Breakdown cover you do not pay for until you break down
Annual policies charge you every year for a service most drivers use less than once. This app charges nothing until the day something goes wrong, then quotes the callout up front.
A breakdown recovery app replaces annual cover with pay-per-use callouts. TowManVan charges nothing to download or hold. When you break down you book in the app, see a fixed callout price before confirming, and get a roadside diagnosis from £69, with recovery priced separately if the fault cannot be fixed where you are.
UK breakdown cover is sold as insurance, but for most drivers it behaves like a subscription to something they rarely use. Typical annual policies run from £60 for basic roadside to well over £200 for national recovery with onward travel. The average driver calls out once every three to four years.
The arithmetic only favours a policy if you break down often, drive an older vehicle, or place a high value on the fixed cost being predictable. For everyone else the premium is a hedge against an event that mostly does not happen.
Pay-per-use inverts that. There is no policy to renew, no cover tier that turns out to exclude the thing that actually went wrong, and no argument about whether your membership includes recovery to a garage of your choice. You book the job you need on the day and pay the price shown.
The important distinction is between a breakdown and a recovery. A breakdown callout is a technician attending to diagnose and, where possible, fix at the roadside: flat battery, blown fuse, fuel starvation, a wheel change. That starts at £69. Recovery is a tow, priced by weight and distance, and only needed when the fault cannot be resolved where the vehicle sits. The app quotes them separately so you are not paying for a tow you did not need.
How the breakdown recovery app works
Describe the symptom
Pick from won't start, warning light, flat tyre, out of fuel, locked out or accident. The symptom decides who gets dispatched and what they bring.
Get the callout price
Roadside attendance is quoted before dispatch. If the symptom suggests a tow is likely, the app shows both prices so there is no surprise second bill.
Technician attends
Diagnosis and roadside repair where it is possible. Around six in ten breakdowns are resolved without a tow, and you pay only the callout.
Recovery only if needed
If it cannot be fixed at the roadside, recovery is added at the weight and distance rate, agreed in the app before the vehicle is loaded.
What it costs
Roadside attendance and recovery are separate charges. You are only quoted for a tow if the fault cannot be resolved where the vehicle is.
| Service | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Roadside diagnosis and repair | From £69 | Technician attends, diagnoses and fixes where possible. No tow included. |
| Jump start | From £49 | Flat battery callout including a free battery health check. |
| Wheel change | From £59 | Roadside change to your spare, where a serviceable spare is carried. |
| Fuel delivery | From £69 | Correct fuel brought to you. Misfuel drain is quoted separately. |
| Recovery if not fixable | From £70 | Added only when needed, priced by kerb weight and towing distance. |
| Annual cost of holding the app | £0 | No membership, no renewal, no cover tier to dispute. |
What the app does
Symptom-based dispatch
What you select decides who comes and what equipment they carry, so a flat tyre does not get a recovery truck and a seized engine does not get a jump pack.
Roadside first, tow second
The app is built to try a fix before a tow. Most callouts end without the vehicle leaving, which is the cheaper outcome for you.
Two prices, shown separately
Callout and recovery never merge into one vague figure. You can see what you are committing to at each stage.
No vehicle tied to the account
Cover follows you, not a registration. Book for a partner's car or a hire vehicle without amending a policy.
Free battery health check
Every jump start includes a charge and alternator test, because a battery that dies twice in a fortnight is a different problem from one flat morning.
Nothing to renew
No auto-renewal, no loyalty penalty, no annual letter telling you the premium has gone up again.
App booking versus annual breakdown cover
| Factor | TowManVan app | annual breakdown cover |
|---|---|---|
| Cost when you never break down | £0 | £60 to £200 every year |
| Cost of one callout | From £69 | Included, after the annual premium |
| Cover disputes | None. You book the job you want | Tier exclusions, mileage caps, home-start add-ons |
| Vehicle tied to policy | Book for any vehicle you are with | Usually one named vehicle or driver |
| Renewal price rises | Nothing renews | Premium typically climbs each year |
breakdown recovery app questions
Is a breakdown app cheaper than AA or RAC cover?
It depends on frequency. Annual cover costs £60 to £200 regardless of use. A TowManVan roadside callout is from £69 with nothing to pay in between. If you break down less than about once a year, pay-per-use is cheaper.
What is the difference between breakdown and recovery?
A breakdown callout is a technician attending to diagnose and fix at the roadside, from £69. Recovery is towing the vehicle somewhere else, priced by weight and distance from £70. The app quotes them separately and you only pay for recovery if the fault cannot be fixed where you are.
Can I use the app without signing up in advance?
Yes. There is no policy to hold. You can download the app at the roadside and book immediately, which is the main practical difference from annual cover.
Does the app cover home start?
Yes. There is no separate home-start tier, because there are no tiers. A callout to your driveway is priced the same way as one to a motorway.
What if the roadside repair does not work?
The technician converts the job to a recovery in the app and you see the tow price before agreeing to it. You pay the callout plus the recovery, not two full callouts.
Can I book for someone else's car?
Yes. Nothing is tied to a registration or a named driver, so you can book for a family member, a hire car or a work vehicle you happen to be driving.
Own a vehicle? Take jobs through the same app
Drivers keep 90 percent of every fare in year one. No weekly subscription, no lead fees and no bidding against other operators for the same job. We are signing up drivers now, ahead of the 1st of October 2026 launch.
Apply to driveTom Hargreaves - Head of Recovery Standards
Tom spent 12 years patrolling UK motorways with the AA before joining TowManVan. He signs off every recovery price and response-time claim on this page. Questions? Email tom@towmanvan.co.uk.
Last updated 19 August 2026. Apps launch 1st of October 2026.