When you are left in the lurch because your vehicle has met with an accident and you have nobody around to help, breakdown cover comes in handy. This type of insurance covers such accidents among other things. It ensures that you get a mechanic then and there though you are far away from a garage. The insurance company sends a mechanic to repair your car on the spot so that you can resume your journey.

If it is seen that car repairing would take some time, you can take another vehicle and continue with your journey. It would be the duty of the breakdown cover insurance agency to repair the car and make it ready for a journey again. So, you would not need to be worried that your car would lie unattended and unrepaired. With full confidence, you can resume your journey, either in your own car or in a hired one.

Though traditionally offered by a country's Automobile Association, nowadays almost all the mainstream car insurance agencies sell breakdown cover. It is more prevalent in the UK than anywhere else. Insurance of this sort is also known as 'emergency roadside repair' or 'roadside assistance'. As in the case of any other car insurance, it is necessary to know the terms and conditions of breakdown cover insurance policy. It helps to avail the full benefit of the insurance.

The definition of breakdown cover clearly states that the vehicle owner can claim the insurance benefit only if his car meets with an accident that causes a mechanical failure significant enough to leave him stranded. This means that simply meeting with an accident will not be sufficient to claim for the compensation. There should be a mechanical failure that makes the vehicle stop working. This and so many other details are to be taken care of while purchasing a breakdown cover insurance policy.