If you breakdown on the roadside, you need to ensure everything you do is safe. Switch on your hazard lights so other vehicles know you’re having an issue and can see your vehicle clearly. Then, when it is safe to do so, get out of your vehicle and stand away from the road at a safe distance. You should then call our 24 hour UK breakdown cover helpline on 0330 678 7144 and they will be able to talk you through the next steps. For more information, check out our FAQs page.

Although every provider is different, we aim to be with you as soon as possible, where this isn't the case Britannia Rescue will let you know if the breakdown professional is delayed.

While you might think the two are pretty much the same, roadside assistance is a basic form of breakdown cover which helps if your car breaks down, but has restrictions on where you can get help and limits on the number of callouts you can make per year.

Other breakdown cover policies, such as UK Breakdown Cover and European Breakdown Cover, give you access to roadside assistance but have less restrictions and unlimited callouts, as well as other useful features which can be helpful in a wider range of breakdown situations.

Home start or home assist in a breakdown cover policy means that you can request breakdown help at your home address. Some types of cover, such as our Roadside Cover, won’t include assistance if you’re at home, so it’s worth checking the details of a policy to be sure it’s included. This can be especially useful if you rely on your car for work and travel from home often, as problems can sometimes arise overnight.

Standard breakdown cover will give you vehicle cover, meaning that only the specific vehicle named in the policy is covered. However, you can typically add a second car as an optional extra for a small fee, please call us to discuss this.