Flat car batteries are the biggest cause of broken-down cars nationally with new data also revealing the most common vehicles needing to be rescued from the side of the road.
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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TOP VEHICLES REQUIRING ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
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Source: Bupa Car Insurance
For more information, please contact:
Aleks Devic
Senior Manager External Communications, Bupa
Email: aleks.devic@bupa.com.au
Mobile: 0412868933
About Bupa Asia Pacific
Bupa is an international healthcare group which has been committed to a purpose of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world for more than 70 years.
Bupa Asia Pacific operates in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, supporting about 7.3 million customers through a broad range of health and care services including health insurance, aged care, dental, medical, optical and hearing services.
Employing more than 22,000 people in the region, we believe that we can make a real difference to the lives of customers through our values, purpose and the way that we deliver personalised care.
Over the past 17+ years we have invested more than AUD$36 million in partnerships and programs focused on improving health of communities across Australia.
