What Are The Best Multi-Car Breakdown Cover?

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Nishadh Mohammed updated on February 26, 2021

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If you’re living in a household that has two or more cars, you’ll already know how expensive breakdown cover can be for them all, and it doesn’t matter how affordable your policies may seem, it can still be a taxing expense that you’d rather be spending the money elsewhere.

However, have you considered the possibility of a multi-car breakdown cover policy?

Since you’re reading this, the chances are you probably have, but you’ll also know how many policies there are to choose from, so you’re left wondering, which one is best for you and your household? Today, we’re going to detail everything you need to do in order to find the very best breakdown cover deal possible. Stay tuned!

What is a multi-car breakdown cover policy?

If you have two or more cars in your household, you can insure them all under one breakdown policy using a multi-car provider.

This can be very beneficial because instead of having to pay out one expensive premium for breakdown cover on every car you have, you can umbrella the costs into one payment. This typically is a much more affordable approach and makes the entire process of having breakdown cover on multiple cars far less complicated.

What are the best multi-car breakdown cover?

Ready to compare breakdown cover and find the best multi-car breakdown cover policy for you and your household?

In the cheap breakdown cover table below, you’ll find a collection of the best ten multi-car breakdown cover providers, plus all the information you need to know to help you find which are the top 10 car breakdown cover policies, and which is most suitable for you!

Breakdown Cover ProviderAverage PriceFeatures of the PolicyOpinion of the Policy
logo rac insurance 1£170 per year
  • Offer 12-month policies with a one-off paymentOffer fast callout times, usually reaching your vehicle in need in around half an hour
  • Allow upgrades to personal cover plans if you need European breakdown cover
  • Each policy covers your if you breakdown at home, on the roadside, and can tow you to wherever you were going
  • Multiple versions of their breakdown cover policies available (premium packages etc.)
  • Policies can be brought on a per vehicle basis, or per named driverOffer plenty of moneyback and cashback discounts depending on when you take out the policy
  • Policies offered by one of the most well-known breakdown cover providers in the UK
  • You can include up to five family members on a single policy
  • You can include up to three unique vehicles per policy
logo aa£169 per year
  • Offer fast recovery times usually averaging around the 40-minute mark
  • Contracts are always annual and last 12 months with a one-off payment or monthly payment policies
  • Offer cashback deals on vehicle-only breakdown cover plans
  • You can always add another personal cover person or driver to your plan for an extra £10 per year
  • Multiple versions of their breakdown cover policies available (premium packages etc.)
  • Policies offered by one of the most well-known breakdown cover providers in the UKOffer customer and support call lines open 24/7
  • Receive thousands of discount opportunities in up to 1,300 restaurants, pubs, and service stations
  • Onward travel means the recovery team will take you to any single destination in the UK
  • Offers access to free dedicated recovery app you can plug into your car to help determine the fault of your vehicle
auto aid logo£60 per year
  • All policies include home breakdown starts as standard to a limit of £65 per call-out
  • Personal cover allows you to drive any eligible vehicle you own or are insured on
  • Allows you free cover to add your partner or spouse as long as you can prove the relationship
  • Affordable policies that are backed by hundreds of positive breakdown cover reviews from drivers and households across the country
  • Fast average callout times of around 40 minutes
  • European breakdown cover available on a separate dedicated policy
emergency assist ltd£33 per vehicle
  • Don’t offer any form of personal cover plans
  • Plans include roadside assistance, national recovery, onward travel, and home start features
  • You can add any driver to your policy, regardless of age or driving experience
  • The company holds over 5,000 positive customer reviews from drivers across the UK
  • Policy covers the entire UK so you’re covered no matter where you are
  • Offers a free towing feature of caravans and trailers
  • Allows you to use up to six callouts per membership term (annually)
gem logo£96.66 per person
  • Only offer personal cover plans you can add per person to your policy
  • No individual vehicle plans available
  • All policies include Roadside assistance, national recovery, onward travel, and home start features
  • The cover offered is backed a five-star Defaqto rating
  • An award-winning service voted the ‘Best Breakdown Cover - Gold’ in Auto Express’s 2018 survey and best breakdown cover 2019.
  • Offers access to 24/7 breakdown and customer support call centres
  • Gain exclusive discounts, offers, and premium reductions using the club membership scheme
logo admiral£44.95 per year
  • A five-star rated car breakdown insurance provider by Defaqto, and an award-winning company for six years in a row
  • Offers comprehensive and third party policies you can pay for annually or monthly
  • A range of optional extras available to add onto your policy, including windscreen cover, courtesy car cover, and breakdown cover Europe up to 90 days
  • Personal injury cover available up to a limit of £5,000
  • Named drivers can earn their own no claims discounts
  • Make a claim anytime by contacting the 24-hour emergency call line

Multi-car discounts available
  • The customer service team holds a 98% customer satisfaction rating
  • This best car breakdown cover provider has sold over 15 million policies to UK drivers over the last 25 years of service
  • All your personal and financial information is secured and protected online using state-of-the-art technology
logo elephant£44.95 per year
  • Plenty of optional extras to add to your policy, including courtesy car cover, sports equipment cover, and stereo cover up to £1,250 or 15% of the value of your car
  • Named drivers can earn their own no claims discount
  • All policies include 90-days of European driving cover for free
  • Personal injury cover protects you up to a limit of £5,000
  • Windscreen cracks and chip repairs are included in your policy as standard
  • Contact or make a claim anytime using the 24-hour emergency line
  • Breakdown cover, hire vehicle cover, keycare cover, motor protection, and personal injury cover are all included as bespoke extras if you want them
logo diamond£44.95 per year
  • A car insurance provider tailored and designed with women drivers in mind
  • You can add your partner to your policy as a named driver
  • Bespoke optional extras offered, such as child seat cover, and handbag cover
  • You can pay for your policy annually or monthly
  • Free 90-day European driving cover available as a standard feature
  • Company is known for handling claims and queries quickly and efficently
  • Named drivers can earn their own no claims discounts on your policy
  • Offers access to a 24-hour emergency claims line who are there whenever you need them
  • You can add standard optional extras to your policy, including breakdown cover, personal injury cover, hire car cover, and motor legal protection
logo post office 1£29.99 per year
  • Dedicated policies available for under 50s and over 50s
  • All repairs claimed for come with a three-year warranty, even if your policy has expired
  • Fully comprehensive and third-party policies available, all of which can be customised to suit your needs.
  • The provider only uses Uk-based call centres open 24-hours a day
  • Offers European driving cover as an extra for a 60-day period
  • A range of optional policy extras available, including legal cost cover, courtesy car cover, audio equipment cover, stereo cover, and windscreen cover.
Top multi car breakdown cover

The breakdown cover comparison table above will be subject to how many vehicles you’re covering with your policy and the vehicles themselves, as well as other variables that depend on the provider. These car breakdown cover comparison prices are to be used as guidelines only.

What does multi-car breakdown cover?

Just like a standard breakdown cover feature on your single car insurance policy, multi-car breakdown cover usually offers you protection for a full range of particular situations you may find yourself in when you need vehicle assistance. Let’s take a detailed look as to what it typically covered.

Type of breakdown Coverage
Roadside AssistanceThe standard form of breakdown cover. If you breakdown on the side of the road, you can call your breakdown service to come and help. They will either try to fix the problem at the scene, or will drive/tow you to the closest garage who will take it from there.
Vehicle RecoveryIf your vehicle can’t be repaired by the roadside, but you don’t want to take your car to the closest garage, you can choose a single location in which you want the car to be taken.
Home Start (At-Home Breakdown)If you breakdown on your driveway, such as not being able to start your car, or usually within a mile of your home, you can request a call out to come and try to repair your vehicle.
Onward TravelThis type of cover means that it doesn’t matter if your vehicle cannot be repaired at the roadside, you will be given an alternative mode of transport to reach your destination. This includes fees for public transport, overnight accommodation, or even access to a courtesy car.
Different types of breakdown coverage

Of course, what is offered out of the selection of features above will depend on the kind of service your multi-car breakdown cover provider is offering, so always check to see what’s included in your premium.

Good to know

If you need an extra feature that’s not being offered, just ask and the provider will generally add it to your policy for small fee.

What are the exclusions of multi-car breakdown cover?

There are generally some exclusions to multi-car breakdown cover policies that can prevent you from getting assistance when you need it, so you’ll need to be aware of these to ensure you’re able to get help when you need it.

ExclusionsExplanation
Breaking down on private landIf you breakdown on private land, or it’s difficult for the assistance vehicle to gain access to the land to reach your car, your provider may not be able to recover you, or they may charge an extra fee to reach you.
Travelling with animalsIf you have animals in the vehicle, such as small pets, large pets, or livestock, this can be a problem if you havent already told your provider that this is how you’re using your vehicle. In some cases, you have had to use a livestock trailer. For example, if you breakdown with a horsebox, your provider may not help if you haven’t declared the vehicle for this use.
A road accident situationIf your breakdown repairs have been caused as the direct result of a car accident, you may not be able to receive immediate assistance. This is situation dependent, and you may have to wait until the emergency services have finished their job before you can get help.
Poor car maintainanceIf the result of the breakdown is directly caused by poor vehicle maintainance, this can void your breakdown assistance request. Some of the key things to think about here include changing your oil or windscreen wipers regularly, or checking your tyres.
Multi-car breakdown cover exclusions

What is the cost of multi-car breakdown cover?

Of course, the cost of your own individual multi-car breakdown cover policy will depend on how many vehicles or drivers you’re planning to add, but it’s easy to see that you’ll find savings with this kind of policy.

The best breakdown cover uk average for a multi-car breakdown policy currently sits around the £60.96 mark, for a policy that is covering two standard vehicles. However, getting breakdown cover for both cars individually will total, on average, £75.20, which immediately shows you there are savings to be made.

There are a few other factors you’ll want to consider when it comes to determining the best value and best cost of your policy.

Good to know

These include the level of breakdown cover you opt for, whether it’s a complete policy offering onward travel and home start cover, or just a basic policy offering roadside assistance, and any optional extras you may wish to include.

Which options can I add on top of my multi car breakdown cover?

Just like all kinds of car insurance and breakdown policies, there are several optional extras you may be able to add to your multi-car breakdown policy as and when you need them. Some providers will offer these points as standard, whereas others may charge a small fee to add them onto your policy.

Some of the more common optional extras you may be able to onto your policy include;

  • Replacing the wrong fuel
  • Driving your car in Europe
  • Windshield cover
  • Key replacement
  • Special vehicle breakdown cover (such as caravans, motorhomes, and trailers)
  • Cold weather cover

What is the difference between multi-car breakdown & family breakdown cover?

While searching for the best car breakdown service, you’ve probably seen proof of both Multi-Car breakdown cover and family breakdown cover, and while these policies may look very similar on paper, there are some differences you’ll want to be aware of.

Types of breakdown coverComments
Family Breakdown CoverAll the drivers included on the policy must be located and live at the same address. This kind of breakdown cover tends to cover one or more vehicles at an address, and only covers the people who live at the same address. It tends to be the individiual drivers this kind of policy covers, rather than the number of vehicles.
Multi-Car Breakdown CoverYou can cover multiple drivers on multiple vehicles who all live at separate addresses. In this kind of policy, it tends to be the number of vehicles being covered, rather than how many people are being covered and where they are located.
The best roadside assistance policies means that it doesn’t matter who is driving which car, you know that in the event you break down, you’re covered to get repaired and to receive assistance.
Multi-car breakdown cover types

What are the Different Types of Multi-Car Breakdown Cover?

Like standard breakdown cover, there are two main types of Multi-Car Breakdown cover out there for you to choose from traditional breakdown cover or insurance-styled breakdown cover.

  • With traditional cover, you’ll tend to pay annually for your cover and all the costs of requesting a call-out and getting the assistance you need will be included in this annual cost.
  • On the other hand, insurance-styled breakdown cover is when you’ll pay for the breakdown service upfront using any breakdown service provider, but you then later claim back the costs you’ve paid from your breakdown cover provider.

To make things less complicated for yourself, it’s much easier to opt for traditional breakdown cover when looking into multi-vehicle policies. Read our article about standard breakdown cover to learn more about it! 

Does My Insurance Already Give Me Multi-Car Breakdown Cover?

To cut a long story short, sometimes, this will depend on your insurance provider! Simply get in contact with your car insurance provider to find out, or ask if they can offer you a multi-car breakdown cover deal!

How to Get Cheaper Multi-Car Breakdown Cover?

While there are currently some fantastic deals out there when it comes to multi-car breakdown cover, it’s always worth remembering that there are some key ways you can reduce your policy premiums further. Here’s how;

  • Recognise Your Breakdown Needs - If you have a new car, you may not need breakdown cover because the vehicle is covered by a warranty, or the chances of the vehicle breaking down are slim, meaning you won’t need to add this vehicle to your breakdown policy, therefore saving money on how much you’re spending.
  • Don’t Pay for Breakdown Cover Twice - If you’re paying for car insurance that offers you breakdown cover, you won’t need to add your car to your multi-car policy, therefore saving the money you would have spent on it.
  • Never Auto-Renew - Breakdown cover providers are, by far, the easiest companies to haggle with, so never just let the companies renew your policy, but always haggle and research to ensure you’re getting the best price! To turn off auto-renew, simply get in touch with your current provider. Always check the best breakdown cover reviews to also see what other drivers have to say on the policy you plan on choosing!

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Nishadh Mohammed
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Nishadh Mohammed is a seasoned news editor and financial writer, working with HelloSafe since May 2023. Nishadh has developed expertise in financial markets, insurance, and investment products, with a deep understanding of the Canadian financial landscape. He has honed his SEO skills and content marketing strategies while writing for Canadian publishing houses. Armed with a master's in Business Analytics and extensive journalistic experience, Nishadh uniquely combines data proficiency and thorough research to deliver comprehensive and accessible information.