Why you need 4WD breakdown cover

When travelling way out into the deep Aussie Outback, there is one ‘what if’ scenario that nobody likes to think about. A breakdown.

Despite four-wheel drives being more reliable than ever, when travelling in the Outback even a well-prepared and carefully-driven 4WD can suffer problems that leave it immobile.

A 4x4 off-road wagon or ute that is exposed to harsh conditions such as corrugations, bulldust and heat as well as hard sand or mud driving… well, the conditions lend themselves to testing mechanical integrity.

The answer to this ‘what if’ is to have breakdown assistance cover.

Breakdown assistance is like an insurance policy you hope you never need to claim on. And if you’re prepared sufficiently, chances are you won’t need to.

Travelling in the remote Outback requires that you be largely self-sufficient. You should be going out there in a well-serviced and well-maintained 4WD adequately prepared for off-road travel (off-road tyres, suspension, bull bar and so on), have recovery gear, basic tools, adequate communications equipment and training and/or experience driving off-road.

Naturally you will have to plan for enough food and drinking water provisions, especially if you break down. Unlike the city, the breakdown truck is probably not going to turn up in an hour. It might take days to get to you.

Also read: How to avoid a breakdown

If you break down and need a tow in the remote bush it can be not only timing consuming but expensive. Depending on how difficult the recovery is and where it is from, a contractor can charge up to tens of thousands of dollars.

Remote contractors often charge both a per-kilometre rate and per-hour rate, and it adds up when you’re stuck hundreds of kilometres and hours of driving away in difficult terrain.

Thankfully, there are premium breakdown cover options that can in effect insure you against the bad luck of a bush breakdown by absorbing much, if not all, of the recovery costs.

Premium breakdown cover is offered by state-based motoring clubs, independent roadside assist providers and insurance companies.

Some new 4WDs also come with free breakdown cover, for a limited period.

If you break down in a remote area, all the breakdown providers are likely to use the same contractor.

When the breakdown operator arrives, they will try to fix your 4WD for you.

If it can’t be repaired on the spot, then all breakdown assist companies will have your 4WD towed to the nearest workshop as part of the cover.

The main difference between covers can be how far it tows your vehicle for free. Some of the services stipulate a ‘round trip’ distance in the policy – meaning that the distance you’re covered for includes how far the recovery vehicle has to travel to get to you from its home base, as well as the trip back with your vehicle.

Some have a cap on vehicle weight – for example 2500kg, which may be of no use for your decked-out Toyota LandCruiser.

When planning your trip, see what the furthest distance is to the nearest service provider. This may well dictate which cover you go with.

Not all breakdown providers have their own employees working at every location; many use contractors, who will not necessarily be set up with the same equipment to recover a vehicle.

In other words, there is no set standard as such for breakdown recovery trucks or equipment.

If, for example, you go with a 3500kg (vehicle weight limit) breakdown cover for your 3000kg LandCruiser – but the local contractor only has a truck that’ll take 2500kg – then you have a problem.

You should also contact the breakdown provider you’re interested in to see exactly what contractors they have and where they’re located in relation to where you’re planning to go.

While the breakdown cover provider might claim that they’ll recover you from anywhere, you may find that the local contractor simply does not possess the right equipment to recover your rig.

Most breakdown cover providers won’t touch a vehicle if it is obvious that it has been accident damaged – that’s a towing cost that will involve a talk with your insurance company.

However, some breakdown covers will take on incidental costs such as accommodation and transport while your vehicle is repaired or the transport costs involved in getting yourself home by other means.

It’s worth seeing if you can find out if the breakdown provider has a dedicated phone number you can call for remote breakdowns.

If you can’t get through on a sat phone, or have to listen to a minute’s worth of menu options and then be put on hold, it isn’t helpful.

4WD breakdown insurance cover – key points to consider
• Remote Outback mechanical assistance/towing can cost thousands of dollars if you don’t have cover for it
• Breakdown cover effectively insures you against this cost
• Most state motoring organisations and some insurance companies provide breakdown cover
• Read the fine print of any breakdown policy or agreement very carefully; it may not end up covering you just when you really need it
• Breakdown cover is not like calling an Uber; it may take days to get to you
• Be fully self-sufficient (plenty of supplies of food, water, fuel and basic mechanical spares and tools in a well-prepared 4WD) when in remote country, and hopefully you won’t ever need to call for assistance

You’ll find that the difference between many 4WD breakdown policies is in the fine print.

If you are going ahead and buying 4WD breakdown cover (presumably, to cover you while travelling in the bush on your next 4WD Outback holiday), make sure you take the time to carefully read the terms and conditions of the breakdown policy.

These terms and conditions can also change, so be aware of any policy updates sent to you. That policy change may include an exclusion for just the cover you will need.

Some breakdown covers will only assure you cover to attend your breakdown and tow your vehicle if the area is accessible by a contractor’s 2WD tow truck in all weather conditions.

However, some breakdown providers are more generous than others in defining what 2WD-accessible means.

If you breakdown situation is that your 4WD is hopelessly bogged, on an Outback mudflat or saltpan for example, breakdown cover might not extend to extricating a bogged vehicle.

The motoring clubs you can join for breakdown cover include those in your home state, such as NRMA, RACV and RACQ. Motoring clubs understand that their members will travel nationally, not just their state, and so offer reciprocal rights.

What that means is if, for example, you have the NSW-based NRMA top cover but break down in Queensland, the RACQ contractor will come out to help you on the NRMA’s behalf.

However, such an arrangement doesn’t necessarily automatically cover you to the same level as when in the motoring club’s home state.

Some only have this reciprocal cover at the basic breakdown cover level (that is, for a breakdown in, for example, an urban location with a much shorter towing distance offered).

You might either have to pay the recovery operator and get reimbursed by your motoring club. Note the club may stipulate a cap for such payments in its terms and conditions.

In all cases, you’ll need the top cover available from the provider, as the lower levels of cover aren’t worth taking for bush travel.

The costs vary, but you can plan to spend about $300-$500 a year. Some covers provide (at least as an additional-cost option) towing cover for heavy trailers such as a caravan.

Plenty of the premium breakdown cover polices have other features such as free fuel (up to a certain value and some also a capped number of fuel call-outs) if you’ve run dry, locksmith services, free windscreen damage repair (and/or discounted replacement), car rental and accommodation/food allowances if your vehicle can’t be fixed away from home within a certain timeframe.

Many insurance companies have now diversified to offer breakdown cover (at additional cost), but usually it’s a basic cover in a limited service area that is of no use for an Outback breakdown.

There are also 4WD-specific insurance companies that offer breakdown insurance to a certain dollar value as part of a vehicle insurance policy. This can be useful for absorbing some or all of the expensive Outback towing costs.

Note that you may be required to pay the breakdown contractor yourself and then put in a claim with the insurance company for reimbursement.

New 4WD vehicles often include free breakdown cover for some of or all of the warranty period. Many of such cover arrangements do not cap towing distance, and can also offer emergency accommodation, rental vehicle and alternative transport (capped to a limited value or period).

However, like some paid breakdown providers, some of these free manufacturer breakdown covers will only get help to you in a remote location if a 2WD breakdown recovery vehicle can get there.

Others will not cover the cost of recovery if specialised equipment is required.