Nobody ever wants to have a car breakdown, but you know it could always happen to you. Car breakdown, sometimes, is unavoidable no matter how well you take care of your car or how new it is. With modern computerized components, a simple chip can fail and cause your car not to start.

What are you going to do if your car unexpectedly breaks down on that important journey?
You may be traveling to the airport for your holiday;
Or you may be trying to get home in a hurry and your car suddenly decides to let you down;
Sometimes you are in the middle of nowhere or on a motorway;
Usually a car breakdown occurs when it’s pouring with rain and you have forgotten your umbrella.
When you need help from someone, would you feel safe to ask a complete stranger? This is particularly relevant to lone female drivers. When you car breaks down you not only feel upset and annoyed, but you can miss that important connection or appointment. You could be stranded in a remote location or insecure environment. So, what is the solution?

The solution is to protect your car with Breakdown Cover Insurance this can help you in that situation and as long as you can make a phone call. You will get help from the mechanics provided from the insurance company, including additional services such as home relay or forward travel and even a replacement car while yours is being repaired. Of course Break Down Insurance Cover is available at various levels according to you lifestyle and budget from the basic roadside assistance, to recovery to any destination for you and your car. So buying breakdown cover can help keep your life back on track and give you the peace of mind you deserve.

It can be difficult to know which company to choose as there are many to choose from and each has their own different levels of cover on offer and different packages to compare. This website will give you the general information about the car breakdown cover levels and types of membership, which would be different from each provider, and give you some basic advice on choosing the best deal.

Generally, there are at least four levels of breakdown cover service available from a range of providers. Some providers might have more, up to the option that they offer in each package, but the majority of services would be the same as follows:

Breakdown Cover – Level 1 – this level covers you at the roadside, usually called "Roadside" or "Roadside Assistance". The mechanics will try to fix your vehicle at the roadside, if your vehicle cannot be fixed they will tow your car to the nearest garage or other one that you request up to the limited distance permitted.

Breakdown Cover – Level 2 – may use the words "Roadside & Relay" or "Recovery". This level is additional to the Roadside Assistance and as well as helping you to fix your car at the roadside it will also take you, your vehicle and other passengers up to the service limited from the breakdown point to your destination within the UK mainland.

Breakdown Cover – Level 3 – normally called "Home Start" or "At Home", you will get breakdown assistance at your home or within a set of mile from your home, this is an additional service layer on top of Levels 1 and 2.

Breakdown Cover – Level 4 – the most comprehensive cover, with additional services such as a replacement car whilst your car is being repaired in the garage and even an overnight accommodation provision or onward travel by taxi, train or plane. Some providers call this "Replacement" or "Onward Travel", or if you always travel outside UK for holidays on business there is even a "European Cover" offered by some of the major providers which of course all adds to the cost.

Other than the levels of cover, there are different types of membership as below:

• Single: Covers you as a driver or passenger in any vehicle.
• Joint: Covers you as a driver or passenger in any vehicle, and one other named member of your household.
• Family: Covers you as a driver or passenger in any vehicle, and up to a number of named members of your household according to the provider's policies.

When buying breakdown cover from some of the big companies, they enable you to choose to insure the driver or the car. But the most popular plan people prefer to buy is “personal cover” as this will provide vehicle breakdown cover for you as a driver or passenger in any vehicle that you happen to be in when it breaks down, whether it belongs to you or not.

If you choose to let other people or dependants drive your car, you can choose vehicle based membership so that the insurance covers the vehicle named no matter who is driving it at the time.

You need to balance the needs of your lifestyle and think about your budget, then you will get the basic idea of the level of cover you want.

If you never travel far away from you home and have some knowledge in basic car maintenance and that you feel you can solve the basics problems by your self, you may choose only the roadside breakdown service.

If you are single and always drive alone for business or a female and prefer not to have a problem in an isolated area or insecure environment then you should perhaps choose at least onward travel and single membership.

Or for a person, who sometimes travels with the family for holidays or often travels abroad you opt for more comprehensive cover which includes roadside, recovery, at home, onward travel and even European cover.

After you decide the level and the type of the service you require, then you should compare the different provides costs for that service before you can make an informed decision.

Breakdown cover insurance cost relate to the levels and types of cover offered, and the companies reputation and brand name. The costs of each level are varies, for example; a basic breakdown cover (fixes the problems at the roadside and tow to the nearest garage for one person only) is low at only £50 a year approximately, and a comprehensive for single membership can cost around £150.

Some people are pleased to pay more for the brand name they can trust, while some smaller companies offer the same benefits at a lower price.

It doesn't mean that the most expensive will be the best and the cheapest will be the worst. However, the bigger companies are normally more reliable because they operate their breakdown insurance service, call center and they have their own uniformed patrols. So you can normally be assured that when you breakdown you will get assistance from a qualified mechanic in uniform with the standard equipment and vehicle, and the local knowledge to take your car to the approved garage. Whereas the small companies may provide you with the same level of cover without the uniforms and offer you local mechanics from a garage that is closest to your breakdown point and if the vehicle cant be fixed they will take your car to their garage.

Anyway, you have to carefully before making any decisions and read all small details and compare their conditions one-by-one to find the best match for you. It depends upon you if you choose to pay more for the brand or feel that it is not necessary.

Personal recommendation can be useful when making your final decision but no one company is perfect and its about people who actually enjoy their work and there is no experience like personal experience and choosing the right company to provide your break down insurance will only be tested when you need them but without it you can be sure of one thing when your car breaks down you will find out who your friends are when you phone around for help.