In the UK auto insurance is expensive, although prices are beginning to drop a bit with internet based low cost insurance companies now almost swamping the market. The established insurance companies may offer you extra benefits on top of your basic auto insurance. Benefits vary from one company to another but the most important thing for you as the consumer to bear in mind is that you have enough insurance to cover you in case of fire, theft and accident – if you only go for the most basic cover then you could find yourself in trouble.

If, for example, you are involved in a collision where you are at fault, if you are not fully covered then your insurance company will pay for the damage to the other vehicle but not to your own. Worst case scenario is that you could find yourself without a vehicle, but providing you do have full cover, what, if any, extra benefits are worth having?

If you have a good driving record where no claims have been made on your insurance then you may want to protect your no claims discount. This extra benefit is not that cheap but if you are in an accident then at this particular benefit means that your no claims record is not at risk and you won’t be paying higher premiums next year. Just because the UK is a member of the European community, doesn’t mean that their existing insurance and breakdown cover will cover everything on the continent. One other benefit that you may want to add on if you do drive your car on the continent is European breakdown cover – although if you have ordinary breakdown cover with another company you might want to check whether that includes cover in Europe. While these extra benefits can be useful, you should only pay for those where you are more likely to save money should the unexpected occur.