European breakdown cover

Redpunto

Hi there, will be travelling with young family to france at end of month. Need to decide the best company to go for in regards to breakdown cover. I don't need any for Ireland as we're covered with the insurance company so just need it for the 2 weeks we will be gone.

AA quoting nearly €130
breakdowncover.ie €84 but includes annual cover.
roadrescue.ie €59

its one of those things where chances are we wont need it but the last thing we want is to go with the cheapest cover, breakdown and discover they are ****e, especially with kiddies onboard.

If anyone had any experiences with the companies and how efficient they were Id be most grateful :-)

MorganIRL

Just doing the same myself. heading nxt wk. VHI have an option with travel insurance that incls motor breakdown. For my family for the yr its €165, it covers replacement parts which I find interesting. like u I dont wanna be looking for it when i need it. Gonna ring them to find out more details

CiniO

My advice - find a road rescue service in France. Don't buy breakdown cover at that mad prices.

If you don't break down (which is most likely option) it will cost you €0.
If you do break down, you will ring them, and you will pay for towing your vehicle to the garage, taking you and your family to the hotel, and similar expanses. Surely this will come at less than €500, most likely below €300.

Del2005

CiniO wrote: »

My advice - find a road rescue service in France. Don't buy breakdown cover at that mad prices.

If you don't break down (which is most likely option) it will cost you €0.
If you do break down, you will ring them, and you will pay for towing your vehicle to the garage, taking you and your family to the hotel, and similar expanses. Surely this will come at less than €500, most likely below €300.

Only problem with this advice is make sure you have contact details before you leave Ireland. Couple of years ago I dropped my bike in France and sheared off the left footpeg. There was 3 people trying to find a local dealer for my bike on the Internet and we had no luck. When the AA supplied bike recovery van eventually arrived, 3 hours wait, they took me to a dealer 5km down the road who had the part in stock. For the money it cost, there's no bike discount, it was the best money I ever spent as I was looking at riding from the South of France to Ireland with a vice grip for a footpeg and no gear lever.

OP have a look at the ADAC for recovery, search this site.

Bogger77

I bought cover from http://www.roadrescue.ie/ for my trip to the UK, didn't have to use it, but see what they're quoting for your car

R.O.R

CiniO wrote: »

My advice - find a road rescue service in France. Don't buy breakdown cover at that mad prices.

If you don't break down (which is most likely option) it will cost you €0.
If you do break down, you will ring them, and you will pay for towing your vehicle to the garage, taking you and your family to the hotel, and similar expanses. Surely this will come at less than €500, most likely below €300.

That's shockingly poor advice.

The main benefit of AA 5* coverage is repatriation of the vehicle if it's completely immobilised - I'd recommend checking this is included in other policies.

If the worst happens, and the vehicle has to be brought back to Ireland, it can be horrifically expensive. I've seen the bills go to over €5k when someone had a fairly serious accident, and hadn't bothered with adeqauate European coverage.

TrailerBob

I also have cover with roadrescue.ie. Its highly unlikely to be needed, but I wouldn't dream of heading overseas without cover. Just looked over my policy and it includes repatriation of you and vehicle if it can't be easily fixed locally.

Don't listen to the "take a chance" advice. I have done about 10,000 milies in mainland Europe in the last few years without incident, but I've another 3000 coming up next month, and I'd rather have that piece of mind.

Heading with kids is a whole other box of frogs... Get the cover.. Best you can afford tbh

CiniO

R.O.R wrote: »

That's shockingly poor advice.

That's why I clearly mentioned - "my advice".
I don't encourage anyone to follow it. I just advice, giving reasonable arguments for it. Everyone can make their own decision.

The main benefit of AA 5* coverage is repatriation of the vehicle if it's completely immobilised - I'd recommend checking this is included in other policies.

If the worst happens, and the vehicle has to be brought back to Ireland, it can be horrifically expensive. I've seen the bills go to over €5k when someone had a fairly serious accident, and hadn't bothered with adeqauate European coverage.

I would like to ask few questions in here.

1. What would be the reason to repatriate vehicle back to Ireland after fairly serious accident? I'm genuinely asking, as I can't think of any.

2. Are you trying to say, that cost of towing vehicle from any place in Europe to Ireland might exceed 5k, and that would be the best offer? Hard to believe, as I think even from East part of Russia (by Ural mountains) - as far as possible from Ireland, it would probably not cost that much to find someone with towing truck to bring your car back to Ireland.

CiniO

TrailerBob wrote: »

I also have cover with roadrescue.ie. Its highly unlikely to be needed, but I wouldn't dream of heading overseas without cover. Just looked over my policy and it includes repatriation of you and vehicle if it can't be easily fixed locally.

Don't listen to the "take a chance" advice. I have done about 10,000 milies in mainland Europe in the last few years without incident, but I've another 3000 coming up next month, and I'd rather have that piece of mind.

Heading with kids is a whole other box of frogs... Get the cover.. Best you can afford tbh

Driving abroad without roadside assistance is no different to driving in Ireland without roadside assistance, yet there is plenty of people driving in here without it.

Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in EU, so breaking down anywhere else is most likely to be cheaper.

I honestly can't see what the fuss is about. If you break down, and have breakdown cover, they will pay for towing and expenses (hotel, rental car, etc). If you don't have it, you will have to pay those expenses yourself.
All about calculating the risk.
Just in my opinion, paying premiums of excess of €100 for few weeks cover (which in most cases will fork out couple hundred €) is extremally overprices, and not worth it.

R.O.R

CiniO wrote: »

I would like to ask few questions in here.

1. What would be the reason to repatriate vehicle back to Ireland after fairly serious accident? I'm genuinely asking, as I can't think of any.

2. Are you trying to say, that cost of towing vehicle from any place in Europe to Ireland might exceed 5k, and that would be the best offer? Hard to believe, as I think even from East part of Russia (by Ural mountains) - as far as possible from Ireland, it would probably not cost that much to find someone with towing truck to bring your car back to Ireland.

1. If a vehicle is written off, or damaged badly enough that it's un-driveable, the Irish insurance company is only going to be able to get it repaired or scrapped in Ireland, so it's going to have to make it's way back here somehow.

Cross border transactions are not at all easy - we can't even get a set of tyres fitted in Newry, or Wiper blades in Belfast, as no one will open a Credit Account, and that's the way business works.

2. When you consider it costs €500 + to get an immobile vehicle from Cork to Dublin, does €5,000 + sound unreasonable to get one from mainland Europe? Immobile vehicles cannot be put on to the big car transporters as they don't have winches to get them up on the truck, so a recovery truck has to be sent - and also make it's way back to where it came from. I have seen bills of over €5k for getting a vehicle back from the middle of France.

My Wife was asking one of our neighbours yesterday how there Holiday to the UK went last week. On their way to where they were staying they had an accident on the M1, and the car is probably a write off (141 Mondeo), so that's going to have to be recovered back to Ireland. Not sure whether he took additional breakdown assistance - hopefully he did, otherwise his company are not going to be very pleased with him and the large bill that's coming his way.

Thankfully no one was hurt, and even better, causes one of my main competitors a big head ache of getting their asset back to Ireland

TrailerBob

CiniO wrote: »

Driving abroad without roadside assistance is no different to driving in Ireland without roadside assistance, yet there is plenty of people driving in here without it.

Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in EU, so breaking down anywhere else is most likely to be cheaper.

I honestly can't see what the fuss is about. If you break down, and have breakdown cover, they will pay for towing and expenses (hotel, rental car, etc). If you don't have it, you will have to pay those expenses yourself.
All about calculating the risk.
Just in my opinion, paying premiums of excess of €100 for few weeks cover (which in most cases will fork out couple hundred €) is extremally overprices, and not worth it.

My roadrescue premium was €60 for a year. To be honest driving here is no issue,if you break down then you're never far from anywhere, and probably can call someone you know to help you out. Big difference being stranded somewhere on the continent with two kids... You might not speak the language, you just want to get sorted as fast as possible. So speaking to an agent in Ireland is a help.
I could fix a lot of stuff at the roadside, but most people cant... IMO it's not a risk worth taking.

CiniO

TrailerBob wrote: »

My roadrescue premium was €60 for a year.

What kind of cover is it?
On roadrescue website, annual Rescue Plus UK is €76 and annual Rescue Plus Europe is €82.
And that covers maximum of 90 days abroad, with limit to 31 days per one trip.
Single trip EU breakdown cover costs even more mad money. Up to 3 days, €27.25, for up to a week it's €39.
And €89 for up to 31 days, with ability to quote for longer trips. I don't even want to imagine those quotes.

To be honest driving here is no issue,if you break down then you're never far from anywhere, and probably can call someone you know to help you out.

Breaking down in Ireland might be the worst experience ever. If you break down on bank holidays weekend someone in the middle of nowhere, you might be waiting for towing truck for multiple hours, or more.

Big difference being stranded somewhere on the continent with two kids... You might not speak the language, you just want to get sorted as fast as possible.

That's why I advised to get contact numbers to road rescue operators in countries you are visiting. One call and you are sorted, same as with your breakdown insurance, only difference is that you will need to pay for the rescue. But as I said - effectively it comes cheaper anyway.

So speaking to an agent in Ireland is a help.
I could fix a lot of stuff at the roadside, but most people cant... IMO it's not a risk worth taking.

No one is asking anyone to fix car by the side of the road.
If you are broken down in Germany, you ring ADAC and they come over to help you. You just pay for the service - that's all.

CiniO

R.O.R wrote: »

1. If a vehicle is written off, or damaged badly enough that it's un-driveable, the Irish insurance company is only going to be able to get it repaired or scrapped in Ireland, so it's going to have to make it's way back here somehow.

Oh come on - you must not be serious.
Are you saying that if your vehicle is in accident abroad, then for your insurer to be able to repair it or scrap it, you need to bring it back to Ireland.
That's absolutely not true.

Cross border transactions are not at all easy - we can't even get a set of tyres fitted in Newry, or Wiper blades in Belfast, as no one will open a Credit Account, and that's the way business works.

I don't know why you can't open Credit Account with some businesses in the north, but that has nothing to do with the subject. You could still get your wipers in the north, if you paid for them.

2. When you consider it costs €500 + to get an immobile vehicle from Cork to Dublin, does €5,000 + sound unreasonable to get one from mainland Europe? Immobile vehicles cannot be put on to the big car transporters as they don't have winches to get them up on the truck, so a recovery truck has to be sent - and also make it's way back to where it came from. I have seen bills of over €5k for getting a vehicle back from the middle of France.

Maybe you're right. Possibly if you ring most expensive towing service in France, they will charge you €5k to tow your car to Ireland.
But it still doesn't explain the reason, why would someone want to have their vehicle towed back to Ireland, instead of having it repaired there on the spot.

My Wife was asking one of our neighbours yesterday how there Holiday to the UK went last week. On their way to where they were staying they had an accident on the M1, and the car is probably a write off (141 Mondeo), so that's going to have to be recovered back to Ireland.

No it won't.

Not sure whether he took additional breakdown assistance - hopefully he did, otherwise his company are not going to be very pleased with him and the large bill that's coming his way.

If his insurer provides cover in the UK, then all is good. They will have it towed to the garage in UK, and inspected there, and they will decide if they are fixing it there, or writing it off and scrapping.

TrailerBob

I bought the cover last August at €67 now that I check. It's the annual European one, which has obviously gone up. I'm not posting the receipt....

Look, not everyone feels comfortable with the "ah sure we'll sort it out if it happens" attitude. The Op was looking for advice about which company to go with, not to be told they're wrong to get cover. Myself and others just think it's far more sensible to be covered in advance.

And a towing company will charge €100 just to put your car on the truck. Not really cheaper in the grand scheme of things

CiniO

TrailerBob wrote: »

I bought the cover last August at €67 now that I check. It's the annual European one, which has obviously gone up. I'm not posting the receipt....

So the cover you got, is unlimited cover in the EU, or is it just for 31 trip maximum?

Look, not everyone feels comfortable with the "ah sure we'll sort it out if it happens" attitude.

I never proposed to count on luck.
I proposed to find a nationwide rescue service in country one is going to.
If you have a breakdown anywhere in this country, one phone call, and rescue will come and help you - exact the same as if you have breakdown insurance.
Only difference is that you will have to pay for that.
But quick calculation of how often breakdown happens, how much breakdown cover costs, and how much rescue costs, shows that buying breakdown cover for over €100 is totally pointless, unless you are nearly certain you will have a breakdown.

The Op was looking for advice about which company to go with, not to be told they're wrong to get cover.

And I proposed you third different solution, which might be cheaper than any listed by OP.

Myself and others just think it's far more sensible to be covered in advance.

And I think it's it's sensible to choose the cheapest offer.

And a towing company will charge €100 just to put your car on the truck. Not really cheaper in the grand scheme of things

In Ireland probably they will.
Anywhere else it can only be cheaper.

TrailerBob

It's 31 days consecutive, fine for the needs of the majority, obviously not for yourself.

It's why car insurance is mandatory here, otherwise loads would opt not to pay. Nobody is certain to have an accident, but just in case.... Not really the same I know... But you see my point?

It's not just the cost of the tow truck though, which I doubt would be much cheaper anywhere in Western Europe. It's the replacement car if needed, it's overnight accommodation if you have to wait for parts, it's bringing you to your holiday destination and then back to get your car when it's fixed. All of that mounts up... And it's all covered.

You clearly sit on one side of the fence, and I on the other... I'll happily cruise around the Italian Alps next month €68 less well off though... Just in case..

CiniO

TrailerBob wrote: »

It's 31 days consecutive, fine for the needs of the majority, obviously not for yourself.

For me it's useless, as I travel every winter for more than 31 days.

It's why car insurance is mandatory here, otherwise loads would opt not to pay. Nobody is certain to have an accident, but just in case.... Not really the same I know... But you see my point?

I'd be personally against obligatory third party car insurance.
All what should be needed is system to compensate injured party, which would make person responsible to pay up every penny.
I'm not saying though if third party cover was not obligatory, I wouldn't have one.
I probably would. All depends on prices and risk. Insurers can calculate their risk. I can calculate mine.

It's not just the cost of the tow truck though, which I doubt would be much cheaper anywhere in Western Europe. It's the replacement car if needed, it's overnight accommodation if you have to wait for parts, it's bringing you to your holiday destination and then back to get your car when it's fixed. All of that mounts up... And it's all covered.

Yes indeed. I know all this is covered. All up to person travelling to calculate the risk, prices and decide which comes cheaper.

You clearly sit on one side of the fence, and I on the other... I'll happily cruise around the Italian Alps next month €68 less well off though... Just in case..

I would love to go to Itialan Alps next month. Unfortunately I'm stock at work for the whole summe

TrailerBob

Like I said, just responding to what the OP asked about. Anyway I don't think either of us will change our minds here. I hope you never have to pay a silly recovery fee on the side of the Autobahn somewhere one side of Dusseldorf...

As for the Alps, I'll post a picture.. Best I can offer!

CiniO

TrailerBob wrote: »

Like I said, just responding to what the OP asked about. Anyway I don't think either of us will change our minds here. I hope you never have to pay a silly recovery fee on the side of the Autobahn somewhere one side of Dusseldorf...

No, you got me wrong.
When I travel through Europe I have breakdown cover myself.
But that's because I can get it for 6 quid for 10 days.
If I had to pay over €100, I wouldn't bother, as cost would way exceed benefits such cover offers.

As for the Alps, I'll post a picture.. Best I can offer!

I can't wait

kerry4sam

Looking into European Breakdown Cover too and roadrescue are coming out on top with price and what they offer for that.

Timing will be tight for me and I'll be due back in work so an extended holier while I wait for my car won't be an option so one way or another, should something happen; I'll be coming home with my car.

Thanks for starting this thread as other options coming up I'd not thought of,

Thanks,
kerry4sam

Redpunto

I ended up going with Brittany Ferries breakdown cover themselves, was €66 for the two weeks. Considering the amount AA were looking for we've saved a wee bit of cash. Thanks for all the replies.

kindalen

Does it cover the cost of rebooking ferry too? This could cost a fair amount with a family? Also what about replacement car to get home if car stuck there?