Do you know what personal breakdown cover is? It’s a type of breakdown cover that covers you instead of a particular car or vehicle, so if you’re a passenger in a car driven by someone else you will be covered.
Let’s take a more detailed look at personal breakdown cover, how it works, and whether it’s the right type of breakdown cover for you.
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What is Personal Breakdown Cover?
Personal Breakdown Cover is a form of breakdown insurance that covers a named person instead of a specific car. The policy holder is covered if the car they are driving breaks down but also if they are a passenger in another car, driven by someone else.
RAC personal breakdown membership covers you as a driver or a passenger in any vehicle*, and you can add up to four other members to the policy.
In theory, personal cover should cover the policy holder in any vehicle they are present in at the time, though you should always check the terms and conditions of your breakdown cover.
It could be the perfect type of breakdown cover for you if you drive more than one car regularly. Regardless of which car you’re driving, you should be covered if you experience a breakdown.
However, you might find personal breakdown cover to be more expensive than a vehicle-based cover policy. Why? Mainly because the level of risk is more difficult to assess. You could be travelling in a range of different vehicles, as a passenger, so a personal breakdown policy has to cover you in a number of situations.
Comparing Personal Breakdown Cover
Personal Breakdown Cover might not be the best breakdown cover option for you, so it’s important to consider the pros and cons before taking up this kind of membership.
What are the pros of personal breakdown cover?
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If you regularly drive more than one vehicle, you are always covered in the event of a breakdown.
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If you are travelling as a passenger in someone else's car, you're also covered.
What are the cons of personal breakdown cover?
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If you are not physically present in a car when it breaks down, it won’t be covered. So, if the rest of your family are in a car, and you’re not, and it breaks down, they won’t be covered.
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Personal Breakdown Cover can be a more expensive option than vehicle cover.
While you might find personal breakdown cover to be more expensive than other types of breakdown cover, what you’re paying for is peace of mind. You, the policy holder, will have the reassurance that you’ll have cover in all vehicles.
Can I add additional people to my policy?
It’s easy to add additional people to a policy - turning a personal breakdown cover plan into one that includes other members of your family. Effectively, it then becomes a joint breakdown policy.
Simply choose Personal Cover when you select your preferred breakdown option. You can choose to include up to five people and although the price increases with every person you add, you might be surprised at the cost. Prices can fluctuate but can be as low as just £2 per person a month.
Personal car breakdown cover includes roadside rescue as standard but you can also add further levels of cover such as National Recovery and At Home to make your policy even more comprehensive.
Other types of breakdown cover
Other types of breakdown cover are available from the RAC. Vehicle Cover provides breakdown cover for a named vehicle instead of a person. So, if you have one car in the household, all members of the family will have breakdown cover whenever they drive that vehicle.
Looking for a more specific kind of breakdown cover? You might need Motorbike Breakdown Cover, European Breakdown Cover or Business Breakdown Cover, which applies to vans, trucks and taxis.
For more details, why not read our Complete Guide to Breakdown Cover?