Most households don’t run one car and one driver. There’s your car, your partner’s car, perhaps a son or daughter who’s just passed their test and bought something older to learn the hard lessons in. Buying separate breakdown cover for each car, or each person, gets expensive and messy fast: different renewal dates, different policy numbers stuck to different fridges, and the inevitable moment at the roadside when nobody can remember which policy covers which vehicle.
There are two better ways to do it, and which one suits you depends on how your household actually drives.
Option one: cover the vehicles
Our multi-vehicle policy lets you cover up to 5 vehicles on a single policy. Each vehicle is named on the policy schedule, and whoever is driving it is protected, whether that’s you, your partner, or your daughter borrowing the family estate for a festival weekend.
Multi-vehicle cover suits households where the cars matter more than the drivers: a family fleet of two or three cars that different people use interchangeably. One policy, one renewal date, one number to call.
To be eligible, each vehicle needs to be privately owned, UK-registered, no more than 15 years old at the policy start date, within our size limits (3.5 tonnes, 6 metres long, 2.44 metres wide), and kept roadworthy with a valid MOT where applicable, insurance and road tax.
Option two: cover the people
Personal Cover flips the logic. Instead of naming vehicles, you name people: up to 4 of them on one policy. Anyone named is covered in any eligible vehicle they’re travelling in, as a driver or a passenger.
That last part matters more than it first appears. Personal Cover follows the person, so it works when your son is driving his mate’s car, when you’ve borrowed your brother’s van for a tip run, or when your partner is in a lift-share to work. If the vehicle they’re in is eligible and it breaks down, they’re covered.
Personal Cover suits households where the people move between cars: families with new drivers who borrow whatever’s on the drive, couples who share cars informally, or anyone who regularly drives vehicles they don’t own.
Which one should you choose?
A quick rule of thumb:
- Fixed cars, flexible drivers? Multi-vehicle cover. The vehicles are protected whoever’s behind the wheel.
- Fixed people, flexible cars? Personal Cover. The named people are protected whatever they’re driving or riding in.
If your household is two cars and two drivers who never drive anything else, the two options land in a similar place, so compare the prices for your situation and take the cheaper one.
What every level includes
Whichever structure you choose, you then pick your level of cover, from Roadside Assistance (repair at the scene or recovery up to 25 miles) through National Recovery & Onward Travel (recovery to home or any UK destination if your car can’t be fixed the same day) to European Cover for trips abroad. Home Assistance can be added to cover breakdowns at or within a mile of your home, which is where a surprising number of flat batteries are discovered on cold Monday mornings.
A few details worth knowing before you buy:
- A 24-hour waiting period applies from the policy start date before you can claim, so cover bought at the roadside won’t rescue that day’s breakdown.
- Electric and hybrid vehicles are covered at no extra cost, and running out of charge in the UK counts as a breakdown.
- If you’re towing when you break down, your caravan or trailer is recovered along with the car.
- Vehicles used for business, hire or deliveries aren’t eligible, so this is one for private family motoring.
One renewal, one phone number, less to think about
The practical case for family cover is simple: when something goes wrong at the roadside, the last thing anyone wants is policy archaeology. One policy means one claims number, 01274 288 488, answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and one renewal date for the household.
Cover starts from £19.50 a year. Get a quote at www.simplymotorcover.com, or find us on MoneySuperMarket and GoCompare.
SimplyMotorCover is a trading name of PlanProtect Limited, an appointed representative (FRN 988654) of Your Company Matters Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 486123). Policy terms, conditions and exclusions apply; see the policy wording for full details.
