Electric Car Breakdown Cover

RAC Breakdown Cover includes electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as petrol and diesel ones. You don't need a different kind of policy if you drive an electric car.

All our patrols are High Voltage Awareness trained, so they’re qualified to fix electric and hybrid vehicles.

Breakdown cover for hybrid and electric cars costs the same as for petrol and diesel vehicles. With the RAC, breakdown cover starts from just a few pounds a month. And you can choose a cover level that works for you.

First of all, make sure you’re safe. You should never try to push or move your electric car.

Then you should report your breakdown online – that’s the quickest way to get help. Alternatively, you can call us on 0333 2000 999. We’ll get you sorted as soon as possible.

An electric vehicle (EV) is only powered by electric through a battery. A hybrid vehicle runs on a combination of electric power and petrol or diesel from the tank.

Electric cars are more reliable than petrol or diesel cars, as they have fewer moving parts. But they can still breakdown from time to time. For example, if they run out of charge or there’s an electrical issue.

The most important thing is to pull over, out of the way of oncoming traffic. We can give you an emergency charge to get you going again.

If you have RAC Breakdown Cover, report your breakdown like normal – online through the MyRAC app is the quickest way. But you can call us on 0333 2000 999 if you prefer.

If you don’t have RAC cover, call 0330 159 8743 – we can still help you.

If you break down at the roadside, we’ll do everything we can to fix you there and then. For example, some of our patrol vans have a mobile electric charger to give you a 10-mile boost to the nearest charging point. If we can’t fix you, we’ll tow you to a garage for further repairs.

Electric vehicles usually can’t be towed like normal cars, because drag on the wheels winds up the transmission. But the RAC can tow your EV safely thanks to our ‘all-wheels-up’ technology.

On average, electric vehicle batteries have warranties for 8–10 years. But research shows that some batteries can last for longer than this.

How long the battery lasts between charges, that depends on the range of the vehicle. Electric cars have different ranges depending on battery size. For example, the average range for a Renault Zoe is 190 miles and the average range for a Nissan Leaf is 150 miles.

Towing an electric car can be difficult. When using a traditional hook and chain tow on an electric vehicle, it causes the two back wheels to turn.

Because there is no neutral gear, the two back wheels turning will create an excess of power. This will build up and cause damage to the battery.

The recommended method to tow an electric vehicle is with a flat bed tow, where all wheels are off the ground.

Most providers can’t tow your electric car if you break down – but we can. All our vans are fitted with the RAC’s patented ‘all wheels up’ rapid recovery system that means we can tow electric vehicles safely.

Your electric vehicle should give you plenty of warning when it’s running low on charge. But if you can’t make it to a charging point in time, or there’s a problem with your charging point, then you may eventually run out of power. The car will switch to failsafe mode, so you have enough time to pull over to a safe space. Luckily, our EV boost vans can give you a 10-minute boost so you can get going again and reach the next charging point.

You can charge your electric car in Europe at 479,000 charging stations (as of 2022)^{^}. Different operators run different charging points and the prices may differ, but you can juice your vehicle using RFID cards, apps, key fobs, and in a growing number of locations, your bank card.

While there are multiple adaptors used in Europe, type 2 is the most common. Read our comprehensive guide to charging an electric car in Europe for detailed guidance on how to prepare for electric travel on the continent.

^{^}Latest data from the European Alternative Fuel Observatory (EAFO) via Statzon.

In 2022, there were an estimated 479,000 electric vehicle charging stations in Europe^{^}.

^{^}Latest data from the European Alternative Fuel Observatory (EAFO) via Statzon.