Motorists waste £1.5bn on car insurance breakdown cover

British motorists are wasting £1.5 billion a year on breakdown cover on their car insurance policies, insuresupermarket.com has found.

The price comparison website warned UK residents thinking of taking road trips over the bank holiday weekend that by choosing breakdown cover from big brands like the AA and RAC they could be wasting money.

"For as little as £36, you can buy the peace of mind that you won't end up wasting your long weekend break stuck on a roadside verge for hours or paying an extortionate call out charge as a non member to the AA," explained Richard Mason, director of insuresupermarket.com.

"Equally, don't just opt for the big two when you buy your cover, as they can cost over four times more than the cheapest comprehensive policy," he added.

However, the cheapest cover is not always the best, Mr Mason pointed out.

"Breakdown policies do not automatically provide cover for driving in mainland Europe so anyone intending to take their car abroad on holiday should make sure they have the appropriate cover - breaking down is bad enough, but if you are in a country where you don't speak the language, and don't know the names or numbers of the local breakdown services, you could ruin your holiday with a lot of unnecessary stress - not to mention cost," he commented.