The car breakdowns and the vehicle models jamming up your drive

Bupa Car Insurance data shows the top three road assistance callouts related to dead batteries, flat tyres, and engine failure. Running out of petrol is also a common callout. 

The Toyota Corolla tops the list for cars needing roadside help, followed by the Holden Captiva, Toyota Camry, Mazda 3, and Nissan X-Trail. 

The data comes as roads are busy with school traffic, the peak hour work commute and weekend sports. A Roy Morgan study shows there were almost two million new cars insured in 2023 compared to the previous year. 

Bupa General Insurance General Manager Shannon Orbons said during the summer months, roadside assistance callouts increased. 

“Car breakdowns can happen to anyone at any time, and many are often preventable, so it’s important to ensure your car is road fit before you drive off,” Mr Orbons said.

“We want our customers to be safe on the road and I encourage them to check the simple things like ensuring they have enough petrol in the tank, that their tyres are not bald and have enough air pressure and that the car has enough oil and water. 

“While roadside assistance can help you in times of need, it can be overwhelming having a breakdown on a busy road, while dropping the kids off to school or feeling like you are the cause of an unintended traffic jam.” 

Mr Orbons said roadside assistance helped people get moving again and take some of the stress out from a having a broken-down car. 

“Cost of living pressures may be having an impact on car maintenance and servicing which is leading to some breakdowns, but with car insurance many drivers are having that peace of mind they’re covered if something goes wrong including having roadside assistance,” he said. 

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