[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1542889947742{margin-top: 60px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Travel assistance is a very important cover in car insurance. The insurer provides assistance both to the person and to the vehicle and its accessories if an incident occurs while travelling.
When you analyse the general conditions of each policy and each insurer, you can find many differences between what one policy guarantees and what another excludes.
How does travel assistance differ from one policy to another?
When choosing which insurer to use, several factors should be reviewed. One of them is the kilometre point from which assistance is provided.
Kilometre limits in travel assistance
The first company analysed provides assistance from kilometre 0 for vehicles and from kilometre 25 for people. Two of the insurers studied cover both people and vehicles from kilometre 0. The remaining insurer provides assistance for people from kilometre 25 in the event of a breakdown, although if there is an accident it applies from kilometre 0. For vehicles, assistance applies from kilometre 0 in all cases.
Quite a difference, isn’t it? It shows why it is not enough to say that all policies include travel assistance.
Geographical scope of assistance
Another point to consider is whether the policy sets any territorial limit for assistance. Two of the insurers studied provide service worldwide, one only within the territorial scope of the Multilateral Guarantee Agreement, and another covers Spain, the rest of Europe and countries bordering the Mediterranean.
Which garage will the car be taken to?
It is also important to check whether the vehicle will be taken to any garage, to a garage in the province where you live, or to a nearby garage where the claim occurred.
In the first company analysed, travel assistance cover changes if you choose the cheapest third-party option, because cover is reduced.
For example, under that option, towing is provided to the garage selected by the insured within a 50 km radius; beyond that limit, the vehicle is taken to the nearest garage. Under the next level of cover, with the corresponding increase in the policy premium, towing is provided with no kilometre limit to the garage chosen by the insured.
It is worth paying close attention to the small print. Sometimes a slightly higher price gives you much better service when an incident occurs.
The second insurer studied covers towing to any garage and also covers the cost of extracting or recovering the vehicle when necessary for towing, up to a limit of 310 euros.
Limits by kilometres and by amount
The third company covers up to a maximum of 600 euros. As we can see, limits are not only set by kilometres; they may also be set by cost.
In the last company, in the event of an accident or breakdown, the car will be taken to a garage within a 150 km radius if it is a minor repair, and to the insured’s home if the repair is more significant. This means the company will assess and decide the type of repair, which may not always favour the client.
Transport of occupants
With regard to transporting occupants, all the companies analysed could be said to include this cover.
Replacement vehicle
Another important point is replacement vehicle cover. The first company analysed sets several conditions before providing a replacement vehicle. For example, the vehicle must be taken to one of the insurer’s approved garages, the car must be immobilised and the maximum period is 10 days.
The other companies analysed offer higher day limits; the vehicle does not have to be immobilised and it does not have to be taken to an approved garage, except for one insurer that does not provide replacement vehicle cover at all.
If you analyse the travel assistance cover in your own car insurance, you may be surprised by what is included and what is not covered.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]