Breakdown Recovery and Jump Start Help Without Membership
Broken down and not sure whether you need a jump start or a tow? Describe what the car is doing and where it is. Snap arranges either job through independent operators, with one quote before you accept.
Asking for a quote does not book the job.
Send a request 24/7; requests are handled round the clock. Or call 078 3333 9309, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
Roadside assistance, two outcomes:
- a jump start if the battery is flat
- a recovery to your garage, home or somewhere safe if the car can't be driven
- no membership needed
If anyone is hurt, there's a fire, or you're in danger, call 999 first. Snap is not an emergency service. On a motorway, move left, get out on the side away from traffic if it's safe, and wait behind the barrier. If you can't get out safely, stay in the car with your seatbelt and hazard lights on, and call 999.
Roadside assistance: a jump start or a recovery
Roadside assistance through Snap is one of two jobs, and your description decides which one you're quoted for.
A jump start suits a car with a flat battery that is otherwise fine: it clicks, cranks slowly or shows no dashboard lights when you turn the key. A jump start is typically £50 to £100.
A recovery suits a car that can't be driven safely: it won't start for another reason, it won't roll or steer, it's overheating, a red warning light tells you to stop, or it has a flat tyre with no usable spare. An operator moves it to your garage, home or somewhere safe for now, and the garage finds and fixes the fault. A local recovery of up to 10 miles is typically £50 to £150. Longer-distance recovery is quoted for the route and the vehicle.
Both figures are indicative ranges that include our booking fee, not a fixed tariff. Your quote depends on the pickup and drop-off, the car's condition, access and operator availability. You see the total for your job before you accept. Our guide to car recovery costs explains each factor.
If the jump start doesn't get the car going, the operator may charge for the attempt, and a tow is quoted as a separate job.
What to tell us about the breakdown
You don't need to know what's wrong. What the car did before it stopped, and what it does now, is enough to quote the right job.
It won't start, or it stopped and won't restart
Say what happens when you turn the key: clicking, a slow crank, a normal crank that doesn't fire, or nothing. Clicking, a slow crank or dead dashboard lights point towards the battery. A normal crank with no start points to a fault other than the battery, which may mean a recovery. Our car won't start guide and flat battery guide help you tell them apart.
If you've just filled up and think it might be the wrong fuel, don't start the engine again. Our wrong fuel guide explains the next steps.
Request a quote for a car that won't startA warning light, overheating, smoke or a strange noise
Your handbook explains each warning light. If a red light for oil pressure, brakes or engine temperature comes on, pull over when it's safe and switch off. With steam or a temperature gauge in the red, don't open the coolant cap while the engine is hot, because the coolant is under pressure. If there's smoke or any sign of fire, get everyone away from the car and call 999. Describe the light, noise or smell in your request, and we'll quote a recovery to your garage.
A flat tyre with no usable spare
If there's no spare, the space-saver doesn't fit or the wheel is damaged, the car needs moving to a tyre garage, another garage or home. Don't drive on a flat. Tell us which wheel it is and whether the car still rolls.
An electric, hybrid or automatic car
Electric and hybrid cars have a 12V battery too, and when it's flat the car won't start. If one needs moving, many electric and hybrid cars should travel with their wheels off the ground, and the handbook says which. For an automatic, check the handbook too and say so in your request.
Broken down on a motorway or a fast road
Follow National Highways' breakdown advice first, then request a quote.
- Go left. Move into the left lane. Pull into an emergency area, a lay-by or onto the hard shoulder if you can. Stop as far to the left as possible and switch on your hazard lights.
- Get safe. If it's safe, leave the car by the door furthest from the traffic, with your passengers, and get behind a safety barrier where there is one. Don't go back to the car, even if it's raining, cold or dark. Don't try repairs, and don't put a warning triangle on the carriageway.
- If you can't get out safely, stay in the car with your seatbelts and hazard lights on, call 999 and ask for the police, or press the car's SOS button if it has one.
- Get help. Use the free emergency telephone, or call National Highways on 0300 123 5000. Tell them if you're vulnerable, older, disabled or on your own.
National Highways' advice for recovery operators is not to work in a live lane, so a car stopped in one is a 999 call first. On a motorway without a hard shoulder, emergency areas are signed and have an emergency telephone. When you request a quote, give the marker post number or the last junction you passed.
No breakdown cover, or cover that won't help
You don't need breakdown cover to request a quote from Snap. There's no membership and nothing to join. You pay for this job only.
Check what you already have. Some bank accounts, car insurance policies and new-car warranties include breakdown cover. It can come with limits: local only, home start only, or a set distance. If yours will get you and the car where you need to go, use it.
If your cover has lapsed, or doesn't stretch to what's happened, a one-off job is an option. Tell us what the car is doing and where it needs to go. Snap quotes the jump start or the recovery for that job alone.
Timing. Requests are handled 24/7, and operator availability is checked before you get your quote. Once you accept and an operator is assigned, you get their details and an estimated arrival time by SMS or WhatsApp.
Request a quote with no membershipHow your breakdown quote works
You send one request. Snap assesses the job, contacts suitable independent operators for the area, gets their prices and availability, and sends you one quote. The quote shows the total, split into Snap's booking fee and the operator's charge. Asking for it books nothing and commits you to nothing. Accept it, turn it down, or ask us to look for another.
The quote is based on what you tell us. If the car turns out to be different, for example it won't roll, the price can change or the operator may not be able to do the job. Late at night, in remote areas or at busy times, availability isn't guaranteed, and arrival times are estimates. The full sequence is on how booking works.
Paying for breakdown assistance
- You pay Snap's booking fee by bank transfer after you accept, using the details on your tracking page.
- You get a receipt for your booking fee.
- You pay the operator's charge to the operator when the job is done.
- We don't take card payments on this website or ask for your card details.
- Cancel within 15 minutes of confirming, or before an operator is assigned (whichever comes first), and the booking fee is refunded in full.
More on paying and cancelling is on how booking works.
Who carries out the work
An independent recovery operator carries out the jump start or recovery. Snap arranges it, and your contract for the work itself is with the operator. When operators join, they confirm their licensing and insurance, and we check their motor, public liability and goods in transit insurance, and cover for your car while they have it. That check happens when they join, not job by job. When the operator arrives, you can ask for their insurance details and ID. Read more about how operators are checked.
Breakdown recovery across the UK
Snap arranges breakdown recovery and jump starts across the UK. For pickup details in a city, see car recovery in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds or Coventry, or browse car recovery areas.
Roadside assistance questions
Can I get roadside assistance without breakdown cover?
Yes. There's no membership. Describe what the car is doing and where it is, and Snap sends one quote for a jump start or a recovery. You can request it after you've broken down.
What if I'm not sure whether I need a jump start or a tow?
Describe the symptoms and Snap quotes the job they point to. If the car clicks or cranks slowly, that points to a jump start. If it cranks normally but won't fire, won't roll, or has a red warning light, that points to a recovery.
Is Snap an emergency road service?
No. Snap is not an emergency service. If anyone is injured, there's a fire, or people are in immediate danger, call 999 first. On a motorway, follow National Highways' advice and call them on 0300 123 5000. Request a quote once everyone is safe.
Does this help after an accident?
After a collision, contact your insurer first, using the phone number in your policy documents. Breakdown cover generally doesn't include accident recovery. Our accident recovery page explains when arranging your own recovery makes sense.
Can passengers travel with the car?
Tell us how many people are with you, including children, when you request a quote. If riding in the truck matters to you, say so in your request.
Request your breakdown quote
Tell us what the car is doing and where it is. You'll get one quote for a jump start or a recovery.
Request my breakdown quoteAsking for a quote does not book the job.
Send a request 24/7; requests are handled round the clock. Or call 078 3333 9309, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.