Breakdown Insurance v European breakdown cover

[MarkJ]

I'm probably being very slow here, but my insurance (which includes European breakdown cover) is up for renewal soon and I've been looking around at the breakdown element of it.

Am I right in thinking that I can get:

Either: European breakdown cover, in which case I call a contact number and theoretically they sort it out
Or: insurance, such that I make my own arrangements in Europe following a breakdown and the insurance covers the cost?

I first noticed this on the CAMC site. I was checking that their traditional Mayday cover was still UK-only (which it seems to be) but noticed their insurance offering covers costs of European breakdowns - I'd never noticed before. CCC seem to be similar: you can get RAC Euro breakdown cover (at a price) but you can also get insurance.

Am I right? Is the insurance-only cover any cheaper, I wonder?

 

[daygoboy]

As I understand it:
1. There are Insurance Companies effectively the Underwriters, they actually bear the cost of paying
out on any claim.

2. There are Insurance Brokers, they act as agents for any number of Insurance Companies as in 1 above,
they get commission from the Insurance Companies for putting work their way. Adrian Flux, CCC, MCIA
Safeguard, AIB? Middlemen.

3. Then there are Breakdown and Recovery Companies, they provide a self explanatory service, they
sometimes refer to their 'product' as Breakdown and Recovery Insurance, which it is. This will have
conditions ie type and size of vehicle, excluded vehicles, Territorial Limits.....you name it!

Now, sometimes an Insurance Broker will make up a 'package' which contains Insurance for the vehicle
Comp./TPFT/TP whatever, plus Breakdown and Recovery with someone else, the broker negotiates this with the
various Breakdwn Cos. in an effort to offer it a cheaper rate than if you were to arrange both parts individually yourself.....in theory.

Some Brokers will provide specific packages to suit niche markets such as Motorhomes, they realise that many
motorhome folks for example like to go overseas (EU) so they 'tailor' the Policy to suit and may extend the policy to provide full Insurance cover (including breakdown) automatically as if you were still in the UK. and for X amount of days, I say full cover because you are automatically covered for 3rd party minimum anywhere in the EU, and for 365 days by law, in any case. Pays to check the Policy Documents to ascertain for certain that the Insurance does give you the Full Comp./TPFT that you get in the UK and applies while in the EU. and whether there are there any exclusions or conditions applying.

Some Insurance Companies sell Vehicle Policies direct to Public Motorists, and they may include Breakdown Insurance,
although this may not be suitable for a Motorhome, perhaps restricted to cars ad light vans only.
Companies such as LV Insurance also own Britannia Recovery, so can offer certain products. Plenty of hybrid setups out there.
Banks often provide car breakdown and recovery with some of their accounts usually for cars. The vehicle
Insurance cover is down to you to get separately.
Nationwide are another exception, they provide Breakdown/Recovery for cars and largish Motorhomes <7.5t
and under 8m L.

Bound to have got summit wrong, comes with watching tennis as I type!