FREQUENTLY ANSWERED
QUESTIONS

If you have selected ‘Vehicle’ cover then the annual premium is calculated on the age of your vehicle at the time you purchase the policy. Cover will be provided for the full year.

If you have selected ‘Personal’ cover then you can call for assistance on any car or motorcycle within the age and size limit as stated on your certificate of insurance. If you vehicle exceeds the age or size limit then no cover can be provided under the policy.

Cover levels explained

• Home Start – Breakdown assistance for when you can’t get going at your home address.
• Local Recovery – Breakdown assistance at the roadside with recovery to a garage close to where you have broken down.
• National Recovery – Recovery to your home address or destination if your vehicle can’t be repaired on the same day.
• European Recovery – Recovery from up to 40 different European countries with roadside assistance, recovery and repatriation if required.

Please check your policy wording as cover levels differ from policy to policy.

Unfortunately not. We cannot provide cover to a vehicle that has already broken down, you are not covered for claim circumstances that you were aware of before your policy was issued.

No, we will not be able to provide a policy for this purpose as your journey must begin and end in the UK. Your vehicle must also be registered to, and ordinarily kept, at an address within the UK.

The policy does not cover breakdowns related to a caravan or trailer. So for example, if your caravan has a puncture whilst you are towing it, no assistance will be provided under the policy.

It is important to note that recovery of your caravan or trailer only applies if the vehicle towing the caravan breaks down.

If your vehicle suffers a breakdown and your caravan/trailer is attached, providing the caravan/trailer is fitted with a standard towing hitch and does not exceed 7 metres/23 feet in length (not including the length of the A-frame and hitch), your caravan/trailer will be recovered with your vehicle at no extra cost.

See also: Do your UK breakdown policies cover caravans or trailers?

We will provide service in Europe where the maximum duration of any single trip does not exceed 90 days.

This means you can travel as many times as you like throughout the period of your policy providing one single trip does not exceed the maximum trip length of 90 days.

Don’t forget – all trips must begin and end in the UK, we cannot provide a policy for one-way travel.

Our breakdown assistance providers, who you speak to when you breakdown, operate using a network of mechanics and recovery agents who are able to help in the event of a breakdown. They will deploy someone close by to assist you. The assistance providers do not formally employ the mechanics and recovery agents as full time employees, they pay the for their service conducted only.

The mechanics and recovery agents are also responsible for their own recovery vehicles, which means our assistance providers do not have to pay and manage a fleet of recovery vehicles.

Both of these elements help to keep the costs down, and therefore our premiums too.

We often get asked for ‘VAT Invoices’. There is no VAT on our insurance, instead you pay Insurance Premium Tax which unfortunately is not reclaimable from HMRC.

You’ll find the amount you’ve paid, and the IPT (Insurance Premium Tax) paid noted on the Certificate of Insurance. Your accountant should accept this as a valid receipt.

We can issue a standard invoice if needed, just make contact via the contact form on our website to request this.

We can only accept a one-off payment for your breakdown policy, we are unable to offer a monthly repayment plan or offer payment instalments for your policy.

We offer breakdown policies that cover the vehicle, which means anyone driving the vehicle, with the owners permission of course, can use the policy in the event of a breakdown.

The policy with assistance provided by Collinson offers a vehicle cover policy for cars and motorcycles under 20 years old and vans under 10 years old.

Our ‘Vehicle’ breakdown insurance policy is designed to cover the vehicle, not the purchaser and as a result, you can only cover one car per policy. If you wanted to cover more than one car, you’ll need to buy another policy.

However, if you have vehicle cover, this can be extended to anyone driving the covered car provided they have your permission and the appropriate license and insurance to drive the vehicle mentioned on the policy.

If you have purchased, or have a quote for a breakdown policy covering a specific vehicle (Vehicle cover) then this type of product is designed to cover the vehicle named on the policy, not a specific person and as a result, you don’t need to specify who drives the vehicle.

Cover will be extended to anyone driving the car named on the policy so long as they have your permission, the appropriate license and car insurance to drive the vehicle you have covered.

We also sell ‘Personal’ cover, if you’ve selected this at the beginning of the quote process, you’ll have the opportunity to add additional drivers before you pay.

The single-trip cover we sell requires that you start and finish your trip in the UK.

For Example

If you were driving to Poland from the UK on the 1st of the month, and not driving back until the 14th, you would need one policy covering the 1st to the 14th. You couldn’t buy two policies for each journey.

In the event you call for assistance outside of the UK, you will likely be asked for evidence of your outbound and return Channel crossings.

Policy documents are sent to your email address within minutes of purchase.

Please save the 24/7 emergency breakdown telephone number from your certificate of insurance, as that is the number you will need to call in the event of a breakdown.

If you don’t receive your documents within a few minutes, you should:

• Check your junk and spam folders as emails from us could be filed here in error
• Make sure you do this within the first two days. Gmail, Yahoo and some others have a tendency to delete them automatically after 48-72hrs.
• Get in touch with us. If you’ve waited an hour and you still don’t have your policy documents, please use the contact us page to request us to resend these.

There’s a few ways you can get in touch with us.

You can contact us via our contact form or live chat.

If you would prefer to write to us, our address is:

Eversure

Bury House,

1-3 Bury Street,

Guildford,

Surrey,

GU2 4AW

No, this policy will only be able to assist with breakdowns relating to cars and motorcycles within the age limit as stated in the policy wording, vans are specifically excluded.

This depends on the policy, you will need to check the policy wording provided at purchase and check the territorial limits.

We cannot provide a policy to anyone living in the Isle of Man or Channel Islands.

No, we are unable to offer breakdown policies for vehicles being used for commercial purposes.

In the event of an accident you should contact your vehicle insurer. We do not provide accident recovery.

We are unable to provide a policy for a car transporter trailer.

We don’t sell multi-car policies meaning if you’re looking for vehicle cover, you’ll need one policy per car.

We do sell Personal Cover that can cover cars and motorcycles. As with all insurance policies, this policy has restrictions, and you should read the policy wording before buying. For example, the Personal Cover cannot provide cover for vans.

If your vehicle (and trailer or caravan if applicable) exceeds the size or weight limits on the policy then the policy will not be able to assist you in the event of a breakdown.

The size and weight restrictions are in place because in the event of a breakdown the recovery operator needs to ensure they can fit your vehicle on the recovery truck and if they are exceeded they will physically not be able to recover your vehicle.

No, only UK residents are eligible to purchase breakdown cover from this website.

For both our UK and European Vehicle Cover breakdown scheme, our insurer can cover cars and motorcycles up to 20 years old, and vans up to 10 years old.

For our Personal Cover, we cover cars and motorcycles up to a maximum age of 15 years at the point of breakdown. They must not exceed 3500kg gross weight, 7 metres length, 2.25 metres width, and 3 metres height. Please note vans and van derived vehicles such as motorhomes and campervans are excluded.

You should not contact any garage or recovery operator directly. This could invalidate your claim. Please contact your assistance provider named in your policy documents. The first page of your certificate of insurance will confirm this information.

No, unfortunately we can only cover trips that originate from the UK and return to the UK during the period of cover.

In the event of a breakdown, the maximum amount of passengers that can be recovered is 8 (including the driver).

Unfortunately, none of our providers can guarantee that they will be able to provide transport or recovery for pets, however all will try their best to help. If there are any additional costs or expenses, these will be your responsibility.

Yes, punctures are covered by our assistance providers for European breakdown policies. Some of our assistance providers require you to carry the following:

– a serviceable spare or an aerosol repair kit

– appropriate jack

– locking mechanisms for the wheels

Please check the policy wording which will provide you with further information.

Our premiums are based on how old your vehicle is, so as your vehicle increases in age, the premium is calculated to reflect that. Vehicle age is a standard rating factor when it comes to breakdown cover.

We do not price match with other providers as the price we quote is the best we can offer for the level of cover provided.

Occasionally we cannot compete with the cheapest on the market but it is important to be aware that different providers provide different products with different levels of benefits and levels of services.

Our breakdown policies are non-transferable, we cannot change the name of the Policyholder to another person.

We do not charge a cancellation fee, our set up fee is however non refundable and this is applied within or outside of the cooling off period of 14 days.

Within the cooling of period, you will receive a refund of the premium paid, less a proportionate deduction for any time we have provided cover and our non refundable set up fee, provided no claims have been made or are pending.

After the cooling off period, no refund is payable, however, you still may cancel the policy.

No, you do not need to notify us as to when you are planning on travelling to Europe.

We are unable to upgrade your UK policy to include trips to Europe, however we do offer Single Trip European policies which you can purchase through our website. A single trip policy will cover you specifically for the dates you are travelling to Europe.

Don’t forget, we cannot offer cover for one-way trips, all journeys must begin and end in the UK and there are age restrictions associated with our single trip European policies, please obtain a quote from our website to see the options available to you.

Once you have purchased breakdown cover from us, we can’t upgrade it or change it so it is essential you choose the correct cover to meet your needs before you purchase. For example we cannot change a UK cover to a European cover, or change a Vehicle cover policy to a Personal cover policy.

We can cancel the policy if you contact us within the cooling off period (14 days from the day of purchase or the day on which you receive your policy documentation, whichever is the later), you will receive a refund of the premium paid, less a proportionate deduction for any time we have provided cover and our non refundable set up fee, provided no claims have been made or are pending.

After the 14 days, we can still cancel your policy but no refund is payable.

We email your documents at the time of purchase which include your policy number and the telephone number to call in the event of a breakdown. These are specifically on the certificate of insurance. We do not send out membership cards.

If your payment details have changed, you will need to provide us with your new card details. You can do this by clicking the payment link within your email renewal invitation – this will take you to our website where you can submit new payment details.

Alternatively, you can call us on 0330 094 5255 to provide new payment details. Please note we cannot store your card details on our system, so payment for the renewal will be completed once you have given us the new payment details.

Regardless as to whether or not you have kept the Automatic Renewal option, we will always email you at least 21 days in advance of your renewal date advising of your renewal price and what action is required if any. If you have opted for auto-renewal we will attempt to renew your policy 7 days before the renewal date to ensure continuous cover.

If you’ve decided that you don’t want your policy to renew, you can contact us at any time to have this removed from your policy. Send us a message with your policy number and request and we’ll do this for you. You’ll need to put this in writing rather than call. If payment has already been collected we can look to refund this to you in full as long as the renewal date has not past.

Yes, you can change your vehicle mid-way through your policy.

If you have a ‘Vehicle Cover’ policy, where your car is mentioned on the certificate of insurance, then we will need to know your new registration number.

Make sure you include your policy number and the replacement vehicle’s:

• Make

• Model

• Registration Number

Please remember, all policy amendments incur an administration fee of £8.80.

If your replacement vehicle is older than the original, there will also be an additional premium as older vehicles cost more to insure. We’ll make any charges to the card that was used to make payment for the policy in the first place, and advise of these when we email out your revised certificate of insurance.

If you have a ‘Personal Cover’ policy then we do not need to note down any registration numbers of the cars you are travelling in. ‘Personal Cover’ means that it covers you, and any additional drivers you’ve added to your policy at purchase, for breakdown in any car that meets the criteria of your policy. There will be vehicle type, age and size restrictions so please check your certificate and ensure that the vehicle you are travelling in is within these parameters and therefore covered under the policy.

To make any policy changes, get in touch with us by filling out the contact form.

Yes, we do charge an administration fee to change your address on the policy – this is £8.80 as per our terms and conditions.

All policy amendments incur an administration fee.

To change your address, please get in touch with us by filling out the contact form.

Please call the Breakdown Assistance Providers telephone number on your certificate of insurance that has been emailed to you following purchasing the policy.

It is important to call the number you have been provided with on your documentation as we work with multiple breakdown providers. To avoid any confusion and clients getting through to the wrong number for their policy, we do not display the breakdown telephone numbers on our website.

The assistance provider will not be able to assist you with policy updates, these need to be submitted via our contact form.

The policy does not cover breakdowns related to a caravan or trailer. For example, if your caravan has a puncture whilst you are towing it, no assistance will be provided under the policy.

It’s important to note that recovery of your caravan or trailer only applies if the vehicle towing the caravan breaks down.

If your vehicle suffers a breakdown and your caravan/trailer is attached, providing the caravan/trailer is fitted with a standard towing hitch and does not exceed 7 metres/23 feet in length (not including the length of the A-frame and hitch), your caravan/trailer will be recovered with your vehicle at no extra cost.

See also: Do your European policies cover caravans or trailers?

You can take out a policy for the maximum single trip length of 180 days. All trips must begin and end in the UK. We cannot provide a policy for one-way travel.

The transportation of livestock (including dogs) will be at the discretion of the recovery operator. They will endeavour to help arrange alternative transport, but you will need to pay for this service immediately by credit or debit card.

If you have misfuelled, or have run out of fuel, our policies can recover you.

Some of our policies offer repair costs (up to the limit stated on the policy) after misfuelling has occurred, you will need to check the policy wording to see these limits.

We can cover a Motorhome of Camper Van but this does need to be under a specific breakdown scheme.

It is important that you make sure the ‘Vehicle Type’ is selected as a ‘Motorhome’ on the drop down.

You can obtain a quote using the link below:

https://www.comparebreakdowncover.co.uk/motorhome-breakdown-cover.aspx

The process followed if you break down is explained in the policy wording for each policy, the distances will vary according to policy, but they all generally respond in the same way. It’s important to understand what happens in the event of a breakdown. If you know what to expect from your policy, it avoids confusion, stress and the potential for disappointment if you find you’re not getting what you expected.

Because all of the policies we sell behave slightly differently, you should take a look at the policy wording for the one you’re looking at. This is usually found on the comparison table, or as a link on the cover summary page before you buy. To make it as easy as possible, this information is all on the first page of the policy wording for each of the policies we sell.

Home Start

If your policy has Home Start, this will provide the facility whereby someone will attend your home address and try and get you going again. If this can’t be done, the policy may provide for recovering you to a garage nearby where you’ve broken down.

Local Recovery

Typically, this will be within around 20 miles of home, but please check this as it varies from policy to policy. If you breakdown under these circumstances and we can’t get you going at roadside, you’ll be recovered to a local garage or to your home.

National Recovery

Once you’re further away from home than local recovery allows, if you breakdown you’ll receive roadside assistance if the problem is likely to be fixable roadside. If not, you’ll be towed to a local garage to where you’ve broken down. Only if the repairs can’t be made within 48 hours of the breakdown occurring, you will either be recovered home, recovered to your destination or overnight accommodation becomes an option. We don’t sell a policy that will immediately take you home if you break down and this is not an optional upgrade.

European Recovery

This typically operates in a similar way to National Recovery, but because the amounts of cover and processes are all a bit different, you really should read the policy wording to make sure you understand what will happen in the event you breakdown. Usually these policies will include a section around repatriation which explains what happens if your vehicle can’t be repaired on the continent.

We don’t quote breakdown assistance times because there are just too many variables.

When you factor in the time of day, time of year, weather, how busy the roads are and where you’ve broken down, there really could just be too many contributing conditions that would cause a delay.

That said, because our assistance providers operate with networks of local garages rather than having a fleet or vans, they do quite often respond very quickly because they’re not travelling great distances to get to you.

Yes, punctures are covered providing the vehicle is carrying a serviceable spare wheel with appropriate jack or an aerosol repair kit.

Yes, we can offer this. Cover can be provided when you are travelling in any car or on any motorcycle providing it is within the age limit for the policy.

If you have opted and paid for Personal cover, any car or motorcycle that qualifies for assistance will be covered in the event of a breakdown, this includes whether you are a passenger or a driver. You must be with the vehicle at the time the assistance arrives and be able to provide photographic identification if this is requested. Service will only be provided in accordance with the level of cover you have purchased, as indicated on your policy schedule and in accordance with the policy wording.

You can also add up to four additional family members residing at the same address as you.

Please note that Vans are excluded from the Personal cover.

You must use the official SOS boxes provided on the Motorway/Auto Route to arrange assistance, you will need to pay for this service immediately.

Once the vehicle has been recovered from the Motorway/Auto Route you will need to contact your assistance provider who will make further arrangements for you.

You need to use the SOS boxes provided as European Auto Routes are privatised meaning the your assistance provider’s recovery vehicles are not allowed to recover you and your vehicle on these roads. Any costs incurred for recovery from the Auto Route can be claimed back from your assistance provider, please retain all receipts and invoices.

None of the policies we sell cover the cost of replacement parts that your vehicle needs.

Some of our providers cover you if the garage are unable to obtain spare parts locally for the cost of getting the parts delivered.

They will arrange to have them delivered to you, subject to availability and import restrictions. Please note you are responsible for the cost of the spare parts themselves and any customs duty payable.

No, this is not something our breakdown policies provide.

If your vehicle doesn’t come with a spare wheel, it will usually either be running on a type of tyre called ‘run-flats’ or it will come with a tube of sealant which can be used to get you going to the next service station.

If this is the case, we’ll still provide assistance. However, if your vehicle was supposed to have a serviceable spare and you don’t have it, we will decline assistance unfortunately.

No, we cannot provide a breakdown policy for hired vehicles.

Yes, our providers will cover company vehicles that are taken abroad for personal use. The company vehicle must be registered in the UK and you must have the necessary permission and insurance to drive the vehicle abroad.

The vehicle must also meet the definition of a vehicle type that would normally be covered.

Please note we do not cover commercial vehicles that are being used for business purposes, either whilst abroad or in the UK.

If you purchase an excess product, you will have to pay the excess applicable to the policy – we sell both excess and no excess policies.

By taking out a policy that has an excess which is payable per claim, you’ll pay a lower annual premium.

Unfortunately we cannot offer a policy to Channel Island residents.

No, we are unable to provide cover for taxis or private hires.