Breakdown Cover

If you have ever broken down you will know the real benefit of having breakdown cover, there is a real reassurance when you see the van or motorcycle coming into view.

If your vehicle is on a fully maintained Contract Hire agreement you will almost certainly be covered for the full service that the recovery agents offer, however if you are on a non maintained contract you should check to see if cover is included or not. In the event your car or van is on a Finance Lease, Hire purchase or Lease purchase contract you almost certainly won't have cover.

It is also worth considering whether any driver is also covered, so even if you are on a fully maintained contract you may find that if your wife broke down then she may not have full cover. In order to set your mind at rest either call the breakdown company or your Contract Hire provider.

What does Breakdown cover include?

There are different levels of cover that can be provided the most popular being:

Basic cover - often called Roadside Assistance.

This basic level of cover provides you with roadside assistance in the UK and will allow you to call out the breakdown provider any time day or night including weekends and Bank holidays. This cover normally applies to cars,vans,motorcycles or motorhomes and gives you the comfort that in the event the vehicle cannot be fixed it will be recovered to the nearest suitable garage.

Home Start

This enables you the comfort of knowing that if your vehicle won't start or has a problem whilst you are at your home address you are covered by the breakdown provider. This cover is generally included if you have full maintenance contract hire.

Relay or get you home

In the event you breakdown this level of cover will ensure you are taken to your chosen destination or recovers you to your home address or nearest repairing dealer. This will include your passengers as well as your vehicle. This cover again normally applies to a car contract hire agreement, you will need to check if you are operating a larger van on a contract hire or leasing agreement.

Relief Vehicle

Most contract hire agreements that have full breakdown cover will also have basic relief vehicle built in. In the event you breakdown and the breakdown company are unable to effect a repair you will be provided with a replacement vehicle at their expense. This is typically for a twenty four hour period only. Be careful to clarify this as many fleet managers and drivers have had an unpleasant surprise when a large hire car invoice lands on their desk.

European Cover

This effectively does what it says, however another word of warning not all countries are always covered so again check before departing. Also in many circumstances this only covers repairs in the country you are in and not repatriating you and your car back to the UK. You have guessed it check what cover you have before you travel There are many providers of breakdown cover with the well known giants like the AA , Rac and Green Flag to name just three. There are also many independents who can offer great value for money. If you are provided cover by your contract hire or leasing agreement you won't normally have a choice whose cover you get, but if you are not covered by your Hire purchase or Leasing agreement then you can choose for yourself. It always pays to shop around; many of the advertisers at UK Leasing and Contract Hire.com can provide expert advice for you and in many situations save you some money at the same time.