Breakdown recovery costs on motorway??

Question

Hi bascally i simply ran out of fuel in the middle of busy M25 motorway and because i had to drop my friend's off to the airport with his car. i didn't have a clue whether it had breakdown coverage and . ended up making an sos call the motorway traffic control via emergency phone.

when talking to an operator because I didn't have a breakdown coverage they would surcharge 140pound +breakdown recovery cost of 30

in total i ended up having to pay 170 by simply running ot of fuel.

is this a fair charge?

is there a such charge as mentioned above? or is it just the case of me being conned?

I just find it absurd just because one doesn't have a breakdown cover motorway agency have the right to surcharge excessive amount on top of the recovery costs.

Answer 1

this is not an emergency service so they can charge that!

a private tow costs £140 anywhere so it sounds OK.

Check with your friend to see if they HAD breakdown cover as it may be possible to reclaim the costs.

Besides that what's the reason you ran out of fuel? there is no reason anyone should run out of fuel - modern cars have petrol gauges and warning lights! saving 1 p a litre by driving on with waning light is NOT the thing to do!

Answer 2

Yes i think £170.00 is fair.

You should use your common sence and fill up before going on any motorway.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, although high, it is a fair price to pay.

Few people realise that it's actually an offence to run out of petrol on a motorway, it's classed as carelessness,  it is not an emergency or a breakdown, the only two reasons you can stop.

Also, I believe breakdown patrols charge like a Rhino for a gallon of fuel on a motorway, although I stand to be corrected on that point.

Edit re your edit: when you friend gets back...give him a slap!

Answer 4

Running out of fuel on any motorway has to be the most stupid thing any driver can do there is absolutely no excuse.

The cost is well justified fuel may be expensive but at least you will buy some before you do that again.