Drivers warned two surprising things may invalidate breakdown cover

More than three-quarters of UK drivers have some form of breakdown cover in place.

According to the RAC, around 78% of motorists pay for breakdown cover as an additional form of car insurance, so they can have peace of mind if their car breaks down or refuses to start.

Car breakdown cover normally means you can be covered any time that your car breaks down, whether that is outside your house, or 100 miles away on the motorway.

However, drivers are being warned that there are circumstances when their breakdown cover may not cover the cost of having their vehicle repaired or towed home.

Abigail Foster, an accountant and founder of Elent Finance, told Matthew Wright on LBC radio how she was caught out when her Mini Cooper broke down during the week. 

She said: "My front wheel blew out on the M25 which is always fun. I was able to come off at the next junction and park up but I called the company, who I thought was my breakdown cover and found out, having paid my yearly fee, that they don't cover blowouts on breakdown cover.

"I feel that is a 101 of breakdown cover. It got me doing a lot of research and I found a lot of breakdown covers don't cover things we would consider a breakdown."

She urged listeners: "Please review your breakdown cover."

Foster, who helps teach finance in schools, said she called an emergency breakdown cover specialist, which ended up being cheaper than renewing her existing breakdown policy. 

One driver, who contacted the Daily Express but didn't want to be named, discovered their breakdown cover, which they had through their current account, was invalid after they had an accident.

They said: "The car was working fine following the accident but the windscreen had completely smashed and there was a dent in the bonnet. I was very shaken, it wasn't my fault but I didn't want to drive the car the quarter of mile home.

"When I called my breakdown company, they said they would have to charge me £300 to tow my car the half a mile home.

"When I made a complaint, I was told that it was not considered a breakdown because it wasn't a mechanical fault.

"They also told me that my car was a write off and that was another reason for charging me the tow fee. When I got my car fixed, it cost £150, and my car is worth £2,000. So why they said that I don't know. 

"I'm now persuing a complaint against them."