BREAKDOWN INSURANCE FOR EXPATS IN SPAIN & EUROPE IN ENGLISH

MANDATORY VEHICLE BREAKDOWN INSURANCE IN SPAIN FOR EXPATS

Breakdown Insurance for Expats in Spain, Portugal & Europe

A GUIDE TO VEHICLE BREAKDOWN & ACCIDENT RECOVERY INSURANCE IN SPAIN.

Wherever you travel in and around Europe and the UK, we can provide comprehensive vehicle breakdown insurance on an annual basis. Not just cars, but just about any vehicle can be insured in Europe for Breakdown and recovery insurance. 4x4’s, SUV’s, Motorhomes and Camper vans, pick-up trucks, commercial vehicles and vans, buses and passenger vehicles, taxis and all types of trailers including horseboxes can be covered for breakdown anywhere in Europe. Our Breakdown insurance also incorporates an annual green card so you can use your vehicle and have this cover anywhere in Europe and the UK.

GETTING A QUOTE FOR BREAKDOWN INSURANCE.

When asking for a vehicle or car insurance quote, most Insurance Agents, Brokers and Insurance Companies in Spain are not likely to include the breakdown recovery insurance in that initial quote. This is an attempt to offer you a lower premium in the first instance. When you then agree to take the Car insurance, they inform you that you also need to have a compulsory Breakdown Recovery insurance because you are not allowed to tow your car in Spain without using a professional Grua (registered recovery vehicle). The separate breakdown recovery insurance can cost you over €100.00

IS BREAKDOWN INSURANCE IN SPAIN COMPULSORY?

No, it is not. Contrary to popular belief, but it is well worth including it in your car insurance policy at the time of the quote as it is a lot cheaper. If you have to tow a vehicle, after an accident or breakdown, you will be in for a hefty bill of at least €100 + just to get your car towed off the motorway.

It also includes some medical cover and legal defence costs, repatriation, and ongoing travel costs to get to your destination, so it’s a bit more than just breakdown cover. Contact us for more information.

BREAKDOWN RECOVERY INSURANCE AS STANDARD.

At www.breakdowninsuranceinspain.com we offer you insurance premiums for any vehicles and will automatically include the breakdown recovery insurance as standard. With it being included in the car insurance policy it will be a lot cheaper than buying it separately.

Breakdown and accident recovery insurance is available as a separate entity and is useful when you want to add it to your insurance on a UK registered car, driving in Spain or Europe.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU BREAKDOWN IN SPAIN.

Stay calm, don’t panic. All vehicles in Spain are required to have a minimum of two warning triangles and reflective vests to cope with the number of people that can be in the vehicle, usually 5 jackets.

Assuming you have got the vehicle to the side of the road, put on your reflective jackets, and get the passengers away from the vehicle and on to the bank at the side of the road, well away from any oncoming traffic. Place the two warning triangles about 50 meters apart behind the vehicle so that oncoming traffic can see them in plenty of time.

Call the breakdown recovery service. Your insurance documents should always be kept in the car. Inside the insurance documents you should find a small card with the breakdown recovery insurance telephone number on it. Call them and let them know where you are, giving them the details of the insurance policy number. This is so that they can check that you have got breakdown recovery assistance as part of your insurance.

If you don’t know exactly where you are, they can ask you to send a location from WhatsApp to assist them in finding you.

IF YOUR VEHICLE CANNOT BE REPAIRED QUICKLY.

If your vehicle has a major breakdown and would take several days to repair, the breakdown insurance will allow you to recover some costs for staying in a Hotel or Hostel. They may even offer to pay for a Taxi or permit you to use a hire car to get you back home. This is essential if you are driving around Europe, or on your way back to the UK. If your car had a major breakdown you could be weeks waiting for the repair. At least this way, you can get back to your own country as repatriation is covered with some of the breakdown recovery insurance policies in Spain.

If you get up in the morning and your car won’t start, they will send a tow truck (grua) to your location and try and fix the problem or tow you to a local garage to have the repairs done. They do not pay for the repairs, that is your responsibility.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE GRUA TO GET TO ME

With today’s technology and the many breakdown recovery centres all over Spain, it won’t take them long. They can usually get to you within half an hour unless you live in some remote region. If you are a woman, possibly with young children, and on your own and have broken down on the motorway or in a remote location, let them know, they will make you a priority.

HOW FAR WILL THEY TOW MY VEHICLE.?

Most Gruas (breakdown tow trucks) and breakdown recovery insurances offer to tow the vehicle back to home, or to a garage of your choice, up to a maximum of 120 kilometres from the location of the breakdown. You can ask to have your vehicle towed further, but beware this will then cost you extra and you will have to pay there and then.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I BREAKDOWN A LONG WAY FROM HOME?

The breakdown service will take the vehicle to the nearest garage that is capable of repairing your vehicle or to a garage of your choice within a 120 Kilometre radius. If you want the vehicle towed to a location further away than that, negotiate with the Driver or the breakdown company before you load the vehicle. They will offer you a price per Kilometre or agree a set fee.

GETTING A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE AFTER AN ACCIDENT.

If your vehicle is insured with us and has been involved in an accident and you are making a claim on your insurance in Spain, we would have offered you the option of having the use of either a courtesy car or a hire car at the time of contracting the insurance. This option would have added a few Euros to your annual premium. A courtesy car would be supplied by the repairing garage as long as the garage was on the list of their preferred repairers, and you would be able, in most cases, to use it until your vehicle is repaired. If you have the Car Hire option, you are able to request a hire car, for a specified number of days, depending upon the repair time required for your vehicle.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT IN YOUR CAR FOR SPAIN.

You are required by law to have a minimum of two Emergency reflective triangles, and the requisite number of reflective jackets as per the number of people you can legally fit in your car.

CAN I TOW MY VEHICLE/CAR IN SPAIN.

NO, it is not allowed. You are not permitted to be towed or tow another vehicle, other than a caravan or trailer. Any vehicle that requires towing must be done by an official Grua (break down truck/recovery vehicle in Spain) that is licenced to do so. Fines are hefty if you get caught flouting the laws in Spain.

COST OF BREAKDOWN ASSISTANCE IN SPAIN.

The costs of this Spanish breakdown recovery insurance cover will vary from vehicle to vehicle. Passenger numbers and vehicle engine size, age of the vehicle and other anomalies can vary the price. We can also provide breakdown and car insurance for UK registered vehicles that spend time in the UK as the breakdown recovery service we use permits you to use it anywhere in Europe.