As a business person and van user, your vehicle is your lifeblood. And when it’s all going well and working like it should, everything is great with the world.
But if the van won’t start, or it’s making a strange noise, that’s the moment you’ve been dreading. Worse still, the vehicle could decide to fail while you are out on the road between jobs or delivering an important service. That’s when you start to hear that other strange noise – the sound of lost money from lost jobs ringing in your ears.
Modern vans are generally safe and reliable – especially if you keep up with your regular servicing and maintenance schedules – but any hard-working vehicle can have a failure at any point. And that point always seems to be at the worst possible moment.
So what do you do? Some business users choose to trust their luck and, if something happens, suck up the cost of a local recovery service to get them home or back to base. But for most, the decision to sign up to some form of breakdown cover should be the way forward, especially if you clock up a lot of miles each year.
Choosing breakdown cover was once a simple matter, with only two options: the AA or the RAC. Both of these well-known names started as motoring ‘clubs’ that you became a member of, paying an annual subscription for benefits, of which breakdown cover was one.
The AA still runs in that way today, while the RAC has split its members’ club and breakdown service into separate organisations.
Many van manufacturers will offer breakdown cover for a limited number of years, alongside their new vehicle warranty. Every new Ford is covered for roadside assistance anywhere in Europe for the first year, for example. Service it annually and the cover will be extended. Volkswagen vans come with roadside cover for three years, and the same goes for Mercedes-Benz and many others.
But these won’t last forever and after they run out, what next?
Some insurers offer roadside cover with their motoring policies, but this is usually as an add-on cost. Accepting one of these might not be the best option for you when you can sign up for cover yourself, which is possibly cheaper and with benefits more suited to you.
Having a van out of action is not only inconvenient; it’s expensive too, in terms of downtime, missed appointments or jobs, and all on top of the cost of the repair. For business people, finding a recovery agent that can get to you quickly is the priority.
What to look for in a breakdown policy
Pricing for breakdown cover has become increasingly complex, with most providers now requiring you to enter your address and vehicle details before you get a ‘personalised’ quote. That usually means your price estimate will be higher than the one advertised. So ignore the headline offers and compare like-for-like packages.
The first thing to check is that the cover you’re pricing up is for business use, and not just personal use. Some providers may have different prices, terms and conditions for business use cover.
Most breakdown providers charge an annual subscription for cover and almost all offer a full range of options, from basic roadside repairs to rescue in Europe. Most include recovery of your vehicle to your home or a designated garage, and there are home-start options if your van has issues before you even set off. Most of these ‘extras’ will add a cost to the subscription, and they can soon mount up.
Before you buy any breakdown cover, check whether you already have assistance through your insurance policy and, if you have, what level of cover is provided. That way you should avoid buying the same thing twice, and you’ll only pay for additional cover you actually want.
It’s also wise to read the small print carefully. For example, some cover applies to any vehicle driven by anyone in your business, but it also might only be for one person or one vehicle.
Most providers will come out to you in an emergency if you don’t have cover with them, but that will cost you: in many cases, operators will want you to sign up for a full year’s membership before they drive out to assist.
Think carefully about having ‘unlimited call-outs’, offered without penalty for repeated requests for assistance, unless they are to the same fault. Few vans will have repeated failures over and over again. If yours is doing this, it’s probably time for a new van (with recovery thrown in!).
Some of the companies below are marked with an asterisk* – these companies are commercial partners of The Van Expert, so we may receive a small commission if you click through to their websites to find out more. This does not affect the price you pay, but helps us to keep the site running.
RAC*
URL: rac.co.uk/business/breakdown
The RAC’s 2,000 patrols deal with nearly 3 million incidents a year, including attending to stranded vans. A fleet of ‘heavy duty’ 4×4 pick-ups are available for getting to more remote areas or dealing with larger vehicles.
It was once a members’ organisation dating back to the turn of the century, but the RAC’s breakdown recovery services were spun off into a standalone business and sold in 1999.
“Keep your business moving”, says the website’s landing page, and “from £9 a vehicle” too. That opening price is for the service’s ‘Van Lite’ offering, which includes business and personal use cover, roadside and home assistance with a short tow and a 20-mile taxi ride from a chosen garage.
Upgrade to the £11.50 per month ‘Van Total’ scheme and you’ll additionally get a replacement van if yours is stranded or overnight accommodation, recovery to home and the offer of up to £300 of parts fitted at the roadside and invoiced later. The RAC’s policies cover the vehicle so it doesn’t matter who’s driving.
AA
URL: theaa.com/business/breakdown
It’s probably still the most recognised breakdown organisation in Britain, with familiar yellow rescue vehicles that have been on the road for decades. The AA goes back to 1905; members had the use of roadside emergency telephone boxes and AA mechanics would salute passing motorists displaying the famous badge.
Today’s AA fleet of patrols comprises around 2,700 vehicles. Big numbers, but it’s less than the more than 3,000 the organisation ran a few years ago. As the AA is a members’ organisation, you get a number of benefits with your cover. These include discounts on an MOT if you need it, airport parking and car hire.
The agency’s van cover comes under the ‘Business Breakdown’ umbrella which includes couriers, taxis, minibuses and even ice cream vans. These work vehicles come under ‘specialist’ policies but for a straightforward van the web page allows you to choose ‘business car and van cover’.
This simple option takes you to a quote page which explains that, for around £130 a year, you can receive roadside assistance and Home Start help if your van needs it. You can add in items such as European cover, parts and garage costs (with T&Cs) and nationwide recovery to any mainland UK destination.
MotorEasy*
URL: motoreasy.com/car/breakdown-cover
Click on ‘Breakdown Cover’ on MotorEasy’s main landing page and you’re taken to the dedicated area for this type of cover. And instantly there’s a bold statement: ‘Prices to beat the AA and RAC’. The warranty group’s assistance arm says that 80% of its breakdowns are repaired at the roadside, so ‘you’ll be back on the road in no time’.
Part of MotorEasy’s offering is ‘recovery costs’ so using their roadside assistance service is simply cutting out the middle man. And if you have a MotorEasy car warranty policy, the company pays the bill for your recovery and organises everything for you.
There are four levels of cover on offer so you can tailor something to suit your budget and needs. But as a minimum, you can expect roadside assistance, overnight accommodation, help if you misfuelled, key recovery, aid if a driver becomes ill, alternative transport if needed and a message service.
Make sure to check the FAQs and details – commercial vehicles are covered, but only up to 3.5 tonnes and eight years old, with additional restrictions on vehicle dimensions. If you have any questions, there’s a live chat service or your can give them a call.
Start Rescue
URL: startrescue.co.uk/breakdown-cover
Part of the Call Assist group, Start Rescue also offers cheaper breakdown policies than the established big names. They don’t have their own patrols but use a network of independent garages to handle the call-outs via a 24-hour control centre.
The service’s most popular 3-star level compares favourably in price to the AA, RAC and Green Flag, and these are all displayed and compared on the website’s ‘Van Breakdown Cover’ page. There is a section for van users who need personal use cover and another for commercial use. Look for the three levels of commercial cover available.
All have roadside assistance, local recovery, home assist and misfuel cover as standard, but you can add from a list of enhancements to tailor a package that suits your business needs. These include national recovery, alternative travel, cover for trailers, key loss, driver illness and pre-departure issue cover.
There’s an easy to use ‘quote’ section in which you input vehicle usage and the number of vans to be covered. A multi-van discount means that the greater the number on your fleet the cheaper the unit price. You can request unlimited call-outs while accident recovery is included.
Admiral Breakdown Cover
URL: admiral.com/van-insurance/breakdown
This Admiral web page tell you that ‘Adding breakdown cover couldn’t be easier’ and the word ‘adding’ is key here because you have to be an Admiral Insurance customer to buy assistance. The website, therefore, offers two options: ‘Add breakdown cover’ or ‘Get a van insurance quote’.
Admiral promises 24/7 cover 365 days of the year. There are three options to choose from, but no prices are shown because each is linked to the insurance policy and therefore unique to the driver and van. It’s likely to be in the £40-£100 region though.
The three options to choose from include Roadside Assistance Cover which provides rescue from a patrol at the side of the road and a tow of up to 10 miles, and National Cover which includes recovery to any destination in the UK plus home breakdown callouts.
The top option, European Cover, adds in unlimited roadside recoveries on the Continent although, in some countries says Admiral, they might not be able to help you immediately and you may need to use the normal SOS phones. The policies also allow for handy extras such as help with lost or broken keys, misfuelling assistance, hire van and overnight accommodation.
Britannia Rescue
URL: britanniarescue.com/breakdown-cover
Brittania’s roadside assistance policies for vans are found through their car rescue web page. That page explains that all types of vehicles are covered, including vans and motorhomes although they don’t deal with hire vehicles.
Owned by the insurance company LV, Britannia Rescue uses a network of 4000 specialists to cover the UK’s roads for them. Mechanics are trained for both fuel and electric vehicles. Five levels of cover are on offer, starting with a basic roadside assistance and local recovery up to 10 miles from the breakdown. It has a guide price of £33 but you need to get a full quote by giving all driver details and those of the van.
As you step up the grades, you can get assistance at home, nationwide recovery, car hire or overnight accommodation, or alternative travel, and finally European cover. On top of all of these levels you can add ‘personal cover’, which extends help for you and a partner regardless of what vehicle you’re in, in the UK.
Already got van insurance through LV? You’ll receive a discount on your roadside recovery fees. A notable free extra is the ability to recharge electric vehicles at the roadside. You can choose yearly or monthly cover with no cancellation fee.
GEM Motoring Assist
URL: motoringassist.com/breakdown-cover
Nobody can accuse GEM of having no experience in roadside recovery. Formed in 1932 as the Company of Veteran Motorists the club renamed itself the Guild of Experienced Motorists (‘GEM’) in 1983. It started offering breakdown services from 1978 and is also known for its road safety campaigns.
As a membership organisation, GEM’s cover is for the person rather than the vehicle – although you can add more people at an extra cost. It’s mainly set up for car drivers, but vans are also eligible up to 3500 kg gross vehicle weight (GVW). It uses independent recovery agents across the UK.
There are just two options, both of which include home and roadside assistance, nationwide recovery, onward travel and membership of the group in the annual price.
Recovery Extra at £106, offers most of the features you would expect from roadside recovery with onward travel costs or emergency accommodation included. More unusual is Recovery Reclaim (£91), a cheaper option where you get the same breakdown cover but pay for repair or recovery yourself, then reclaim ‘appropriate costs’ from GEM. It might work for you if you have a favourite mechanic or garage to look after your van.
Green Flag
URL: greenflag.com/breakdown-cover
Launched in 1971 as National Breakdown, Green Flag looked to offer cheaper breakdown cover by working with a network of local garages, instead of its own fleet of patrols.
Today it’s part of the mighty Direct Line insurance group and still uses independent garages to run its patrol vehicles. You have to fill in an online form with your details, including age and address, before getting a personalised quote for roadside assistance, but if you have van insurance with Direct Line you can add it to your policy.
From the landing page, navigate easily to ‘Business breakdown cover’ and from there you can ponder and choose the right level of cover for you. There are three main types. No prices are shown as you have to ‘Get a quote’ using the simple tab.
Cover starts with ‘Standard’ which offers day and night roadside help, a 10-mile recovery to a garage or other destination, and cover at home. The ‘National’ package adds in UK-wide recovery of your van plus a replacement vehicle for 48 hours. A ‘National + European’ option allows up to 90 days cover of travel to Europe in the price. Anyone named by the policyholder can drive the van.
Do you actually need a recovery service?
If your annual mileage is modest and your work rarely takes you out of your home town, then maybe you can risk going without breakdown cover for your van. But, for most tradespeople and commercial vehicle users, it’s well worth considering signing up with a provider just for the peace of mind and knowledge that your business is covered if something goes wrong.
Like any insurance, you might go a whole year without ever having to call on it (and actually, that’s a good thing). But the time might come when your vehicle fails just when you need it most, on an important job, and you’ll be pleased you made the investment.
The cost of paying a one-off fee to a recovery agent to get you and your business back on the road could well outweigh several years of premiums.
Read more:
- If two vans are the same, does the badge matter?
- Diesel or electric – which van is right for you?
- The plug-in van grant – all you need to know
* The Van Expert has commercial partnerships with MotorEasy and RAC. If you click through to their websites and proceed to purchase any products or services, we may receive a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay.
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