Breakdown recovery Spain / Accident recovery Spain

breakdown recovery spain

Most car insurance in Spain will automatically include accident and breakdown recovery. However, there are differences in the cover provided. Some companies offer a comprehensive package in their cover as standard. Others offer more flexibility but if you don’t make enquiries you could end up with very limited service.

A few companies will only provide breakdown assistance, for example, if you are a minimum distance away from your home. So if you wake up and need to get to work or the airport to pick up relatives and the car won’t start you are on your own. Other companies offer cover from 0 (zero) kilometres. This means in the situation above they will come at get you started or tow you to the garage.

Limited towing distance

Other differences you might come across is the maximum distance that the insurance company will tow you. Alternatively, the distance the tow truck will travel might be calculated by the cost of the tow truck. So the insurance company might provide the service up to a limit of “x” amount of euros.

You can usually ask to be taken to your destination, your home address or your chosen garage within the limits set out in the breakdown recovery service stipulated in your policy. If the distance exceeds what you contracted, then the Spanish car insurance company recovery service will take you to the nearest garage for assistance instead.

Time to reach you

These days the majority of companies will get the recovery vehicle to you within the hour. They seem to have this well organised now. Perhaps why a few now offer compensation if the tow truck (Grua) arrives late. Whilst that might be welcome after the event it is hardly the reason to choose your car insurance in Spain.

Various companies may well try and fix the car where it has broken down. If it is something minor that can be done safely at the side of the road, for example, and within a short period of time. Remember your insurance breakdown recovery will try and help you get back on the road but they are not responsible for the cost of replacement parts.

Again depending on what level of breakdown recovery service you purchase, if it is not possible to repair the vehicle the same day then you the insurer may make a contribution towards hotel expenses. The amount, the length of stay and other conditions are dictated by your policy. This type of cover for breakdown and accident recovery could also include other European countries. If you travel abroad this might be an important consideration.

Hire car or taxi

There may be times when the vehicle remains immobilised for several days as a result of an accident or a major breakdown. Depending on what you have contracted in your policy then you might have the option to obtain a hire car to get you home or to your final destination. Or perhaps the insurance provider will organise a taxi.

Each insurance company is different so it is not possible to give a definitive guide here. The purpose of this article is to get you to think about what you might expect from your accident and breakdown recovery service. Discuss it with your Spanish insurance broker when you are looking for quotations for your car insurance in Spain.

Bear in mind, that the Spanish companies that tend to focus on expatriate clients usually offer a more complete package as part of their standard pricing. Other insurance companies will have maybe three levels of accident and breakdown recovery options you can choose from. Remember to check what is included because if you do not ask then you might find you are given the cheapest to make the insurance premium more attractive to you.

Make sure you know what you are buying

Remember, you only find the true value of your insurance when you need to use it. Skimping on a few euros now may lead to a real headache when the kids don’t get to their holiday destination or you have to dig deep in your pocket to get home.

Remember that if you are legally required to have certain things in your car in the event of a breakdown. See our post about warning triangles and reflective jackets.

Foreign driving licence in Spain

You can use a foreign driving licence in Spain to drive a vehicle. However, regardless of the law where you obtained your driving licence, you must obey Spanish law when using your driving licence. For example, it is possible to pass your driving test aged 17 in the UK. You would not be able to use your UK licence in Spain until you were 18 because that is the minimum age in Spain by law.

All driving licences issued in the European Union and the European Economic Area are valid for driving in Spain. If you are living in Spain then please see below as there is a time limit in which the driving licence must be exchanged for a Spanish licence.

If you intend to live in Spain then you should start the process of changing your driving licence to a Spanish driving licence once you arrive.

Please note that whilst the Spanish Government might allow you to drive with a foreign driving licence insurance companies are not obliged to accept them. There is not a problem with a European driving licence but with some countries the number of Spanish insurance companies that will provide insurance could be reduced.

Driving licence from outside EU

If you are from outside the EU and you have a qualifying driving licence then you must exchange it for a Spanish one within six months of arriving in Spain.

If there is an agreement between the country where your driving licence was issued and Spain then the process is relatively straight forward. It will mean you exchange your old licence for a Spanish driving licence. This process is done either by using the services of a Gestoria or by organising it yourself through the nearest regional Road Traffic Office.

If your driving licence is issued from a country where there is no agreement with Spain then you will not be able to exchange your licence. You will have to sit the Spanish driving test.

If you have a UK licence then please read this post.

Driving licence from an EU / EAA country

If your driving licence was issued by a country in the EU, or a country in the EEA then you have a period up to a maximum of two years to change your driving licence to a Spanish driving licence.

If your EU driving licence does not have an expiry date or perhaps it runs for longer than two years after you begin your residency in Spain, you still have to change it to a Spanish licence.

You change your driving licence to a Spanish driving licence through a Gesotria for a fee or you can undertake it yourself by collecting the appropriate paperwork, paying the fee and making an appointment with the Regional Traffic Office. Follow our step by step guide to change your EU driving licence to a Spanish driving licence here.

You cannot just go to your nearest Regional Road Traffic office. You must make a prior appointment.

Car Insurance Spain additional cover

When shopping for car insurance in Spain also bear in mind other useful protections. Some companies actually now include some or all of these as standard, but not all. Remember to ask.

Accident and breakdown recovery Spain

In Spain it is illegal to tow a vehicle. Most insurances these days automatically include a breakdown and accident recovery service. However, it doesn’t hurt to double check when you are buying a policy. A lot, but not all will include windscreen protection as well. A car is now a very important part of most people’s lives. It may be that you use it to get to work or drop the kids off to school. Perhaps it is just to make our life easier whilst here on a regular visit to a holiday home. If your car is off the road then it might also be worth including a courtesy car in your insurance.

Courtesy Car

If your insurer include a courtesy car then find out in what circumstances it is available. Usually it will be provided in the event of a claim where your vehicle has to be in the repair workshop. There is usually a minimum number of specified days before the car is provided. That will depend on the insurance company. There will also be a maximum number of days a courtesy car will be provided.

If you breakdown some insurance companies will also make a courtesy car available. Again there is usually a minimum number of days that your car must be unavailable before a courtesy car is provided. A maximum number of days will also be detailed in the policy.

Please bear in mind that the insurance companies will not provide a like for like vehicle. If you have got a seven-seater don’t expect the insurer to offer a substitute vehicle of the same size. If you drive a Lexus don’t expect the insurance company to provide you with a temporary one.

You might be able to make an arrangement with the rent-a-car where you pick up the courtesy vehicle. That is if they have something available and you are willing to pay the difference.