The breakdown insurance team at Sterling are getting set for a long hard winter, whether it brings frost, fog, snow, floods or gale. Last year during the infamous Beast from the East the breakdown insurance team looking after Sterling Rescue recorded almost a 100% increase in calls from customers stranded with their vehicles — they were handling around 100 calls a day when they normally expect 50. This winter Sterling’s breakdown team will be checking the Met Office’s long range weather forecast to find out what they can expect. But whatever the weather, they will be accessible around the clock, seven days a week, to ensure they are ready and able to respond to 2019’s version of the Beast from the East, and any other wild weather that is thrown at them. The most common faults motorists reported last year in the cold weather were: Difficulties with starting the vehicle most likely to be caused by a flat batteryThe vehicle cutting out while being drivenPunctures and problems with tyres It’s a nightmare being stranded by the roadside in the cold or wet and having no idea how to fix the problem yourself. Worse still is the idea of loved ones being stranded, alone and helpless, when their car breaks down in rotten weather. Sterling breakdown cover is available from £46.80 a year. You can arrange Roadside Recovery or the reliable Home Start service, whether your vehicle breaks down in the UK, Europe or further afield. For motorists who need a breakdown service in an emergency, Sterling’s instant cover provides immediate help. Prices for instant breakdown insurance start from £173.60 for cars and motorbikes and £190.40 for vans — the only reservation is that they can be no more than15 years old. Of course, it makes sense to plan ahead, but sometimes you don’t think about breakdown insurance until it’s too late. Sterling instant breakdown cover is excellent value, and it is valid as soon as your policy is issued, within minutes of your call. Breakdown operators in the UK tend to have an exclusion timeframe of between 24 and 72 hours from the policy start date. In that time no recovery claim can be made until the policy has been running for up to three days. That’s not the case with Sterling, meaning you can be back on the road quicker than ever. If you breakdown and you have no cover, call 0344 381 9959 to take out an instant breakdown policy. Then call Sterling Rescue who will dispatch a recovery service team to fix your vehicle or organise your onward travel. As a multi trip policy, it will provide you with cover for a whole year. Instant breakdown insurance cover includes roadside assistance and recovery and Home Start services anywhere in the UK. Sterling can also arrange recovery and transport to a local garage or home address within 20 miles of the breakdown if they cannot solve your problems at the roadside. Sterling Rescue can call on a network of 1,800 breakdown recovery specialists and local garages providing total UK coverage. Trained staff are equipped with the most up to date mapping technology to provide a fast and efficient service when you need it most. Find out 8 common reasons why your car may have broken down.