Breakdown Cover when taking car abroad

gilbo47

Hello - we do family holidays by taking ferry and driving around france and spain - previously i've got breakdown cover for Europe on our insurance for the year. But last year I actually read the cover and to be honest it wasn't worth the paper it was written on - something like 20km to the nearest garage and the you're on your own!.

I'm looking for any recommendations on here - what is the most cost effective way of covering breakdown for your vehicle abroad should i just buy a policy with RAC / AA? - has anyone had any positive experiences recently stranded abroad with any particular company, likewise any negative experiences? What do YOU do in this situation?

Cheers

Frozen_up_north

Don’t forget an approved V16 beacon is now mandatory for vehicles in Spain. When activated breakdown services are automatically alerted together with your location.

https://road-safety-charter.ec.europa.eu/content/spain-mandate-v-16-emergency-beacons-all-vehicles-2026

I have been told that “Auto Gruber” will attend and remove your vehicle from the highway. At least that is what ex-pat friends tell me, I think the cost is claimed from your car insurance. Quite how it works with AA/RAC, etc I’m not sure.

sparklymarkly

I get European breakdown cover as part of a Nationwide bank account. It’s done through the AA. We needed to call them out in Germany last year and they were excellent. After a couple of phonecalls it was handed over to ADAC and a local operator attended and got us sorted. We were probably waiting around 5 hours from initial call to actually being mobile again but I couldn’t fault the service we received.

MayDogsandCoffee

ADAC is brilliant, used to be able to get breakdown cover direct but not sure if that is still the case - worth a check.

Brie

Don't forget to check for other exclusions like if your car is more than 10 years old.

gilbo47

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82016903#Comment_82016903

Thanks - how did you get that with natiowide? we are also nationwide customers

QrizB

Thanks - how did you get that with natiowide? we are also nationwide customers

It's one of the benefits of the FlexPlus current account:

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/current-accounts/flexplus/

sparklymarkly

As QrizB said, it’s a Plus account.

I find it’s worth the monthly fee for the breakdown and travel insurance.

greyteam1959

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82016840#Comment_82016840

A vehicle V16 beacon is NOT mandatory for UK registered vehicles in Spain.

Frozen_up_north

According to the legislation:

“Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has announced that from 1 January 2026, all vehicles on Spanish roads must be equipped with a V-16 emergency beacon, replacing the traditional warning triangles used to signal breakdowns or accidents.”

The “all vehicles” is unambiguous. Whether the Spanish police will excuse the driver of a UK vehicle is by no means certain. You are required to carry high vis vests for all occupants and originally were required to carry warning triangles, the latter is no longer necessary as their use has been replaced by the beacon. For the modest cost of a DGT approved beacon, £20 to £30, it’s worth having one rather than trying to argue your case with the police.

James2k

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017133#Comment_82017133

Wrong;

https://www.dgt.es/muevete-con-seguridad/tecnologia-e-innovacion-en-carretera/Dispositivos-de-presenalizacion-V16/

Los vehículos matriculados en otros países que circulen por España podrán utilizar los triángulos de emergencia.”

(“Vehicles registered in other countries that drive in Spain may use emergency triangles.”