Insurance
Brits face being towed back to monsoon weather at hefty prices
Motorists fleeing the monsoon showers of the British summer are being told to take out adequate breakdown cover, to prevent being towed back home at a hefty price.
Brits abroad who breakdown while driving abroad could be faced with a bill of more than £2000 if they need to bring the car home and don’t have adequate breakdown cover, according to insurers Saga.
The report highlights that of the 1m over 50s likely to take to the road, an estimated 87,700 could suffer a breakdown and some 5,000 vehicles will not be able to fixed abroad and will need to be transported back to the UK.
Roger Ramsden, Chief Executive, Saga Services comments: “Getting to grips with mechanical jargon is difficult enough in the UK; just imagine what it would be like in Italian, Greek or French.”
“Breaking down is not only distressing but can be financially crippling. Some face the prospect of paying more than the car is worth just to get it home. Despite this a fifth of British motorists drive in Europe without breakdown cover.”
The over 50s are bold when planning their road trips abroad. The most popular destinations they visit and breakdown are France, Spain and Portugal, but some go as far afield as Finland, Malta and Albania.
The table below shows the typical cost of repatriation from some of the countries in which the over 50s have needed breakdown assistance over the last four years:
| Countries the over 50s needed breakdown assistance | Example of repratiation costs |
| France | £1,763 (Marseille to Manchester) |
| Spain | £2,082 (Cadiz to Cardiff) |
| Portugal | £1,914 (Lisbon to London) |
| Italy | £2,297 (Naples to Newcastle) |
| Germany | £1,418 (Berlin to Birmingham) |
| Poland | £2,583 (Gdansk to Glasgow) |
| Estonia | £1,914 (Tallinn to Tunbridge Wells) |
