Christmas is almost here and inevitably this means travelling up and down the country to see loved ones.

However, if your car breaks down, would you miss or turn up late to a family gathering because you don’t have breakdown cover?

Women drivers between 18 and 24 are most likely to answer this question with a ‘no’, according to motor insurer and breakdown cover provider RAC, because this group of people is most likely to skimp on breakdown insurance. This means they risk being stranded or having to call on friends or family to help them out of their jam.

RAC’s patrolman of the year, Iain Vale, says he goes out to between 10 and 12 breakdowns a day in the Cambridge area during this time of the year.

“Many drivers are so ill prepared for what to do if they break down – some end up calling their insurer and taking out cover on the spot which isn’t ideal,” Mr Vale said.

But, you don’t have to break down completely to benefit from your breakdown cover, says Mr Vale: “You can call up for anything that you don’t feel sure about with the car – if your headlights have gone, if your windscreen wipers stopped and you can’t drive in the rain, if you have a flat tyre, if your engine warning light comes on and you don’t know why.

“I recently spent over an hour helping a lady who had a two-door coupe, put one of the seats forward but got it jammed and couldn’t push it back.

“Breakdown cover is so much more than just dealing with a flat battery and, if you have a policy, it is worth calling up for help if it will reassure you and make you feel safer about driving your car,” he added.

Will Thomas, head of car insurance at Confused, says breakdown cover is worth paying for: “You don’t realise the value of breakdown cover until you need it.

“It is an additional cost, but it is essential.

“Some people think just because they are insured, they are automatically covered, but that’s a serious misconception,” he added.

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