Breakdown
Commercial vehicle breakdown cover for vans, couriers and fleets
Commercial vehicle breakdown cover must match your van's weight, how it's used and your load. What to check for vans, couriers, 2 vehicles and fleets.
Commercial vehicle breakdown cover is breakdown assistance written for vehicles that earn a living, such as vans, couriers' vehicles and small fleets. What you need depends on four things: how heavy and long the vehicle is, what it's used for, what it carries, and how long the business can cope without it.
What does commercial vehicle breakdown cover include?
Most commercial vehicle breakdown assistance is built from the same parts as car cover, then adjusted for working vehicles. The usual parts are:
- Roadside assistance: a call-out to get the vehicle going where it stopped.
- Recovery: towing the vehicle, and usually the driver and passengers, to a garage or another destination if it can't be fixed at the roadside.
- Home or base start: help when the vehicle won't start at your home, yard or depot.
- Onward travel or a replacement vehicle: help to finish the journey or keep working while repairs are done.
There is more on how these levels differ in our guide to breakdown cover levels: roadside, recovery, home start, onward travel.
Does breakdown cover pay for commercial vehicle breakdown repairs?
This is where people are most often caught out. Breakdown cover generally pays for the patrol to attend, the labour for a roadside fix and the recovery. Parts, and repairs done later at a garage, are usually charged to you unless the policy says otherwise. Some policies add a garage repair benefit as an extra. If repair costs matter to you, read the definition of "repairs" in the wording rather than relying on the headline.
Is breakdown cover for vans different from car cover?
Often, yes, and the main reason is weight. Every policy sets its own limits, and many standard breakdown policies are written around vehicles up to 3,500kg.
The figure that matters is the maximum authorised mass (MAM), also called gross vehicle weight. GOV.UK explains in its guide to vehicle weights that MAM is the weight of the vehicle including the maximum load it can carry safely, and that it's normally shown on a plate or sticker fitted to the vehicle. That is the number a breakdown provider will ask about, not the empty weight.
The 3,500kg line also shows up in other UK rules, which is a good sign that crossing it changes things:
| Vehicle | What the official rules say | What it means for breakdown cover |
|---|---|---|
| Van up to 3,500kg MAM | Can be driven on a category B (car) licence passed on or after 1 January 1997, according to GOV.UK | Usually within the range many van policies accept, subject to length and use |
| Zero-emission electric or hydrogen van up to 4,250kg MAM | Can also be driven on a category B licence, GOV.UK says | May be over a policy's weight limit even though a car licence covers it, so check |
| Goods vehicle over 3,500kg | Needs category C1 (3,500kg to 7,500kg) or C, and a goods vehicle operator's licence for business use is triggered above a gross plated weight of 3,500kg | Needs a policy that accepts heavier vehicles and has suitable recovery equipment |
Length, height and modifications matter too. Long-wheelbase vans, Luton bodies, tippers, refrigerated vans and vans with racking or tail lifts can need bigger recovery trucks, and some policies limit them. If your van has been converted or is towing a trailer, mention it when you ask for quotes. If you are also sorting the van's motor insurance, our article on why van insurance is so expensive explains the separate factors that set that price.
Does breakdown cover work for couriers and delivery drivers?
Not automatically. Carrying other people's goods for payment is known as hire and reward, and it's treated as a different type of use from carrying your own tools or stock. A breakdown policy can limit or exclude vehicles used this way, in the same way that a motor policy covering "business use" doesn't automatically cover paid deliveries. Our article on hire and reward insurance and parcel delivery covers the motor insurance side.
For breakdown cover, the points to check are:
- Whether the policy accepts vehicles used for courier, parcel or multi-drop work.
- Whether there is a cap on the number of call-outs a year, which can bite on a high-mileage round.
- Whether repeat call-outs for the same fault are excluded if it wasn't fixed properly after the first one.
- Whether the cover applies to the vehicle (whoever is driving it) or to a named driver, which matters if more than one person drives it.
Getting the use wrong on the application can leave you without help when you call, even if courier work is only some of your mileage.
What happens to the load and the driver after a breakdown?
For a working vehicle, getting the van moving is only half the job. The questions that matter to the business are what happens to the goods on board and how the driver gets home or on to the next job.
Recovery of the load
Some policies recover the vehicle with its load still on board, as long as it is within the vehicle's legal weight limit. Others limit what they will move, or exclude certain loads such as livestock, hazardous goods or goods that need unloading first. Breakdown cover is not goods in transit insurance either. If the load is damaged or spoils during a breakdown, that is normally a matter for a separate goods in transit policy, not the breakdown provider.
Recovery of the driver and passengers
Recovery cover can limit how many people travel with the vehicle, which matters for crew vans.
Staying safe while you wait
The Highway Code's breakdown rules apply to vans and lorries in the same way as cars. In summary:
- Get the vehicle off the road if you can, ideally somewhere designed for parking such as a service area.
- If it's causing an obstruction, use your hazard warning lights, and keep sidelights on in the dark or poor visibility.
- On other roads, a warning triangle can be placed at least 45 metres behind the vehicle. Never use one on a motorway.
- On a motorway, leave by the door away from traffic if it's safe, and don't go back to the vehicle.
- If you can't get off the carriageway or out safely, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt on and hazard lights on, and call 999.
Do you need a replacement vehicle to keep the business running?
A van off the road for a few days can mean missed jobs and lost contracts, so a replacement vehicle is often the part of the cover a business values most. When you look at this benefit, check:
- How long it lasts: many are limited to a set number of days or until repairs are finished, whichever comes first.
- What size it is: a small car won't help if you need a panel van to carry stock.
- When it applies: some only provide a vehicle if the repair can't be finished the same day, or if the breakdown is a set distance from home.
- Who pays for fuel, insurance and any excess on the hire vehicle.
One fleet policy or separate policies for each vehicle?
Once a business runs several vehicles, businesses often weigh up a single multi-vehicle or fleet breakdown policy against separate policies. Neither is right for everyone.
| Separate policies | One multi-vehicle or fleet policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Renewals | One date per vehicle | Usually one renewal date |
| Paperwork | A different number to ring for each vehicle | One account and helpline |
| Mixed vehicles | Each policy can be chosen for that vehicle | Must accept every vehicle type on it, including heavier ones |
| Adding or swapping vehicles | A new policy each time | Often done by updating the policy |
| Cover levels | Set per vehicle | Can be the same for all, or vary by vehicle depending on the policy |
A fleet policy for breakdown is separate from fleet motor insurance. For the motor side, our guide on how many vehicles you need for fleet insurance explains how insurers usually draw the line.
What about breakdown cover for 2 cars?
At the smaller end, people often look for breakdown cover for 2 cars, or a car and a van. There are usually two ways to do it. Vehicle-based cover protects named vehicles whoever is driving. Personal cover protects named people in whatever vehicle they're in, which can suit a household with more drivers than cars. If one of the two vehicles is used for work, check that the policy accepts that use and weight, because a household policy may not.
What affects the price of commercial breakdown cover?
There is no fixed price, and nobody can honestly promise cheap cover. The main things that move the cost are:
- the level of cover, from roadside only up to replacement vehicle and onward travel
- the vehicle's weight, length and type, as heavier vehicles need bigger recovery equipment
- how the vehicle is used and its mileage, including courier work
- the number of vehicles and drivers
- whether you need UK only or European cover
- any excess per call-out
People keep the cost in check by matching the cover level to what the business needs and declaring use accurately, so they aren't paying for a policy that won't respond. Our article on car breakdown prices goes into more detail.
Who regulates breakdown cover?
Not every breakdown provider is regulated by the FCA. A legal exclusion in article 12 of the Regulated Activities Order covers some breakdown contracts where help is mainly given in kind, as roadside repairs or recovery, within the UK and Ireland. As a result, the Financial Ombudsman Service says it can't always look into complaints about roadside assistance. It also lists the complaints it sees most, including unwanted automatic renewals, slow arrival times and damage during recovery. Checking whether a provider is regulated tells you where you could take a complaint if something goes wrong.
If you'd like a specialist to look at what your vans or fleet need, you can get breakdown cover quotes through Kompare. You fill in a short form, and a specialist FCA-authorised broker from the panel contacts you with quotes.