Help Centre

RAC breakdown cover gives you peace of mind that you’ll be able to get help if you breakdown.

• Assistance at the roadside.
• Recovery of you, your vehicle and passengers to any UK destination if the vehicle can’t be fixed.
• Assistance at home.
• No call out charge.
• Unlimited labour time if the vehicle can be fixed.
• Unlimited call outs

You can purchase breakdown cover for private cars and light commercial vehicles only.

Please note the car or light commercial vehicle must be less than:

• 3.5 tonnes.
• 2.55 metres wide.

If the vehicle breaks down while towing a caravan or trailer and the RAC provides recovery, the caravan or trailer will be recovered with the vehicle (provided it falls within the above limits).

RAC’s dedicated team is here to help you 24 hours, 365 days a year. If you have broken down and require assistance, please use your Tempcover App to log a claim providing your name and vehicle registration number.

For more information on the claims process visit our claims page here.

If you’re on the motorway:

• Pull over to the hard shoulder if you can.
• Turn on your hazards and your sidelights, too, if it’s dark.
• Wear hi-vis jackets if you can.
• Leave your car through the left-hand door if it is safe and you are able to do so.
• Where possible, and it is safe for you to do so, stand behind any safety barriers to the rear of your vehicle.

If you’re somewhere else:

• Pull over out of traffic, if you can.
• Turn on your hazards and your sidelights, too, if it’s dark.
• Wear hi-vis jackets if you can.
• Leave your car through the left-hand door if it is safe and you are able to do so.
• Get off the road if you can. If not, it’s normally safest to stand to the rear of your car away from passing traffic.
• If you feel vulnerable or threatened waiting outside of your car, wait in the front passenger seat with the doors locked and your seatbelt on.
• If you feel in danger, call 999.

“UK” means England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and for the purpose of this RAC Breakdown Cover, includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

If breakdown cover is available, it will be offered to you at the time you are presented with your quote or short-term insurance.

Currently, breakdown cover is only available to purchase alongside our standard car and van insurance policies from 1 hour to 28 days in duration.

PLEASE NOTE: You cannot add breakdown cover to your policy after it has been purchased.

Providing your policy has started there is no limit to how soon you can use your breakdown cover policy.

No. In line with our terms and conditions of cover, once a policy has been purchased it is not possible to make any changes or additions to the policy and the same applies to breakdown cover.

You may cancel your breakdown cover before the policy commences by contacting us at [email protected]

Providing the policy has not yet started, we will then refund the premium back to the original payment card.

If the policy has already started when you contact us, you may cancel it, provided no claims have been made or are pending. However, no refund of premium will be payable in line with our terms and conditions of cover.

In the event you need to make a claim and the incident was your fault, partly your fault or the third party cannot be traced, then our Excess Reduction policy will enable you to recover most of the cost of the amount you have paid as Excess.

With this additional extra, you will receive a proportion of the full excess amount back if you have purchased the excess reduction cover when purchasing your temporary insurance policy.

The amount you will be reimbursed will be stated on your Excess Reduction Policy Schedule.

Your excess is how much you agree to pay towards the cost of any insurance claim you make. You will need to pay this amount in order to get your vehicle repaired or replaced. There can be two parts to excess on motor insurance policies, but on temporary motor policies, you will only pay the compulsory excess. This is the amount you must pay towards the cost of a claim.

The level of protection available depends upon the level of policy excess on your Motor Policy. We will present a level that gets you as close as possible to £100 but never below that level.

Read more about understanding car insurance excess.

Excess reduction is applicable to claims made against your Tempcover insurance policy as a result of:

• Fire
• Theft or attempted theft
• Flood or Vandalism
• An accident that was your fault

For more information, please review the Insurance Product Information Document here.

What claims are not eligible for excess reduction?

Excess reduction is not applicable to Tempcover insurance policy claims made as a result of:

• theft, attempted theft, malicious damage and/or vandalism to your vehicle that has not been reported to the police and a valid crime reference number obtained;
• claims exceeding the aggregate limit shown in your Policy schedule in any one period of insurance;
• any excess which applies solely in respect of windscreen or glass damage claims;
• any excess payable on warranty policies;
• any excess solely in respect of alloy wheels and tyres;
• any excess payable in respect of theft or attempted theft of personal effects;
• The first amount of your excess as specified in your Policy Schedule;
• Any claim that arises as a result of a deliberate action by you or anybody associated with you.

Read more about understanding car insurance excess.

If excess reduction is available, it will be offered to you at the time you are presented with your quote for short term insurance.

Currently, excess reduction is only available to purchase alongside our standard car, van and motorbike policies from 1 hour to 28 days in duration.

Read more about understanding car insurance excess.

Claims must be reported as soon as reasonably possible and no later than 30 days from the date you have paid the excess under your motor insurance policy.

To claim your excess reduction reimbursement, you must provide evidence that you have paid the excess on your Tempcover insurance policy, or had the amount deducted from your settlement and submit this to Coplus who manage all claims on our behalf.

You can contact Coplus by phone: 0333 241 2475 or via email: [email protected] 

Make sure you quote ‘Motor Excess Reduction Protect’ in all communications with Coplus.

Once proof of payment has been received, they will send you up to the full amount of cover under this policy as stated in your Excess Reduction Policy Schedule.

Read more about understanding car insurance excess.

For more information on the claims process, visit our claims page here.

Claims must be reported as soon as reasonably possible and no later than 30 days from the date you have paid the excess under your Tempcover insurance policy.

Any claim involving theft or attempted theft, malicious damage and/or vandalism must be reported to the police and a valid crime reference obtained.

You may cancel your excess reduction policy before the policy commences by contacting us at [email protected]. Providing the policy has not yet started, we will then refund the premium back to the original payment card.

If the policy has already started when you contact us, you may cancel it, provided no claims have been made or are pending. However, no refund of premium will be payable in line with our terms and conditions of cover.

Read more about understanding car insurance excess.

For more information, please read our Refund Policy.

This policy is only available to purchase from Tempcover alongside a short-term insurance policy.

Cover is only available from the start time and date of the short-term insurance policy you purchase alongside this cover until the end date of the short-term insurance policy.

You are covered within England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, European Economic Area (EEA), and the European Union.

You will not be insured for claims that are your fault, have less than a 51% chance of success, any costs not approved by the underwriter in writing, or claims for stress, emotional or psychological injury unless you have also suffered a physical injury.