Insurance & breakdown cover

This page explains the words. It doesn't compare insurers, doesn't recommend one, and doesn't quote prices — those change constantly and depend entirely on you, your car and your postcode. What doesn't change is what the terms mean, and that is the bit that costs people money when they get it wrong.

Only one of these levels is defined in lawThird party is the legal minimum and GOV.UK defines it. "Third party, fire and theft" and "comprehensive" are not legal categories at all — they're how the market packages cover, and two policies with the same name can differ. The only definition that binds anyone is the one printed in your own policy document.

The three levels of car insurance

Listed cheapest-sounding first. That is not the same as cheapest — see the note below.

Third party

Legal minimum

The legal minimum. GOV.UK puts it like this: you're covered if you have an accident causing damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property. It does not cover any other costs like repair to your own vehicle.

The catch: If you write off your own car and it was your fault, this pays you nothing towards it.

Third party, fire and theft

Market term

The middle tier as the market sells it: third party cover, plus your own car if it's stolen or damaged by fire.

The catch: Still nothing towards your own car in an accident that was your fault — the fire and theft part is the only thing added.

Comprehensive

Market term

The top tier as the market sells it: the above, plus damage to your own car whether or not the accident was your fault.

The catch: "Comprehensive" is a sales word, not a promise that everything is covered. What's in and what's out is set by your policy document, and it varies.

Don't assume third party is the cheapestIt often isn't. Comprehensive quotes frequently come in below third party for the same driver and car. Get a quote for all three levels rather than picking the one that sounds cheapest — it costs nothing to check and the ordering surprises people regularly.

What driving uninsured actually costs

These figures are set by GOV.UK, not by an insurer.

Roadside fixed penalty

£300

Plus 6 penalty points on your licence.

If it goes to court

Unlimited

An unlimited fine, and you can be disqualified from driving.

The police also have the power to seize, and in some cases destroy, a vehicle being driven uninsured.

Breakdown cover — the four words that matter

None of these have a legal or industry-standard definition. Every provider writes its own, which is exactly why people find out what they bought at the roadside.

Roadside assistance

Someone comes out to you when you break down away from home and tries to fix it where you are.

Watch for: Most providers won't attend within a set distance of your home address — often around a quarter of a mile. Check what that distance is, because a breakdown on your own street may not be covered by this alone.

Home start

Adds callouts at or near your home address — typically the flat battery on a cold morning.

Watch for: This is the one most often left out of a cheap policy, and it's the one most people actually need first.

Recovery

If the car can't be fixed where it stopped, it gets taken somewhere — you and your passengers with it.

Watch for: "National" recovery and local recovery are different products. Local may only take you to the nearest garage; national should take you to a destination of your choice.

Onward travel

Helps you keep going while the car is in a garage — usually a hire car, a night's accommodation, or public transport costs.

Watch for: Almost always time-limited and capped in value. The limits are the whole point of the cover, so read them before you need them.

Check what you already have before buying any of itBreakdown cover is frequently bundled into a packaged bank account, a car insurance policy, or a new car's warranty. Plenty of people pay for it twice. It's worth five minutes checking before you buy a separate policy.

Comparing prices

Once you know which level you want, price it on a comparison site — Compare the Market, MoneySuperMarket, GoCompare and Confused.com all do car insurance and breakdown cover. Run more than one: they don't all list the same providers, and some insurers only quote direct.

PassPilot has no arrangement with any comparison site, insurer or breakdown provider. Those names are listed because they exist, not because we earn anything — nothing on this page is an affiliate link, and no product is recommended.

Insurance and breakdown cover, in plain words