Breakdown Cover is a type of insurance policy that covers the costs of roadside assistance and recovery if your car breaks down.
For example, if you blow a tyre or run out of fuel while on the road, Breakdown Cover will provide roadside assistance or arrange recovery if the vehicle can’t be fixed at the roadside. Depending on your level of cover, it could also cover other costs, too, like temporary accommodation or providing a hire car to help you continue your journey.
We offer Breakdown Cover, provided by the RAC, as an optional extra which you can add to your Swinton Car Insurance policy.
Already have Breakdown Cover through us? Your cover will be provided by RAC, please refer to your policy documents for full details of your cover.
There’s no legal requirement to have Breakdown Cover for your car. However, breakdowns are common and can prove costly if you find yourself having to pay outright for roadside assistance.
At Swinton, we provide peace of mind by covering towaway charges ahead of time. That’s one less thing to worry about if you do break down, so you can focus on what’s most important: getting home safely.
There are plenty of reasons to consider Swinton for your Car Breakdown Cover:
You can add Breakdown Cover as an optional extra with any of our Car Insurance policies
At Swinton, you can choose from four levels of RAC breakdown cover: Roadside Only, Roadside & Recovery, Roadside, Recovery & At Home, and Roadside, Recovery & At Home & European.
Roadside Only gives you peace of mind if you break down more than a quarter of a mile from home. The RAC will attend and, if your car cannot be repaired at the roadside, you and your passengers will be taken to a destination of your choice within 10 miles.
This level does not include assistance within a quarter of a mile of your home and does not provide cover for cars outside the UK.
Includes all the benefits of Roadside Only, plus nationwide recovery. If your car cannot be repaired at the roadside, you, your passengers, and your car will be transported to any destination of your choice anywhere in the UK.
This level does not include assistance within a quarter of a mile of your home and does not provide cover for cars outside the UK.
Includes all the benefits of Roadside & Recovery, plus cover within a quarter of a mile of your home address.
This level does not provide assistance for cars outside the UK.
Includes all the benefits of Roadside, Recovery & At Home, plus European Breakdown cover for your car while driving in European countries.
As soon as you realise there is a problem, put your hazard lights on as a warning to others. If you have a warning triangle, and it’s safe to put one out, place it at least 50 yards behind your car to tell others there’s a breakdown ahead.
Depending on where you break down, and what the problem is, moving your car to the side of the road might not be easy. If you can, get your car out of the path of other vehicles to avoid causing any accidents.
If you’ve broken down at the side of the road, you and any passengers should leave your vehicle and wait for help a good distance away from it. If you’re travelling with a pet, the Highway Code states that you must leave your animals in the vehicle or keep them under proper control on the verge with a short lead and harness.
Keep some items of reflective clothing in your car for emergencies. Wearing reflective clothing makes you more visible to drivers, especially at night, greatly reducing the risk of an accident while you’re out of your vehicle.
RAC breakdown cover is an optional extra. Please refer to your policy documents for full details of your cover.
Cars broken down in the UK: Call 0330 013 2072
If you are in the EU and have opted for EU cover:
Calling from Europe: +33 472 43 52 55
Calling from a French landline (freephone): 0800 290 112
Calling from the Republic of Ireland (freephone) 1 800 535 005
Hard of hearing: Use Typetalk (18001) or text 07855 828282
The easiest way to request assistance is through the myRAC app.
Alternatively, you can report a breakdown online.
If you are able to, try to drive to the next junction or the nearest service station.
If not, you need to get your car onto the hard shoulder: park it as far to the left as you can, and turn your wheels towards the grass verge in case it rolls.
If you’re on a smart motorway, try to drive to the next emergency refuge area (ERA), which is basically a lay-by at the side of the road for you to safely pull into. ERAs are found no further than 1.6 miles apart, and they’re marked by a blue sign featuring an orange SOS phone symbol.
If you find yourself unable to get to the hard shoulder, keep your seatbelt on and switch your hazard lights on immediately. Don’t leave your vehicle until you’re absolutely clear it is safe to do so.
Leave your hazard lights flashing as a warning to others. If you’ve broken down at night, put your sidelights (or ‘parking lights’) on as well — do as much as you can to make your vehicle as visible as possible to other drivers. Never attempt to put a warning triangle out on the hard shoulder.
Make sure all passengers exit the car through a left-side door, moving far away from the vehicle and traffic, and put on any reflective clothing you have. Once you’ve left your vehicle, wait behind the barrier and move up the embankment if you can.
Never attempt to fix your car if you break down on a motorway.
Call for help using the emergency phone on your side of the carriageway. You’ll notice arrows which will guide you to the nearest emergency phone, located at approximately one-mile intervals along the hard shoulder.
If you can, try to pull over close to an emergency phone so that you don’t have to walk far along the hard shoulder to find one. If you do have to walk to a phone, keep as far away from the carriageway as possible.
To ensure your breakdown is registered in the correct place, please refer to your policy documents to check who your breakdown provider is.
Your Breakdown Cover is provided by the RAC:
Cars broken down in the UK: Call 0330 013 2072
If you are in the EU and have opted for EU cover:
Calling from Europe: +33 472 43 52 55
Calling from a French landline (freephone): 0800 290 112
Calling from the Republic of Ireland (freephone) 1 800 535 005
Hard of hearing: Use Typetalk (18001) or text 07855 828282
The easiest way to request assistance is through the myRAC app.
Alternatively, you can report a breakdown online.
When it comes to embarking on a journey of any length, the best thing to do is to prepare for the unexpected beforehand. Pack some bottles of water, wireless chargers, non-perishable foods and blankets to store in your car for easy access in emergencies.
When you choose Swinton RAC Breakdown Cover, there’s no limit to the number of UK call outs you can make a year, but please note that call outs for a repeated fault will not be covered. We want you to feel safe in the knowledge that you’ll always be looked after, no matter how often you need it.
When you break down without cover, you’ll need to call a local garage and pay a call out charge out of your own pocket. Charges are often calculated with a standard fee with additional payments for each mile your vehicle needs to be towed. You may incur repair fees on top of that. All in all, it could cost you hundreds of pounds once everything is done.
Some Breakdown Cover policies won’t include an option for vehicles that break down at home, meaning you’ll need to pay for it to be towed to a garage. However, with Swinton RAC Roadside, Recovery & At Home, you’re covered even if your car breaks down on your driveway.
This depends on your level of breakdown cover. With our European Breakdown Cover you can protect yourself on trips of up to 90 days within Europe. Overall claims limit of £2,500 per claim and 3 claims per policy year, limited to 1 claim per trip.
For the first 24 hours after your policy starts, your breakdown cover is limited to Roadside Only, no matter which level of insurance cover you've chosen. After the first 24 hours, your selected breakdown cover will apply.
Yes — we will attempt to repair your car at the roadside. However, sometimes a vehicle can’t be repaired on the road. In these cases, we’ll cover the towing costs to get your car to a nearby garage to get the problem resolved there.
Your Breakdown Cover is provided by the RAC:
Vans broken down in the UK: Call 0330 013 2072
If you are in the EU and have opted for EU cover:
Calling from Europe: +33 472 43 52 55
Calling from a French landline (freephone): 0800 290 112
Calling from the Republic of Ireland (freephone) 1 800 535 005
Hard of hearing: Use Typetalk (18001) or text 07855 828282
The easiest way to request assistance is through the myRAC app.
Alternatively, you can report a breakdown online.
It’s your go-to tool for reporting a breakdown quickly and easily, wherever you are.
You’ll also find useful features at your fingertips - from finding the best local fuel prices to sending you timely reminders for MOT, tax and servicing, so you’ll never miss an important date.
Download it today from the App Store or Google Play and enjoy a simpler, smarter way to stay on top of your car care.
