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A 6-step guide to help you navigate your next break down
Stay calm, pull over to a safe location, and keep your hazard lights on.
Exit your vehicle safely from the passenger side, wearing a high visibility vest. Stand behind a barrier if possible.
Contact your breakdown provider; give them as much detail as possible regarding your situation.
If your car poses a threat or hazard to yourself or other drivers, then call emergency services.
Whilst you wait, stay alert and make sure you don’t turn your back against the road and remain far behind the barrier. Do not attempt to fix your car.
Stay prepared for future break downs by making a kit that includes high visibility jackets, a warning triangle, a torch, and spare tyres with a jack.
When your car breaks down on the road, it can be a very frightening and frustrating experience. Whether you only wanted to do the weekly shop or you were on your way to work, there’s never a good time to find out there’s something wrong with your car.
Make sure to stay calm and think clearly, prioritising your safety at all times. To help you prepare for the unfortunate event of a breakdown, we’ve put together some simple steps below.
Stay calm and assess the situation
Breakdowns are surprisingly common and, though your instinct may be to panic, staying calm and being able to assess the situation will keep you safe in these situations.
Consider your surroundings and pull over to a safe location as soon as you can. If possible, pull into the closest service station, as this will be a less hazardous place to stop. If you’re not close enough to a service station, pull over onto the hard shoulder with your car and wheels as far to the left as possible. Keep your hazard lights on— if it is dark, you can also use your side lights.
Prioritise your safety
Next, exit your vehicle safely by leaving from the passenger side. Wear a high-visibility vest if you have one. If you don’t already keep one of these vests in your car, it is essential that you get one for these types of situations. Ideally, there would be enough for every passenger too.
Once you’ve safely exited your vehicle, make sure you stand away from the traffic, even if it is quiet on the road. If possible, stand behind the barrier on the verge, placing a good distance between you and the road.
Breaking down on different types of roads
Whilst motorways have a hard shoulder for you to use in an emergency, other roads aren’t as accommodating. If you’re in a rural area, there are increased risks of poor lighting and sharp bends, so just pull over to the left as far as you can and contact the emergency services.
For a busy city road, pull over to a spot away from the main road if possible. If you can’t do this, then, again, park as far left as you can with your hazard lights on. You will need to alert traffic wardens or the police if you are holding up traffic.
Arrange for help
Now that you’re as safe as possible, it is time to call your breakdown recovery service. Whilst it is not a legal requirement to have breakdown cover for your car, it is highly recommended that you do so to avoid emergency call-out charges.
Give your car recovery service as much detail as you can about the situation and be as exact as you can with the location and what appears to be wrong with your vehicle.
Unsure of your location?
If you’re not entirely sure of where you are, look for motorway or road signs, or use location-sharing apps like Google Maps or What3Words to help you if you have a signal.
Know when to call emergency services
In serious breakdown situations, you may need to call emergency services. If your car is blocking traffic or poses a hazard, you will need to call the police or the fire brigade.
Most breakdowns won’t need the assistance of the emergency services, but if your instinct is telling you there is a danger posed to yourself or other drivers, it might be time to get some reassurance or some support to keep you safe.
Your tyre size can be found on the sidewall of your current tyre and is a sequence of numbers and letters. The most common tyre size in the UK is 205/55R16 but there are many variations so it’s important to check your existing tyre first before searching for tyres.
Tip: Take a photo of your existing tyre sidewall to make it easier to identify your tyre size using the guide below.
The first three digits. This displays the width of the tyre in millimetres. A tyre marked 225 will measure 225mm across the tread from sidewall to sidewall.
Aspect Ratio
The fourth and fifth digits of the tyre code that immediately follow the tyre width. The aspect ratio or profile height of the tyre sidewall is expressed as a percentage of the tyre width. So an aspect ratio of 55 for example means that the profile height of the tyre is 55% of its width.
Rim Diameter
The next two digits represent the size of the wheel rim that the tyre can be fitted to. It is also the diameter of the tyre from bead to bead. So a tyre marked 16 will fit on a 16-inch wheel rim.
Speed Rating
The speed rating of a tyre is represented by a letter of the alphabet at the end of the tyre size code and indicates the maximum speed capability of the tyre. Tyres receive a speed rating based on a series of tests which measure the tyres capability to handle a set speed for a prolonged period of time.
Select your tyre speed rating to find out the maximum speed your tyres can maintain.
If you are unsure what speed rating you need, be sure to check your vehicle handbook. Choosing a lower speed rating than that recommended by your vehicle manufacturer could potentially invalidate your insurance.
Load Rating
The load index provides information on the maximum weight capability for the tyre. The load index is a numerical code that can be located just after the tyre size marking and before the speed rating.
Select your load index to find out the maximum load capability for your tyres.
Although not illegal, it is not advisable to have tyres with a lower speed rating or load index than the manufacturer recommended tyre specification for your vehicle, or to have a combination of different tyre construction types. Consult your vehicle handbook to confirm your vehicle’s tyre speed rating and load index as well as any additional requirements.
0800 75 76 77 You can reach our customer care team 6 days a week from 9:00am to 6:00pm on Monday and Thursday, 8:30am to 6:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm Saturday, and 10:00am to 4:00pm on Bank Holidays.
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Select Tyre Size
Front Tyre Size
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We endeavour to ensure we are displaying the correct tyres for your vehicle. However, we recommend all customers check the tyre size printed on the side wall of their tyres before proceeding with a tyre purchase as occasionally discrepancies do occur. By selecting the tyre sizes above and clicking 'Continue', you are indicating that you have checked your tyre sizes.
Please select your front and rear tyre size before clicking 'Continue'.
We have identified the tyre size(s) that may fit your {VEHICLE}. Please select your front tyre size and rear tyre size below before clicking 'Continue'.
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Please note: There is a slope that the vehicle must be driven up to reach the vehicle ramp at this centre. This may prevent us from being able to work on some high-performance vehicles, Tesla vehicles or vehicles that have been lowered. If your vehicle has low ground clearance, please contact the centre team on 01342 314 111 before booking.
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Centres do not open until 10:00 on bank holidays. If choosing an earlier appointment time on a bank holiday, please bring your vehicle to centre at 10:00 rather than the time shown.
