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SALE - up to 40% off*

Complete peace of mind in France

  • 24/7 rescue with an English-speaking helpline
  • We get to most breakdowns in 50 mins or less
  • We’ll get you and your vehicle home
Buy now

*Max 40% applies to new annual Comprehensive Plus cover. Excludes single trip cover. Ends 14/08/25, 10am.

*Max 40% applies to new annual Comprehensive Plus cover. Excludes single trip cover. Ends 14/08/25, 10am.

Defaqto Expert Rated 5 Star
European Breakdown Cover

Why choose the RAC for cover in France?

Breaking down is the last thing you need when driving abroad. Call our 24/7 English-speaking helpline and we’ll get help as soon as possible. If your vehicle can be repaired, you'll be on your way. If not, we'll give you money towards repairs, or help with emergency accommodation or the cost of continuing your journey.

24/7 English-speaking helpline

RAC recovery rate icon

Help in 50 minutes on average, in France

5 Star Defaqto rated cover

Compare our breakdown cover

We offer two types of European breakdown cover for you to choose. Both levels offer Roadside Assistance, 24/7 English-speaking helplines and free European legal help, ensuring peace of mind throughout your trip in France.

Read how else they compare against each other below.

SALE – 33% off*

RAC Comprehensive

We’ll try to fix you at the roadside so you can continue your trip. With Comprehensive you'll get UK cover 2 days before you go and 1 European claim per trip.
If you break down after your cover starts but before you leave the UK, we'll give you a hire car for up to 6 days.
Get up to £1,500 alternative transport OR up to £500 for accommodation to continue your holiday or return to the UK.
If you're towed to a garage in Europe, we'll contribute £150 towards any labour costs if repairs are done the same day.
We’ll pay up to the market value of your vehicle to get it back to the UK, providing it’s not beyond economical repair.
We cover a replacement train/ferry ticket for 1 missed connection, if the delay is caused by a breakdown.
SALE – 40% off*

RAC Comprehensive Plus

We’ll try to fix you at the roadside so you can continue your trip. With Comprehensive Plus you'll get UK cover 7 days before you go and unlimited European claims per trip.
If you break down after your cover starts but before you leave the UK, we'll give you a hire car for up to 23 days.
Get up to £3,000 alternative transport AND up to £1,200 for accommodation to continue your holiday or return to the UK.
If you're towed to a garage in Europe, we'll contribute £1,000 towards any labour costs if repairs are done within 7 working hours.
We’ll cover all costs to get your vehicle back to the UK, providing it’s not beyond economical repair.
We cover replacement train/ferry tickets for up to 3 missed connections, if the delay is caused by a breakdown.

*For annual European breakdown cover, Ends 14/08/25, 10am.

What happens if I break down in France?

If you break down in France, what you do next depends on whether or not you have European breakdown cover.

If you have RAC European Breakdown Cover:

  1. Call the RAC’s English-speaking helpline on 0033 472 4352 44 (from a UK mobile), or 0800 942 044 (from a French landline only) – lines are open 24/7
  2. Our team will arrange Roadside Assistance for you
  3. When help arrives, they’ll fix your vehicle at the roadside or tow you to the nearest garage for further repairs
  4. Depending on what level of cover you have, we’ll also pay towards garage labour costs, Onward Travel expenses and accommodation fees while your car’s being fixed

If you break down on the motorway (‘Autoroute’), it works little differently. Find out more.

If you don’t have European breakdown cover:

  • You’ll need to find a recovery company to come out to you and tow you to a garage if needed
  • If your car needs repairs at a garage, you’ll have to find a garage nearby
  • In addition, you’ll need to cover all recovery and labour costs yourself

What to do if you break down on the motorway in France

If you break down on the motorway (‘Autoroute’) in France, call for help using the nearest orange emergency phone – even if you have European breakdown cover in place. This is because French motorways are privately managed.

Here’s what to do if you break down on the motorway in France:

  1. Don’t call the RAC – instead, use one of the orange emergency telephones positioned every 2 km along the motorway
  2. If you can’t get to one of these orange phones, call the emergency services on 112
  3. The emergency services will send help and you’ll be towed to safety
  4. Once you’ve been towed to a designated safe area, call the RAC on 0033 472 4352 44
  5. We’ll send assistance and talk you through next steps

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Why the RAC offers the best European breakdown cover on the market1

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We're the only provider to cover all costs for Roadside Assistance in Europe.

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With Comprehensive Plus you'll get a hire car and accommodation while your vehicle's being repaired – and we give you more to spend on both than anyone else.

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We're the only provider to cover all costs to get your vehicle back home, with our Comprehensive Plus cover (as long as it's not beyond economical repair).

1Comparison based on RAC Comprehensive Plus European Breakdown Cover against the top level of cover from other major providers as of 26/03/25.

What our members are saying about all our breakdown cover?