European Breakdown

The BEST cover in the market, from just £9

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Comparisons based on top standalone cover levels from other major providers. Price for 1 day cover for up to 9 people travelling in a vehicle up to 1 year old in Zone 1.

European Breakdown Cover

If you're driving in Europe you'll need comprehensive cover & the security of European roadside assistance. Our Comprehensive Plus cover is the BEST European breakdown cover policy in the market. We'll ensure your vehicle is fixed at the roadside or towed to the nearest garage - and we can provide recovery services in 49 different countries with both single-trip and annual policies available.

24/7 English-speaking helpline

Defaqto 5 Star Comprehensive Plus cover

The BEST cover in the market1

Unlike other major providers, we've got flexible options to suit you - single trip and annual policies for vehicles of any age, including classic cars, and we provide cover if you're towing. Get instant cover online today or if you need any help you can call our dedicated team on 0330 332 8302.
 

Our cover levels

Standard

From £6*

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  • Up to £1,250 roadside assistance in Europe
  • We’ll pay up to £150 garage labour costs2
  • Up to £400 accommodation expenses or up to £400 to continue your journey
  • Up to £500 or the market value if lower, to get your vehicle back to the UK, providing your vehicle is not beyond economical repair
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defaqto five star rating

Comprehensive

From £7*

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  • Unlimited roadside assistance in Europe
  • We’ll pay up to £150 garage labour costs2
  • Up to £500 accommodation expenses or up to £1,500 to continue your journey
  • We’ll pay up to the market value of your vehicle to get it back to the UK, providing your vehicle is not beyond economical repair
  • UK roadside assistance up to the value of £300, 48 hours before your departure date
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defaqto five star rating

BEST cover1

Comprehensive Plus

From £9*

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  • Unlimited roadside assistance in Europe
  • We’ll pay up to £1,000 garage labour costs**
  • Up to £1,200 accommodation expenses and up to £3,000 to continue your journey
  • We’ll pay to get your vehicle back to the UK if it can’t be fixed, providing your vehicle is not beyond economical repair
  • Unlimited UK roadside assistance, 7 days before your departure date^
  • Replacement tickets if you miss your pre-booked train or ferry^^
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Compare our European Breakdown Cover

What does RAC offer that the AA and Green flag don't?1 Find out more.
 

RAC Comprehensive Plus      AA Green Flag
Has a Defaqto 5 Star rating Yes Yes No
Garage labour costs included £1,000, if repairs can be completed within 7 working hours No Yes, first 30 minutes
Getting your car home (providing the vehicle is not beyond economical repair) Unlimited Up to the market value of the vehicle Up to the market value of the vehicle
Expense limit for journey continuation in Europe £3,000 £1,500 £850
Accommodation expenses £1,200 Up to £500 Up to £500

Countries Covered

Our policies can be extended to cover up to 49 countries, you’ll struggle to find European Breakdown Cover as comprehensive as ours. The covered countries are separated into Zones, allowing you to easily select the best cover for you and your trip.

If you’d like to learn more about driving in these countries, click the country name to read our extensive guides which include local driving laws, travel advice, parking regulations and fuel availability.

  Andorra
  Germany
  The Netherlands
  Belgium
  Luxembourg
  Republic of Ireland
  France
  Monaco

We also cover the offshore islands of all the countries within this zone.

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Zone 2 (includes Spain & Italy)
  Austria
  Denmark
  Finland
  Gibraltar
  Italy
  Liechtenstein
  Norway
  Portugal
  San Marino
  Spain
  Sweden
  Switzerland
  Vatican City

We also cover the offshore islands of all the countries within this zone.

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Zone 3 (includes Poland & Greece)
  Albania
  Armenia
  Azerbaijan
  Belarus
  Bosnia Herzegovina
  Bulgaria
  Croatia
  Cyprus (South)
  Czech Republic
  Estonia
  Georgia
  Greece
  Hungary
Kosovo
  Latvia
  Lithuania
  Macedonia
  Malta
  Moldova
  Montenegro
  Poland
  Romania
  Russian mainland (west of Urals)
  Serbia
  Slovakian Republic
  Slovenia
  Turkey (in Europe) plus Uskudar
  Ukraine

We also cover the offshore islands of all the countries within this zone.

Show countries on a map
European driving and travel advice

Both our breakdown cover and advice is comprehensive: select your destination and read through the tailored motoring information and advice on offer

  

Route Planner has been designed to make it easier for you to plan routes, get traffic updates and work out your travel mileage

  

Take advantage of our Breakdown Cover and explore the UK and Europe, and the unrivalled landscapes, by car

  
More about our European Breakdown Cover...

Whether you're popping to Paris or setting off for a two-week stay in Spain, we have flexible cover options to suit you.

  

Find out what the RAC offers that the AA and Green Flag don't

  

Read the praise we have received from our customers regarding our European Breakdown Cover

  

For more information about our European Breakdown Cover please refer to our Insurance Product Information Document or our Terms & Conditions

  

PDF

Download and complete a claim form within 90 days of your planned return date

  

What our Members say

Already broken down?

Use the phone numbers below to contact us for assistance

United Kingdom
inc. Northern Ireland

0333 2000 999

Pay call

Republic of Ireland

1 800 535005

Freephone from a landline

France & Monaco

0800 942044

Freephone from a landline

Rest of Europe

0033 472435244

Pay call

Our Service

Do you know the French for flat battery? (it's batterie à plat)

We have been helping motorists in Europe for over 100 years so we know how stressful it can be when your car breaks down. It can be even worse when it is in a different country where you may not be able to speak the language.


  1. An experienced case handler to manage your breakdown from start to finish
  2. Our technical experts will liaise with the garage to ensure you only pay for repairs you need
  3. We will cover the costs of dispatch for any replacement parts - please note we will not pay for the costs of the parts
  4. Average time to attend in France was 50 minutes†
  5. 93% of calls were answered in under 15 seconds
  6. 62% of all breakdowns in Europe are dealt with on the same day
  7. English speaking incident managers on call 24/7 to help manage the repairs, towing and if needs be alternative travel or accommodation arrangements
  8. Up to 18 different languages spoken by our team
  9. RAC's urgent message relay can let your relatives or close business associates know what's going on

Based on data collated between January 2015 and December 2015 on service levels in Europe (unless otherwise specified).

5 Star European Breakdown Cover

RAC Comprehensive European Breakdown Cover has been awarded a 5 star rating by Defaqto.

European Breakdown FAQs

Suffering car problems is problematic at the best of times, but the situation can feel much worse far away from home. If you're driving outside the UK, you need to be covered for specific European vehicle breakdown, so that you can benefit from European roadside assistance and European roadside recovery.

Even if you have UK breakdown cover in place, you shouldn't just assume that your vehicle has the same level of place abroad as at home. If you're planning on driving in Europe - taking a holiday in France or Spain, for example - you should make sure you have cover. If not, it's time to start looking up European breakdown policies. You can read more about the need for European breakdown cover here.
Q. What level of European breakdown cover do I need?
If you're a regular driver in several different European countries, then you might consider taking out an annual policy which you can add as an optional extra alongside your annual UK breakdown cover. It's comprehensive, covering vehicles that have broken down at the roadside as well as being recovered to a nearby local garage - so that's European roadside assistance and European roadside recovery taken care of.
Q. What countries are included in RAC European breakdown cover?
You'll struggle to find many European breakdown policies that are as comprehensive in its coverage. This policy provides European vehicle breakdown cover in 48 countries in continental Europe.

Of course, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Belgium are included, as is the Republic of Ireland. But this policy also covers European breakdowns in a range of other countries, including Albania, Armenia, Gibraltar, Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia and many more. This means drivers will have access to European recovery services in virtually every country.
Q. Can I find cheap European breakdown cover?
Yes, as cover is available on a single trip basis as well as annually. The RAC has three different policies, so you can compare European breakdown cover across these variations. Standard starts from just £6, Comprehensive is from £7 and the price of Comprehensive Plus begins at £9. Our RAC Comprehensive Plus policy has a Defaqto 5 Star rating, and includes garage labour costs up to £1,000 and unlimited emergency European roadside assistance and repair.
Q. Can I just get cover for a family holiday in Europe?
You can - the RAC has flexible options so you can, if you wish, just get relatively cheap European breakdown cover for two weeks in France during the summer, for example. This allows you to tailor your breakdown cover exactly for your requirements, selecting the dates of your travel, the number of the people in the vehicle, and the European areas you'll be driving in. Cover will obviously be cheaper for a family of four spending a week in France than a football team touring several European countries for a month.
Q. Are all countries covered by all RAC European breakdown policies?
They are in our most comprehensive annual European breakdown policies. But we also allow motorists to pick and choose only the countries they will be driving in, and divide these countries into zones. Zone 1 covers France, Belgium, Monaco, the Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Andorra, Germany and Luxembourg; Zone 2 includes Spain, Italy and others. Zone 3 includes Poland, Greece, Ukraine and the Russian mainland.

Think carefully before taking out European roadside recovery - if you're visiting a country once for a short period, it makes sense to look at specific European personal cover. If you're visiting several countries more than once during a period of time, an annual policy, offering excellent all-round European roadside assistance, could well be worth it.
Q. Will European breakdown cover help to get my car back to the UK?
If required, our European breakdown policies can help to get your car safely back to the UK - or repatriation, in other words. Again, there are different levels of cover depending on your policy. Standard has vehicle repatriation cover of up to £500, Comprehensive has cover up to the market value of the insured vehicle, and Comprehensive Plus has unlimited cover. This is providing your vehicle is not beyond economical repair.
Q. What vehicles are eligible for European Cover?

We insure most vehicles types and we also cover vehicles that are towing caravans or trailers so long as they meet the following criteria. The insured vehicle must be one of the following and must be permanently registered in the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man as a private vehicle: car, motorcycle 121cc or over, motor caravan, motor home, minibus fitted with not more than 17 seats including driver, light van, estate car, MPV, or 4x4 sport utility vehicle.

The vehicle must also have:

  • A maximum legal laden weight of 3,500kg (3.5 tonnes). This weight is called the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM)
  • Maximum overall dimensions of: length 7m; height 3m; width 2.55m (all including any load carried).

Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for further details.

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03 numbers are charged at national call rates and included in inclusive minute plans from landlines and mobiles. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded.

Full terms and conditions apply.

Maximum benefits payable under the policy - please read the terms and conditions policy booklet for details. Additional cover available in some areas upon payment of an additional premium.

* Price for 1 day cover for up to 9 people travelling in a vehicle up to 1 year old in Zone 1.

1 Comparison based on top standalone cover levels from other major providers. Visit rac.co.uk/eurocompare for more details.

2 If repairs can be completed within the same working day.

** If repairs can be completed within 7 working hours.

^ Unless a breakdown occurs within a ¼ of a mile from your home

^^ Up to 3 missed connections, if the delay is caused by a breakdown

† Actual time was 50.30 minutes from the time accepted by the breakdown service to the time the contractor arrives at the scene, 1st January 2016 - 1st August 2016.

RAC European Breakdown cover arranged and administered by RAC Financial Services Limited (Registered No 05171817) and provided by RAC Insurance Ltd (Registered No 2355834). Registered in England; Registered Offices: RAC House, Brockhurst Crescent, Walsall WS5 4AW. RAC Financial Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of insurance mediation activities. RAC Insurance Ltd is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

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