Cheap Breakdown Cover Roadside assistance from £11/year

It's important to work out why you're getting a policy. If you've a modern, reliable car, then you only need cover as an emergency back-up plan, so basic cover's likely to be enough..

If your car's older, or has a history of breakdowns, you should consider a more comprehensive policy.

These are the main three UK cover types. If a policy just has the first, we classify it as 'basic'. If it has all three, we call it 'comprehensive'.

• Basic cover only. Though it varies by provider, basic cover generally means your car will be fixed at the roadside if you break down, or towed to a local garage if it isn't immediately fixable. But it won't usually cover you if you break down at or within 1/4 mile of your home, but this varies by provider.

• Home start. Added to basic cover, this does what it says on the tin - they'll come and fix your car if it won't start at home. If your car tends to be unreliable in winter, it may be worth opting for a policy that includes this.

• Onward travel. If your car's kept in a garage for repairs, this generally means you'll get a hire car for up to three days, plus a night's accommodation. It also covers costs if you need to continue by public transport. Always check the cover limits before you splurge - they'll usually cover up to about £150 per person, so no going home by helicopter.

Think about how often you'll go abroad with your car. If you're planning to go regularly, it's worth taking out a policy that includes Europe cover.

However, if you're only going for a few days, it can be worth going for a cheap UK policy and just upgrading your policy to cover Europe when you need it.

Be warned - the cost of doing this varies by provider and policy. If you know you're going to need short-term cover, always ask how much it'll be to add it before you take out the policy. If the year's UK policy and short-term Europe upgrade will come to more than £53, it's cheaper to get a full Europe policy (see below).

There are two types of breakdown cover and it's important to understand which you're getting.

• Automatic service. With this, you simply call when you break down and they send their patrols (or sometimes sub-contracted ones) to sort it. Breakdown heavyweights RAC and AA both work this way.

• Pay and claim. This is the one many haven't heard of. When there's a problem, they send a local recovery firm, chosen by either you or them, rather than their own patrols.

  You then pay for the repairs (let them know if you want to pay by card so they can ensure the patrol accepts it), and send in receipts to claim it back later. Effectively, it's an insurance scheme.

Automatic service companies are more convenient, yet pay and claim can be cheaper. In terms of the call-out time, there's little difference as this depends far more on the specific company than the policy type.

Before going for pay and claim, ask yourself:

• How often will you use it?

  If your car's in need of constant attention, it's probably best to get an automatic service policy to save hassle. If you've a reliable car, breakdown cover's really an insurance policy against a worst case scenario, so pay and claim is just a one-off back up plan.

• Will you send in your receipts?

  What drives many round the bend (sorry) with pay and claim is that it's easy to forget to send the receipts to reclaim the cash. In fact, this is what allows the policies to be cheap - it means the companies pay out less. So if you're the forgetful type, or simply wouldn't bother, pay and claims are best avoided.

This may come across strange, but you can choose if you want the cover for a specified vehicle, or let the cover follow a person. Put simply, the first type means every journey that car makes is covered, and the second means every journey the person makes is - even if they're just a passenger.

This will affect the cost, with 'per person' cover generally being more expensive. The right choice here depends on your habits. If you never swap motors then the pricier policy is pointless, but if you regularly drive other people's cars it is worth a think.