I’m planning to visit UK in April 2020 for a weekend break, and I intend to go by ferry from Caen with my French-registered car, drive up to Birmingham, then back to Portsmouth on the return journey.
What should I do to get breakdown cover for the UK leg of the journey? My car is 11 years old and runs well, but in the event if a breakdown I shall need reliable help to get back to Normandy, with or without the car.
Your advice will be welcome.
Talk to your insurer, describe your plans and see what they will cover without extra charge, then what they charge for more if you need it. Bon courage!
You might need to wait and see what happens with brexit. The breakdown cover you get with your French car insurance normally covers you automatically throughout the eu.
That had crossed my mind, Anna, especially as I hoped to be able to take some students from the Université de Caen along on the trip, but Brexit could put a spoke in that wheel too.
Still the opinions I get will help me steer a path, I’m sure.
As Anna said, your insurance here should cover you for the UK (Post Brexit?)
If you happen to have a problem remember to get everything in writing from any another person involved with the problem. Does that make sense? 
If you have fully comp cover even better.
It really does make sense, and thanks!
When I cross the channel to UK I do sometimes revert to Anglothink for a while, and need to give myself a good Gallic shake to restore good insurance practice in the event of a bump! 
Hi
When we first came here i joined ADAC, as I wasn’t sure a bout cover in UK. We’ve been unlucky to have two breakdowns, one over here, one in UK where the A A were sent out to us and they repatriated my wife and daughter- by Eurostar if we had wante d. The renewal has just come in €100 for the year. A nd despite being in Germany, they speak excellent English (which is why I will phone them to ask what happens after Brexit),
I was speaking about this to a broker friend who runs an office for GAN the other day. He said that the "industry " didn’t know what was going to happen , but he thought that there shouldn’t be any future problem and that breakdown policies would state EU and GB (or maybe disunited kingdom). He also said it was likely that it would be more of a problem insuring British plated cars.
I am resident in Luxembourg and have breakdown cover through the ACL (Automobile Club du Luxembourg)
Coincidentally this has come up for renewal €65.
The cover on the invoice is called EUROPE not EU.
However after Brexit for sure things will change with the ACL but as I get older the urge to travel back to Britain diminishes.
I can only add that with our all singing and dancing fully comp with the MAFF that they would not provide a hire car outside of France in the event of a breakdown/ accident
I seem to recall that on both occasions when I’ve started a new insurance policy, I’ve had the option of two or more different levels of breakdown cover. I can’t remember the details now but I think the basic level included Europe-wide breakdown assistance and the higher levels included more in the way of hotel bills, car hire etc.
I always take the lower level of cover and the one time I used it was when I broke down spectacularly and irreparably at the other side of France on a Sunday (a structural component broke and the car literally fell to pieces - very reminiscent of the thread posted by the person whose newly-purchased car has turned out to have dangerous rust, in that mine also had passed its CT only a couple of months previously; but this was a decade ago when the CT wasn’t so hot on rust). The breakdown company sent me home in a taxi and the fare was well into the three figures, approaching four figures. I felt bad about it because it cost them far more than I’d ever paid in premiums. I did tell them on the phone that I would happily use public transport even if it was a hassle but they said no, it would be complicated for them to arrange the journey and it was easier for them to just book a taxi!!!