Breakdown cover is a type of insurance which requires an owner or operator to pay a set fee per month or year, and it’s more often than not considered an unavoidable cost, especially as accidents or breakdowns can never be predicted.
But as we enter 2024, breakdown cover costs across the UK have risen so much that many vehicle owners and operators are questioning the value of cover and looking at ways to reduce their spend as much as possible.
Why is this happening, and what’s making breakdown cover go up so much?
Rising inflation, energy price hikes and add-ons
As we’ve seen throughout 2023, the effects of rising inflation, energy and fuel prices is being felt across many areas of the UK, and breakdown cover is no different.
According to the latest Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index in association with WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), the average price paid for comprehensive car insurance increased by a record 58% (£338) during the last 12 months, with UK motorists now paying £924 on average as insurers battle sustained cost pressures.
Car insurance premiums are now at their highest ever recorded levels since the WTW/Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index was launched in 2006, with costs increasing for eight straight quarters according to the UK’s longest established and most comprehensive car insurance price index.
Speaking to this, UK Head of P&C Pricing, Product, Claims and Underwriting at WTW, Tim Rourke, said that “drivers are seeing their car insurance premiums soar by as much as 90% as insurers battle a dramatic increase in claims costs, pushed higher by rising repair costs, labour shortages and as poor economic conditions bite… if inflation continues to slow next year, with the cost of second-hand cars and repairs stabilising, this may feed through to less price pressure.”
CEO at Confused.com, Steve Dukes, added to this, saying that “premiums have increased so rapidly that we’re seeing the highest prices recorded across all areas of the UK because insurers are having to deal with a lot right now, such as an increase in claims and having to price for more expensive cars on the road – such as electric vehicles… as these adjustments happen, there will come a point where we see price growth settle. But when we look at how prices are affecting drivers right now, insurers need to be doing more to keep prices affordable. Otherwise, there’s a real risk that a large number of drivers could be priced off the road as motoring costs become unaffordable.”
For consumers, this is a challenging time as they consider their costs, but it’s exacerbated even more by the many different types of breakdown cover available to choose from.
For example, would a basic roadside assistance plan be enough, or would home start, European cover or onward travel be needed? Is it worth opting for additional extras such as battery, tyre, and key replacements, just in case? Would personal breakdown cover be a better option as this covers a driver in any vehicle, or vehicle breakdown as it covers just the one?
Not to mention the additional considerations such as whether a vehicle is electric or hybrid, as this could mean a more complicated recovery, specialised equipment, and more skilled experts to attend the scene.
For insurers, the rising costs of breakdown cover means that they are looking for as many ways as possible to make the most of the little time,resource, and budget they have. Whether that’s through outsourcing certain services, switching vendors, or partnering with a trusted industry specialist to make their service as great and cost effective as it can be.
This is where we come in
Egertons are one of the UK’s leading vehicle rescue and recovery operators, with services stretching from breakdown recovery to specialist assistance, available across the country.
We’re the preferred vehicle rescue and recovery operator for UK fleets to rely on, and when you need us, we’ll always be right here.
Keen to know what makes us different?
We can take over from first notification of loss (FNOL)
Egertons are able to enhance your existing FNOL provision by stepping in at the first notification. We can take on as much of your processes as you would like, and our team of specialists have the exceptional resources of our 300-strong fleet of vehicles at their disposal, meaning that if required, they can deploy an immediate response vehicle to any location across the UK.
But we don’t stop there.
If the vehicle is roadworthy, we can provide notification only, or it’s deemed unroadworthy, we can recover the vehicle to either a safe location, a specific location of your choice or to one of our many secure sites across the country, all in an effort to make your experience as smooth and stress-free as possible.
We can recover any vehicle, from anywhere
We pride ourselves on constantly innovating and adapting to the demands of a changing world, and have invested heavily in our fleet, technology and customer service to build a nationwide roadside repair and recovery service that our customers can rely on 24/7/365.
This investment allows our roadside incident team to spring into action as soon as they receive your call, despatching not only the recovery vehicle that’s most suitable for the job, but also the one closest to the location of the incident.
Depending on the type of vehicle that needs recovery, we have access to recovery assets such as rotating and sliding cranes, low loaders, and medium and large heavies. We can even deploy airbag units or all terrain equipment too, meaning we can confidently say that yes, we can recover any vehicle, from anywhere.
We’ve got alternative fuel vehicles covered too
This is absolutely crucial, as there are significant risks involved when trying to safely recover an electric commercial vehicle, as they carry new and very different hazards to what’s normally associated with repairing vehicles or roadside recovery. These include high voltage components and cabling which, if tampered with by anyone other than an expert who knows what they’re doing, could cause a fatal electric shock, storage of electrical energy which has potential to explode or catch fire or even the vehicle itself that may move unexpectedly due to magnetic forces within the motors.
What’s more, operators can also rest assured that any roadside repair is also carried out to the very highest industry standards, as we also hold PAS 43, ISO 9001 and NNHS Sector 17 accreditations and all of our technicians are fully qualified in commercial vehicle repairs.
We will always aim to repair at the roadside first
At Egertons, our roadside repairs are so successful that they account for 76% of vehicle breakdowns that we attend. This is because roadside repairs often bring about the fastest possible resolution to a breakdown, and it means there’s no additional downtime for your fleet.
To do this effectively, as soon as our roadside repair technician arrives on the scene, they’ll quickly evaluate the situation with the help of onboard diagnostic equipment and latest vehicle tooling to resolve the problem quickly and efficiently.
By working like this, we can aim to facilitate a roadside repair quickly and safely, rather than prolong the downtime of your vehicles or needing to tow them to a workshop. For our customers, this means that we’re able to use the exact right equipment, tools and technician expertise there and then, getting their vehicles back on the road as soon as possible.
And if we can’t, we’ll still get you, your driver, and your vehicle where it needs to be
Egertons isn’t just a vehicle recovery service; we provide ongoing mobility solutions to ensure your load gets to its final destination safely. This means if we can’t repair your vehicle at the roadside, we’ll help deliver your load, your driver and your vehicle to the most appropriate locations to get your day back on track as quickly as possible.
In fact, our experts can even facilitate drop offs to separate locations too, whether it’s the original planned destination, company depot or preferred workshop.
In other words, you can count on us.