s vehicles.

Levels of policy

Once you have decided on whether to opt for a vehicle or personal policy, you must then decide what level of cover is best for you.

The most basic and therefore the cheapest option is normally called roadside (but the exact term used may vary depending upon the provider). With this option the provider will agree to attend a breakdown as long as it is a certain distance away from the policy holders home. A certain allocation of free labour will be afforded and the provider will guarantee to tow the vehicle to the nearest approved garage; hence avoiding that potential £100 call out fee that would otherwise apply.

National is the level of cover above this, and not only guarantees to transport the vehicle to a local garage, but also promises to transport both you and any other vehicle occupants to the destination of their choice.

However, one of the big limitations of both of these before mentioned policies is that the provider will not attend to a breakdown which occurs close to home. This can prove to be particularly problematic in the winter months when start-up problems can occur as a result of the freezing conditions. This is not a problem if the home start level of cover is opted for; a level of cover which you may consider is worth the additional expense in exchange for the additional peace of mind.

The most expensive level of cover available is onward travel, where the breakdown cover provider will agree to cover the costs of any car hire or accommodation fees which have come about unplanned as a result of the car failure. Whether or not you feel this is worth the money is once again dependent upon your situation.