National Recovery breakdown cover

National Recovery covers motorcycles, cars, small or medium vans and some campervans, used for private and domestic use. This includes vehicles and trailers up to 3.5 tonnes and 2.55 metres wide. 

Yes. If your car cannot be repaired and you need a tow or recovery, we’ll take you to one destination of your choosing. 

It totally depends on your needs. If you drive long distances, National Recovery gives you peace of mind that you’ll be able to get to your destination even in the event of a breakdown.

If you add National Recovery to your breakdown cover, we’ll rescue you, either with a tow or a flat-bed recovery truck. You can call us out to a breakdown as many times as you need to each year, as long as it’s not a recurring problem with your vehicle (repeat call-outs for the same fault within 28 days will not be covered).

Yes. National Recovery and Onward Travel are different options which you can choose when buying breakdown cover. Here’s how they differ:

• National Recovery means we’ll recover your vehicle and its passengers to any single UK destination of your choice if you break down.
• Onward Travel means we’ll arrange car hire, public transport or a hotel room if you break down and we can’t repair your vehicle right away. This is ideal if your vehicle needs recovery, and you want to go to a different destination. 

You can add both to your breakdown cover when you build your package. For help choosing, here's how to compare breakdown cover.

Find out more about Onward Travel

Our standard breakdown cover includes nationwide Roadside Assistance. That means we’ll help you if you break down, as long as you're more than 1/4 mile from home. But if we can’t fix your vehicle at the roadside, we’ll take it to the nearest garage for repairs. 

With National Recovery, we’ll recover you on a flat-bed truck or tow you behind a patrol truck to any single destination of your choice if we can’t fix your vehicle.

National Recovery used to be called Relay, so the services are the same. They both mean that we’ll take you to any single UK mainland destination of your choice if you break down and your vehicle can’t be repaired.

Call our free helpline on 0330 053 0460

If you need information in large print, audio or Braille, just ask – you can email our customer services team at [email protected], or let us know when you call our helpline.

If you’ve broken down, you can text us on 07860 027 999

To use the Next Generation Texting Service (NGTS – formerly known as Text Relay), just add 18001 at the start of any of our numbers.

If your current situation is affecting how you manage your finances and you require additional help or support, call us on 0330 053 0460

If you require any additional adjustments (e.g. documents in large print, audio or Braille) or you need us to tailor our service to your specific requirements in the event of a breakdown, call us on 0330 053 0460

Textphone users can prefix this number with 18001

Follow these four steps if you break down:

1 – Make sure you’re in a safe place. Move your vehicle off the road if possible, or pull up onto the hard shoulder if you’re on the motorway.

2 – Stay well away from moving traffic – it’s usually safest to get out of your car (using the doors facing away from passing traffic) and wait behind a barrier.

3 – Put your hazard warning lights on and wear a reflective jacket, if you have one.

4 – Once you’re safe, give us a call. We’ll come and rescue you, even if you’re not a member yet.

If you’re already with us, you can also report a breakdown and pinpoint your location using our app. It's the fastest way to ask us for help and track our arrival.

Find out more on what to do if your car breaks down

If you’ve got vehicle cover, change your vehicle details as soon as you can.

With single, joint or family personal cover, you'll only need to change your vehicle details if you have Commercial Use or Parts and Garage Cover added to your policy.

It's simple to change your vehicle details online, and we’ll check that your new vehicle is eligible (terms and conditions apply).

We'll help with breakdowns that happen from 24 hours after you’ve updated us.

If you have Tyre Cover, you’ll only be able to claim for tyre repairs or replacements after the first 7 days. 

If you have Parts and Garage Cover, you’ll only be able to claim for new faults that occur after the first 14 days.