What to do if Your Car Breaks Down Abroad

Around two million Britons take their cars abroad each year, but one in 12 will break down before even reaching the ferry port. The AA reports that, once on foreign soil, more than half the calls for help to its European roadside assistance service come from France, and that Paris is the car-trouble capital of Europe.

So take a few precautions to make sure disaster doesn’t strike your holiday.

Don’t set off unprepared. Have your vehicle serviced beforehand.

Be aware of any vehicle requirements of countries you plan to visit. For instance, two warning triangles are compulsory for all vehicles in Spain. Portuguese law requires that everyone carries photographic proof of identity at all times. You could face a fine if you do not comply with regulations such as carrying spare bulbs in France.

Before going abroad with your car, read your insurance policy carefully and check whether it needs extending. If you are in any doubt, check with your insurer.

Most people want the same sort of cover when travelling abroad as they have in the UK – comprehensive or third party, fire and theft, for instance. Some policies automatically extend full UK cover abroad. With others, you'll have to arrange and probably pay extra for the cover.

Check with your insurer that your car will be covered while it's on a ferry or in the Channel Tunnel.

Beware if you hire a car abroad. Unless you are fluent in the local language you won't be sure of the sort of insurance cover you have. Minimise the risk by booking your hire car before you go through a reputable firm.

A Green Card is proof that you have at least the minimum insurance cover required by law in the country you are visiting. Although, strictly speaking, you don't need to take a Green Card to EU countries, it is still the document most readily recognised and understood by national police forces. So it's useful to have it with you in case you are involved in an accident abroad.

Insurance companies don't charge for Green Cards.

Buying breakdown insurance before you go – or extending your existing UK breakdown insurance to cover foreign travel – gives you the reassurance of knowing that English-speaking assistance will be on the other end of the telephone when you need it.

The sort of cover typically provided by breakdown insurance includes: the cost of emergency roadside repairs, car hire if your vehicle takes a while to repair, the cost of getting spare parts to you (but not the cost of the parts themselves), provision of a chauffeur if the only driver is ill or injured, extra accommodation costs abroad and the cost of getting you and your car home.