Breakdown Cover
Anyone who has experienced a car breakdown on the side of the road knows how stressful this can be. This stress would be multiplied ten-fold if the breakdown happened abroad in an unfamiliar country with a car fully laden with family and luggage. The situation would be even worse if you then discovered your existing breakdown cover was for the UK only. Many breakdown policies do not cover the vehicle outside the UK and it is therefore vital to check your policy before you set off on your journey.
Options
For those of you who find you are not covered on your existing policy, there are a number of options. These include upgrading your existing policy, purchasing a single trip European breakdown insurance or taking out an annual European excursion policy. The cheapest option is likely to be taking out a single trip breakdown policy; however, if you are planning on taking more than one trip abroad or are a frequent visitor to the continent, it may be a better option to upgrade your existing annual policy to include European cover or to shop around and obtain an exclusive European breakdown insurance from a reputable company that offers the exact cover required.
The Right Policy
All breakdown policies are different; therefore, it is vital that you choose the right cover for your individual circumstances. As an example, some policies cover all of Europe, while others will only cover you in certain countries. The first thing to do is to check that the policy covers you for the countries you are traveling to and through. It is also worth checking the small print; for example, some cheap policies will charge an excess on any call-outs, which can be more than the cost of the insurance itself.
It is worth checking to see how much money your insurance provider is prepared to spend getting you and your travel companions to a particular destination. Does the cover ensure you are all brought back home or just to the nearest hotel? Many policies also limit the amount of money they will spend on getting your vehicle repaired; therefore, it is vital that you take out a policy that provides good cover value with as small an excess as possible. Failure to do this could result in huge out-of-pocket expenses for you.
Conclusion
Ensure your policy covers you for the countries you are travelling to and through and that you have checked the small print for any exclusions and the amount that will be paid out for repairing your vehicle and getting you and your family to where you need to go.
