Breakdown Cover FAQS

Here at the ETA we are proud of our breakdown policy and we hope you are happy with the cover it provides. However, you may be able to cancel your policy and obtain a full refund based on the following regulations;

Annual Breakdown Cover – Vehicle and Personal (including Fleet Breakdown)

If you wish to cancel for any reason and do so within 14 days of the start date of the policy, you will receive a full refund, unless a valid claim has been made.

After the first 14 days, should you decide to cancel, you will receive a proportionate refund for the unused period of cover remaining, provided a valid claim has not been made.

We do not charge administration fees for making changes to your policy or for cancellations of cover.

Single-Trip European Breakdown Cover

You have the right to cancel this policy before your planned trip has started, you will receive a full refund if cancelled.  Once your trip has started, no refunds will be provided for cancellation requests.

For a full list of cover options which can extend your breakdown cover, see What We Cover. You may upgrade at any time. Cover can only be reduced upon renewal.

You can upgrade your policy to include European cover at any time. We also offer European breakdown cover on a single-trip basis, which could work out more cost-effective. You can get an instant quote here.

If you wish to change your vehicle, the quickest way to do so is online, via our customer login area, here, alternatively you can call us on 0333 000 1234 or email our customer care team, customercare@eta.co.uk with details of the change.

Our territorial limits include all countries governed by the European Union, plus Norway and Switzerland. The full list of countries covered by ETA European Breakdown Cover is:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway & Switzerland.

If you have upgraded your annual policy to include European cover, you will be entitled to the same level of cover as you would hold Britain, for up to 90 days outside the country in one policy year. If you have the Hotel & Car Hire extension and you upgrade to European cover, the vehicle hire benefit is extended to 14 days.

On an annual ETA Breakdown Cover policy, you can upgrade to European cover at any time by calling us on 0333 000 1234. You can only downgrade a policy at renewal.

Alternately, you can purchase European Breakdown Cover on a single-trip basis for trips lasting between 1-31 days, with the average 7 day trip cover costing £26.60. If you only make short or infrequent trips to continental Europe, this could offer the best value breakdown cover for your needs.

Yes, we offer European Breakdown cover on both an annual and single-trip basis.

Yes, but you need to inform your motor insurers of the collision first. If your motor insurers are not informed in the first instance, this may affect any claim made through. If you can, keep your motor insurer’s number on your mobile phone.

Don’t worry if you have broken down and are not sure of your ETA number. Our recovery team can identify you if you give us your full name and postcode.

If you break down in Britain, call 08000 737 283 or 0333 000 999.

If you break down in the rest of Europe, call 0044 1206 771 714.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can also text us on 07537 404 890.

Not as standard. We offer Home Rescue as an extension to the basic Roadside Assistance. Home Rescue means that if you breakdown within a quarter of a mile of your home, we will recover you. In 2011, around 40% of our customers who didn’t include Home Rescue in their policy broke down near their home.

Yes. If you are a sole trader or run a commercial vehicle, or fleet or vehicles, you would need to take out Fleet Breakdown Cover. Get more information or request a quote for your business here.

The following do not qualify for breakdown cover:

Vehicles greater than 3.5 tons gross weight, 5.19m length, 1.91m width and 2.43m height
Taxis or private hire vehicles
Recovery of caravans/trailers that do not have a standard 50mm tow coupling
Costs other than vehicle recovery, which exceed £2,000 per claim

Cover is active 24 hours after taking out your policy.

Yes. You will be entitled to a no-claims discount if you have not claimed on your breakdown cover in the previous year.

We offset all carbon emissions made by our business. This includes the CO2 emissions of the recovery vehicles that attend your call out. To learn more about offsetting your own carbon emissions, click here.

We have a commitment never to refuse assistance to an ETA customer; however, there are a few conditions applied to the amount of times you can claim. If you have more than three breakdown call-outs or claims during the policy year, we may ask to see documentary evidence that your vehicle is being properly serviced and maintained. In terms of personal breakdown cover, if documents cannot be provided for all vehicles for which the call-out have been made, then we require documentary evidence from the vehicle most used.

Yes, we cover all vehicles as long as they do not fall into our significant exclusions (see below).