Towing vs Breakdown Recovery: What's the Difference?

Drivers often use the words towing, recovery and breakdown recovery as if they mean the same thing. They overlap, but knowing the difference helps you ask for the right help and get the right price.

What is breakdown recovery?

Breakdown recovery is an emergency callout. Your car or van has stopped at the roadside, on the motorway or outside your home, and it will not go. A recovery truck comes to you, loads the vehicle and takes you and the vehicle to a garage, your home or another safe place. Speed matters most here. See our breakdown recovery service.

What is towing?

Towing means moving a vehicle from A to B. It might be a car that has been sitting in a driveway, a van going to a garage for a booked repair, or a car you have just bought. It is often planned rather than an emergency. See our towing service.

What is vehicle recovery?

Car & van recovery covers the trickier jobs: non-runners, cars with locked wheels, vehicles stuck on a driveway or in a car park, and accident-damaged vehicles that cannot be driven. These need the right equipment and experience to load safely. See our vehicle recovery service.

Why flatbed recovery is better

• No wear on your vehicle: all four wheels are off the road, so there is no strain on the gearbox, clutch or tyres.
• Safe for automatics and 4x4s: many automatics and all-wheel-drive vehicles should not be towed with wheels on the ground.
• Secure: the vehicle is wheel-strapped to the bed for the whole journey.
• Works for non-runners: a winch pulls the vehicle up the bed, even if it will not start or steer.

Which one do I need?

• Broken down right now? Ask for breakdown recovery.
• Need a vehicle moved on a set day? Ask for towing or vehicle transport.
• Crashed, stuck or won't roll? Ask for vehicle recovery.

Not sure? Call us on 085 771 9895, tell us what happened and we will send the right truck.