Empire Fleet Solutions

Having suitable car breakdown cover is one of the best and well known solutions to solve an emergency car breakdown situation.  We have all experienced a car breakdown in the middle of nowhere due to some or other technical failure.  Fortunately though, car breakdown cover (also known as roadside cover) can act as a great backup plan when you find yourself in a similar crisis.

Because of the great emphasis being put on car breakdown cover nowadays, one will find many roadside assistance companies offering car breakdown cover at highly competitive prices.  Find below some important considerations to keep in mind when purchasing a proper car breakdown cover.

• Professionally skilled rescue staff

Reading customer reviews and feedbacks concerning the various roadside assistance companies will enable you to know what their service is like.  Therefore ensuring that you buy a car breakdown cover scheme from a roadside assistance company which boasts professionally skilled rescue staff is very important.

• Wide coverage

When deciding to obtain car breakdown cover, it is very important to ask questions regarding the strength of the roadside assistance company’s patrol team, as well as the areas they cover.  You should subsequently make sure that they can get to you as soon as possible, no matter where you might be at that specific moment.

• Minimum call out time

Preference should be given to a roadside assistance company that offers the minimum call out time and thus allows you to get timely and efficient roadside assistance.

• Tracking services

A great advantage nowadays is the fact that roadside assistance companies are able to track your location via your cell phone when your car broke down if you cannot direct them to where you are.

• Round the clock availability

Another important consideration regarding car breakdown cover is round the clock roadside assistance availability.

• Multiple driver plans

If your car has multiple drivers, then a car breakdown cover scheme which allows for more than one driver can be very useful.

• Additional recovery services

Apart from the standard car breakdown cover services which include flat tire replacement, lockout assistance, refueling, and towing, additional recovery services such as alternative transportation, hotel accommodation, as well as maps and directions in case you get lost while driving, is also a good idea.

If you are planning to travel to South Africa, especially during the 2010 Soccer Finals, and you plan to make use of a rental car while you are here, you need to determine where you can get the cheapest rental car.  The best way to determine this is to do some research in advance.  A lot of people do not want to go through the trouble of research and subsequently do business with the first rental car company they come across, no matter what their rental car prices might be.

If you plan to pay for your rental car in South Africa with your credit card, it is a good idea to enquire whether or not your credit card will indeed be accepted by the rental car company.  You should also try and find out how the rental car insurance will work; if auto protection plans for your rental car can indeed be paid with your credit card.  If not, you should put plans in place that can take care of the rental car insurance issue.  Even though your credit card was accepted for rental car insurance in other countries, do not assume that it will automatically be accepted in South Africa.  Do the right thing by checking in advance.

Once you decide on making use of a rental car in South Africa, you will want to do as much research as possible ahead of time.  Go online and scan several rental car companies, and then compare their rates with each other.  You will want to ask about various terms of use, whether or not you will get discount for a rental car over a longer period of time, policy with regards to filling the tank upon return of rental car, costs regarding rental car insurance packages etc.  Make sure you are aware of any limits or special requirements that pertain for travel to South Africa.

Finding a good rental car company, together with adequate rental car insurance is of the utmost importance when planning your next trip to South Africa.  Ensure that you are clear on all of the details in advance, so that you understand everything you need to about rental cars.  This way, all planning concerning rental car and rental car insurance will be done in advance, and you will not risk making any hasty bad decisions at the rental car counter.