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Having only one ever driven on the continent and that was in someone else’s vehicle I’m venturing down to the French Alps in the van this summer and as such I’m looking for some breakdown cover.
Any recommendations? The AA seem quite expensive seeing as it’s only an add on to our existing cover and we are only going for a week!
Thanks in advance!
Ring your insurance company - sometimes they offer it cheap as an add on. I did this a few eeks back and there was no additional cost (the cover was through the RAC).
If you're going in the tunnel, you can buy temporary cover as an add-on, think it's about 30 quid. That was also for a van, but not a massive one.
Just do ours with the car insurance - so if we had a smash then the overall problem belongs to one company / insurer.
If you get a motorway rescue there is a good chance you'll have to pay cash and then claim back once home. It is only when you need onward assistance / hire car / relay of broken car home that the breakdown insurance really kicks in.
I've used www.eversure.com for the past two years, it came to £50 for two weeks cover for the car + trailer.
As others have said, no one provides cover for the French motorways. You pay locally and claim it back.
I had to claim last year and it was a doddle, so I can't fault them.
I was with the AA. trying to add European cover to an existing AA policy was more expensive and took longer than taking out a new Green Flag policy (did while on hold waiting for AA to invent a price). Also called the AA due to a bald patch on the tyre with bits of metal sticking out. They refused to come out as the van was "not safe to drive". No sh1t, why do you think I'm calling you? Bit of a shame because the guys who come to you are great, but they won't be the ones that come to you in France. Haven't used GF abroad yet but have a couple of times in UK and they were fine
I always check threads like this because we buy cover every year. This year we'll add it on to our Green Flag annual cover. As stated above it's a fraction of the price of the AA.
Has anyone actually used it though? Surely someone has a euro breakdown story! I'd like to know how easy it would be to get up and running in the middle of the Alps if the Panda crapped itself, or get the car and bikes safely back home if something terminal happened.
Tunnel add on, and not sure but think it's an option if you get a toll tag also (recommended anyway).
I've used startrescue, fortunately not had to call them out in europe, but they've been spot on in this country.
Check your insurance as well - lots of companies only cover 3rd party in europe, even if you've got fully comp here
if you get a toll tag also (recommended anyway).
yes. I drove on my own and having to get out of the car (tolls on the left) and fanny about with change was a pain. Toll tag is brilliant, head for the barrier, slow down and you're through. Billed to credit card at end of month. Got 2, France and Italy. The Italian one is a bit of a rip-off with a 7.5% premium but still preferable to having to pay cash money
Nationwide current account cover extends to Europe - any age car too. It's worth the account price alone.
I also have the van covered with the insurers (Flux Direct) - it was such low cost it seemed worth including in case we had call outs before we went away.
sharkattack - yes, it's the liber-t tag
Has anyone actually used it though? Surely someone has a euro breakdown story! I’d like to know how easy it would be to get up and running in the middle of the Alps if the Panda crapped itself, or get the car and bikes safely back home if something terminal happened.
I would strongly advise you to avoid The Green Breakdown Company at all costs
Fuel pump died five miles from Dunkirk (on the way back luckily)
Long story, but the brief version is I was told it would be a relay to get me home (to the Tweed Valley, so quite a way) Not unexpected, maybe a french one to get me to the port, a Brit to meet me at the other end, maybe take halfway and another to finish the job. Nope. THIRTEEN breakdwon trucks and three days, really not impressed, began with being dumped at a shut French garage in an industrial estate near Calais late on a Saturday night and got worse from there. Truck drivers getting more and more incredulous as I told the story to each one, adding the new chapter each time. At one pint was taken from South Mims to somewhere in Essex, to be met a guy from Retford who wanted to go there but was under instructions to take me to the next meet near Cambridge. Whole system was barking.
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A few more stories here, including smashing a sump in Finale http://andrewhowett.blogspot.com/2015/04/its-not-bike-race-without-van-incident.html
e AA.
Has anyone actually used it though? Surely someone has a euro breakdown story!
We used green flag, we were on our way to Normandy for the Duo Normand when vehicle started overheating- local garage got called out shrugged shoulders and said non, zut, oh la vache etc and couldn’t fix it. Hired a car for the weekend and then a low loader turned up to take us the ferry on the Monday drove carvon and off and a low loader waiting to take us home- all went very smoothly. Ended up getting rid of the car which was a shame as a Honda shuttle was one of my favourite bike wagons ever.