Spend Smart. Car breakdown? Don’t panic

Your car must already be insured against accidents. But have you also subscribed to a roadside assistance programme?

These programmes are immensely useful whenever your car breaks down, the battery runs out, or you have carelessly locked yourself out of your vehicle. In such an emergency, you just have to call the toll-free number provided and help will arrive at your location.

What’s more, if your car cannot be fixed immediately, some programmes offer to tow it to the nearest service station and find accommodation or a replacement car for you in the meantime.

If your car is new, chances are that the manufacturer or dealer has given you the option of signing up for a roadside assistance programme at the time of purchase. In fact, companies such as Volkswagen provide roadside assistance free of cost during the two-year warranty period.

Honda charges new buyers ₹1,750 for the first year of service, ₹2,900 in the second, ₹3,700 in the third, ₹4,600 in the fourth and ₹6,000 in the fifth year.

Chevrolet too has a subscription fee — ₹1,000 during the first year of warranty, or ₹2,700 (saving you ₹300) for a three-year programme. Outside warranty, it charges a flat ₹1,350 per year.

Keep in mind that roadside assistance programmes from the manufacturer are only applicable to vehicles that were purchased new from one of their dealerships. If you own a second-hand vehicle, the manufacturer is unlikely to give you the benefit of such programmes.

There is also a period beyond which no manufacturer would be willing to extend such a programme to a car, such as the five-year entry barrier to Honda’s roadside assistance programme.

In fact, there are stringent requirements for registering for such programmes with most manufacturers, including details of the dealership you purchased the vehicle from and a vehicle identification number that establishes that the automobile qualifies for the programme.

But does that close the doors on getting into a roadside assistance programme? Not at all. You can instead enrol for similar programmes offered by third-parties such as Crossroads India Assistance (CRIA), Carzcare or MyTVS.

It’s a must in case your aged parents or college-going kids use a car and experience a punctured tyre or need a jump-start. It can also save you money on services such as towing your vehicle in case of a breakdown that can’t be rectified immediately, with most service providers offering concessional rates on this facility.

The only negative point is that some of the third-party providers restrict their activities to certain territories. For example, CRIA provides roadside assistance only in 23 cities in the country.

So if you’re on the highway when your engine starts to sputter, you’re out of luck. A breakdown cover from MyTVS, on the other hand, assures you of assistance anywhere in India, barring Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East.

If you’re unlikely to use your vehicle outside the city, it’s safe to go with a plan from a provider that restricts its activities to a certain territory.

Similarly, if your vehicle is in good condition, it’s not essential to go for the most expensive plan on offer, since you’re unlikely to make much use of it. Also, roadside assistance programmes cap the number of free services you are entitled to in a year. So if your car keeps breaking down frequently, it’s probably best to junk it!

So what do these services cost? As it turns out, a third-party roadside assistance programme might cost you less than obtaining a similar kit from your auto manufacturer after your vehicle has crossed a certain age.

For example, City Standard plans offered by CRIA start at ₹799 in Delhi/NCR, while MyTVS charges ₹1,250 a year for its basic “Gold” membership. This is considerably lower than the charges that would be levied by most manufacturers for their roadside assistance programmes.

It’s best to think of a roadside assistance programme as a protection similar to insurance — you might not need it all the time, but in an emergency, who are you going to call?

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