Have you already decided on your destination to switch off during the summer vacation? Perhaps you’ve chosen to travel with your car. If so, you’re part of a large group of people who still prefer not to use public transport this year: it’s estimated that this summer four out of every five travelers will choose to stay in Spain, and nine out of ten will travel in their own car.
What does this type of insurance offer?
While it’s always been important to have good roadside assistance insurance, this year it is even more so. The first thing you should check is if your car insurance includes roadside assistance, which will provide help and support if your vehicle is immobilized due to a mechanical breakdown or an accident: transfers by tow trucks, taxis, ambulances, etc.
Check the coverage
Coverage may vary from company to company, but we recommend that you pay close attention to certain aspects related to the vehicle and passengers.
With regard to the vehicle, it is firstly important to clarify the scope of coverage: does the roadside assistance apply from your home address (i.e. kilometer zero)? Is there a minimum or maximum distance for the company to send a tow truck? Secondly, it is important that you check if you can choose the garage to which the tow truck will take your car, or if it has to be one from a particular list. You should also be careful with “unsuitable roads”: some roads are difficult to access and mean that a tow truck will be unable to reach you. Also, ask if your insurance covers repairs at the breakdown site: provided that this appears in your policy and the repair is feasible, a mechanic can travel to the place of the breakdown and fix the problem so you can continue your journey.
Remember, unless ordered otherwise by the relevant authority, you must use the tow truck provided by your insurance company.
Personal coverage
This type of insurance also offers assistance to people: transfers or accommodation due to breakdown, replacement vehicle, ambulance transfers in case of an accident (it is important to check if the passengers are also covered) or the possibility of a ticket home if there is no chance of using the vehicle itself.
The truth is that roadside assistance insurance can make any incident that may arise with your vehicle on vacation merely anecdotal, and you can happily continue your journey as quickly as possible.
And if your car insurance policy does not include roadside assistance, insurance companies offer it as a separate policy.
This summer, more than ever, we need to get away and switch off with peace of mind, don’t you think?
