StuartO Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 I was browsing a website about driving in France and read that normal breakdown cover does not apply on French motorways so I rang my breakdown providers to check. According to them, French law says you have to contact the police if you breakdown on an Autoroute and they arrange to recover you, at your expense. No other breakdown service is allowed to do so. You have to pay for this and your UK breakdown provider may or may not reimburse. Fortunately in my case (Brittania/LV) they do reimburse. Probably worth checking whether your breakdown provider covers this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Details of breakdown services on French autoroutes can be found here http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/breakdown-service.htm This link may also be useful https://www.french-property.com/news/travel_france/autoroute_france_breakdown_procedures/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wirehaired Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Yes I found this out when I was looking to change my breakdown cover, will be going to france in June so thought it a good idea to check,i was with the AA for years now with Driver Guardian who do pay that cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Good advice. i bet a lot of us have assumed we had cover. Must read ours which we have just renewed with Safeguard. PJay Is this just the paying ones or all of them? we tend to avoid the toll roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 PJay - 2017-03-28 11:34 PM....Is this just the paying ones or all of them? we tend to avoid the toll roads. Not entirely clear but I suspect it applies to all autoroutes, including free ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bop Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 With this issue and the many other rules/costs governing European travel I can now understand why people buy a 2-week all inclusive package, via air travel, to Alicante for a few hundred quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 That's a completely different type of "holiday". Each to their own but I couldn't think of anything worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 PJay - 2017-03-28 11:34 PM Good advice. i bet a lot of us have assumed we had cover. Must read ours which we have just renewed with Safeguard. PJay Is this just the paying ones or all of them? we tend to avoid the toll roads. My understanding is that the breakdown/recovery regulations mentioned above apply to all French autoroutes irrespective of whether the autoroute is toll or toll-free. As far as I’m aware all UK-providers marketing insurance policies covering vehicle breakdown/recovery in Europe will refund the autoroute-related costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Hi,years ago we broke down at the entrance to the motorway just north of millau.when car refused to start and alarm was going off. In the days before motorhome. Motorway authorities got stroppy and told us to move and stop blocking the peage point. Eventually they realised we could not Restart, and summoned the police, who then called the breakdown services. Problem was battery fault, so they jump started us and then we followed them to the garage at next junction, where they contacted Red Pennant, caravan club and they sorted out the payment of rescue. We just had to buy a new battery. Had we realised what the problem was, we could have swapped the van leisure battery over to the car, to temporarily get us going again without the hassle As others have said, most travel insurance will cover the cost of rescue, but not the cost of spares. Tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Allen Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 We went to France last year in our new van and (obviously wrongly) assumed that Fiat Assist would have arranged our rescue from the motorway if it had been necessary. Good job we didn't break down or we would have had a nice bill that I am sure Fiat wouldn't have covered it. Please correct me if you know differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 I shall assume you have a Fiat Motorhome Warranty and Services booklet. On Page 41 of my booklet (in the Fiat Camper Assistance section) is advice on “Towing”. This includes the statemenrt: “If the Motorhome is towed by a company who is entitled to the Service on an exclusive basis, the Customer, if required by the rescue operator, must pay for the service and then request reimbursement from Fiat Camper assistance.” This would appear to cover the French autoroute breakdown/recovery scenario, but if you want to be certain it would be wise to contact Fiat Camper Assistance to confirm what their policy is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMS Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 During our first day of our trip to France in 2009 our van we lost power whilst on the motorway and limped to the next motorway exit and parked in the car park after the Motorway exit. Then we called our insurers for assistance, the problems then started how to convince the insurers that we were not on the motorway but at the exit. In the end we had to get the lady in the toll booth to explain to our insurer that we were not on the motorway, this whole procedure took nearly an hour! We waited then for the repairer to arrive about 30 minutes, he checked under the bonnet with the engine running and immediately discovered that the turbo pipe to inlet manifold had come adrift, so a €2.50 jubilee clip was easily fitted and we were on our way. Whilst waiting we were able to have a cup of tea ah! the benefit of a van! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Allen Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Derek Thanks for that info, I hadn't read the details so that is a pleasant surprise albeit a bit late for next time I go to France as the warranty will have expired by then Thanks John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocs Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Does anyone remember when there were similar arrangements on U.K. Motorways? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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