Does anyone know of a company who will provide breakdown cover after one has commenced ones trip? It seems to not be the case but wondered if anyone has specific knowledge.

I took out cover with Green Flag but entered the dates of our trip wrongly. As a result we’re not covered* and GF won’t change the policy dates or let us take out a new policy as we’re already in Europe.

Cheers,

*it was personal accident cover I needed when I told my other half!

Not specific, but Allianz Partners are a French group with offices all over. Get cover with them locally??

Cheers, worth a look although might not touch a UK vehicle.

Try Europ Assist

Or redstar equity

Related question… Has anyone ever had to use European breakdown cover? I suppose you don’t really know what you’ve paid for unless disaster strikes and you actually have to use it.

Related question… Has anyone ever had to use European breakdown cover? I suppose you don’t really know what you’ve paid for unless disaster strikes and you actually have to use it.

Don’t think it was one of the big names, but a friend managed to get an mx-3 that they’d bought for £250 transported all the way back from germany when the timing belt snapped. Turned out it was rusty AF so was scrapped basically as soon as it got back! Was a bit of a pain getting organised being germany on a sunday but they got home fine without the car in the end

Has anyone ever had to use European breakdown cover?

Twice.

Battery suddenly died in rural Ireland (coincidentally immediately after we’d agreed to tell our employers we were unfortunately stuck for a day as the weather was good).

Second time car overheated just in semi-rural northern France when doing the Duo Normand. Recovery all the way home, no real issues or delays.

Tbh I’ve waited longer for the mechanic to turn up in the Uk on breakdowns than on either of those incidents.

Have you checked that it’s definitely not included with your car insurance? Lots of U.K. car insurance policies throw in Europe only breakdown cover as part of the standard comp covers.

If you can check your docs from abroad obvs.

Upgrade your bank account, if its an option, then downgrade it again afterwards??

Buy it from tomorrow?
You can get standalone trip breakdown policy.

Before brextard I used to be an ADAC member. They’d cover you before they even received payment. Used it several times abroad: once memorably to get a £300 Vauxhall Corsa scrapped on the shores of lake Geneva, having had a minor altercation with another £300 Corsa on the same road trip.

Have you actually broke down?

One thing worth knowing in France and I don’t know about the rest of Europe you have to rescued by the motorways recovery, so if you can get off the motorway. I learned this the hard way when the wife let the van run out of diesel (despite forgoing three opportunities to fill it up). It was a nightmare with three kids, the local petrol stations were shut and the phone on the motorway barely worked. We were eventually rescued and Green Flag would have paid for the recovery (250 euros) if I’d remembered to claim.

When I first moved to NL, the anwb would cover foreign plated vehicles, and we had to use them twice on one trip. They would only recover as far as NL, though. Wasn’t a problem for us, and I guess it might not be for you?

I booked the RAC cover from an autoroute service station a few years ago.