An emergency mobile mechanic, sent to your car.
If your car has broken down or a warning light has come on, tell Recovru what it is doing and send photos. A mobile mechanic comes to the car, on a driveway, a street, a car park or the roadside, finds the fault and fixes what can be fixed there. This is for faults happening now, not booked servicing.
Mobile Mechanics
Operators nearby send one price each and you choose one. The price you choose is the total you pay, with any VAT the operator charges included. Your card is held when you accept and charged when the job is done. If no operator nearby quotes, nothing is held or charged. Cancelling can cost a charge once the operator has set off: see Cancellation and Refunds and the Cancellation Rates.
The Recovru app opens in your browser today; iPhone and Android apps are coming soon.
Recovru is not an emergency service. If you are in danger, call 999.
What happens when you ask for a mechanic
- Tell us where the car is, choose “Mobile mechanic” under “Won't start or runs badly”, and say what it is doing, with two photos. Asking is free and commits you to nothing.
- Operators nearby send one price each for the whole job, with the time they can reach you.
- Accept a price and the money is held, not taken. Follow your mechanic on the live map and message them in the app.
- When they arrive, you give them your 4-digit arrival code, which confirms they are the operator you booked. They find the fault and fix what can be fixed where the car is.
What a mobile mechanic can look at
It is for a car that has broken down or is misbehaving now. Tell the app everything you have noticed, because faults come in pairs:
- Warning lights
- Engine, oil, battery or charging, temperature, brakes or ABS, airbag, tyre pressure, exhaust filter or glow plug
- Noises and leaks
- A noise or a vibration, something leaking, smoke or a burning smell
- Running badly
- Overheating, running badly or cutting out, a clutch or gears playing up
- Brakes and electrics
- Brakes or steering that feel wrong, or lights and electrics not working
- Where the car is
- On a driveway or private land, a street, a car park, or the roadside where it stopped
Roadside emergencies only
Recovru takes no bookings for routine work, such as an MOT or a service: the jobs the app offers are roadside emergencies. A mobile mechanic through Recovru is for a fault happening now.
What the app asks about the fault
After where the car is and how safe it is there, whether it has hit anything and which vehicle it is, the app asks:
- What is the car doing?
- Pick everything you have noticed. A warning light and a noise together is a different visit from either alone.
- Which warning lights are on?
- Asked once you pick a warning light. It is the closest thing to a diagnosis you can give, and it decides whether the mechanic brings a code reader, a battery or coolant.
- Can it be driven at the moment?
- Yes, only a short distance, or no.
- Where is the car?
- A mechanic needs room to work and ground firm enough for a jack.
- Two photos
- At least two photos are required, up to ten. A photo of the dashboard helps most, and a short video can capture a noise.
Have these ready
- A photo of the dashboard with the ignition on, and of anything leaking
- Whether the car can be driven, even a short way
- Your vehicle's registration, so the app can fill in the rest
Staying safe while you wait
- A red warning light usually means stop now, and a flashing engine light means stop too: do not drive it on.
- If the engine has overheated, let it cool before anyone opens the coolant cap.
- If there is smoke or a burning smell, get everyone out and away from the car. If it catches fire, do not open the bonnet, and call 999.
- On a motorway, leave by the side away from traffic and wait behind the barrier, not in the vehicle. If you cannot get out safely, stay in with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999.
- On any other road, get the vehicle off the road if you can, put your hazard lights on if it is in the way, and do not stand between it and oncoming traffic.
Who comes to fix it
Your request goes to operators our staff have cleared for roadside work. Mechanics declare the work they can do, including F-gas and electric high-voltage competence where it applies. Each is an independent business, checked before they can send you a single price:
- Identity
- Photo ID, matched to a live selfie
- Right to work
- Checked before their first job
- The business
- A company, or a sole trader on record. A VAT number is checked with HMRC and must match the business
- Screening
- Sanctions and politically exposed person lists
- Documents
- The insurance and licences each service needs, read by our staff
A clearance lasts only while the documents behind it are in date. Once one expires, that operator is not sent those requests.
For roadside work, the Operator Terms also ask for:
- Public liability insurance of at least £1 million
- Motor insurance for the vehicle they work from, with a class of use that covers the work
- Motor trade road risk cover if they drive or move your vehicle at all
- Professional indemnity cover
How the price for a mobile mechanic works
Recovru does not set prices. Each operator names one price for the whole job as you described it, and that price is the total you pay: it includes their attendance and assessment fee and any VAT, so nothing is added at the end. The quote says “inc VAT” when the operator is VAT registered and “No VAT to pay” when they are not. Your invoice or receipt is in the operator's name, issued by Recovru as their agent, and shows the VAT when there is any. There is no booking fee and no card fee, and you can take any price or none.
A fault that has to be found is priced from what you describe and show, so photos and every symptom you have noticed bring each price closer to the job. If the fault turns out to be different, your operator shows you why and sends a revised price in the app.
Accept a price and the money is held, not taken, until the job is done. If the job turns out different, nothing extra is done or charged until you approve a revised price in the app. You pay the attendance and assessment fee, VAT included, instead of the price only if your operator arrives and cannot do the job because what you told us was materially inaccurate, left out something important or was misleading; the Terms of Use cap it.
Cancelling is free until your operator sets off, and for two minutes after you accept whatever they have done. After that the Cancellation Rates show how any charge is worked out, you see the exact figure before you confirm, and you never pay more than that figure. If your operator cancels, you pay nothing.
Your contract for the job is with the operator, and Recovru collects the payment as their agent. How It Works and Cancellation and Refunds have the detail.
When it needs a garage
Not every fault can be fixed where the car stands, and nobody can always tell before a mechanic looks. The form offers “Not sure it can be fixed there? Switch to recovery”, which turns your request into a recovery to a garage, your home or wherever you pin.
If you tell the app about a red or flashing warning light, smoke, a burning smell or a leak, it suggests recovery before you send. If your mechanic finds it cannot be fixed there, they record why with photos, and the app offers you a recovery request already filled in from this one. Recovery and Towing explains how that works.
Questions
Can I book a service or an MOT?
No. Recovru is for roadside emergencies only. A mobile mechanic comes to a car that has broken down or is misbehaving now.
Can a mechanic come to my home?
Yes. The car can be on a driveway or private land, a street, a car park or the roadside where it stopped. A mechanic needs room to work and firm ground for a jack.
What if it cannot be fixed where it is?
Choose “Switch to recovery” in the request form if you are not sure. If your mechanic finds it cannot be fixed there, the app offers you a recovery request already filled in from this one.
Do I need to send photos?
Yes, at least two. They tell the mechanic what to bring, and a photo of the dashboard with its warning lights helps most.
A warning light has come on. Should I keep driving?
A red light usually means stop now, and a flashing engine light means stop too, because driving on can damage the catalytic converter. For any warning light, the Highway Code says to stop and investigate, so ask for help rather than driving on.
This page was last updated on .
Get help now
Tell us where you are and what has happened, and operators nearby send you their prices. You do not need a plan to get help.