Reply With QuoteI switch between RAC, AA and Green Flag and always buy through Topcashback. This year I paid £99 with £77 cash back.
It’s a bit of a faff but worth it for the savings; non of them respect customer loyalty!
I've been with the AA for 43 years. May be used them twice in the last 5 years, a flat battery during Covid. They always do me a deal as a valued customer. This year no deal £193. I've looked on line the RAC are far cheaper, which cover do other TZ'rs use?
I switch between RAC, AA and Green Flag and always buy through Topcashback. This year I paid £99 with £77 cash back.
It’s a bit of a faff but worth it for the savings; non of them respect customer loyalty!
as above , i just switch between AA + RAC each year as new members always get the best discounts - loyalty mean nothing anymore.
I used RAC ... it is a hang over from a VW Assist Account and it's always better that switching; I do take the European Cover which bumps it up...
Might be worth exploring if your banking provider has a bank account that offers roadside cover. Maybe less than the renewal option or even as a new customer
If you bank with Barclays their travel insurance now covers breakdowns as well with the RAC for £12.50 per month.
https://www.barclays.co.uk/insurance...e/travel-pack/
We used this for cancelled flights over lockdown and it was excellent. So if you need them both it may be an option.
RAC been with them for years.
I also switch between RAC and AA, never been brave enough to try Greenflag. Always felt Greenflag are more of a recovery agent rather than breakdown assistance, this maybe due to how they pay the local agents.
I 'use' Emergency Assist (though have never had the need to call them). Cheap. Cheaper still for 2 vehicles, and the add-on excess protection is useful in keeping your motor insurance bills down.
RAC, last year my renewal quote went up, spoke to them on the phone & got 10 percent discount & an added 3 months cover for free.
Had a recovery the year before which would have cost several hundred pounds more than the annual subscription. Very happy with them.
I alternate between Smart Rescue and Autoaid. I never seem to pay more than about £60 for full cover, but that maybe edging up post COVID.
I have used Auto aid in anger and all was fine. How many time does your engine explode at the side of the road? Let’s face it 95% of the time all we need it for is a flat battery or a flat tyre.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/in...eakdown-cover/
I can't recommend Rescue my Car as I was kept waiting for over 8 hours for a recovery vehicle last week.
There were 5 cars parked near me all with punctures from the same pothole. The AA were the first to arrive although that was for a lady with 2 children on board. Next was the RAC and then BMW Recovery for a young lady in a Mini.
I'll follow this thread with interest.
Gary
After breaking down in Cornwall on New Years Day, and waiting 15 hours for RAC recovery ( which never actually arrived in the end) I would never ever recommend them. Stuck in a car with 3 dogs, 2 young children and a menopausal wife was no fun 😂
I’m not sure any of them are up to much. Apart from a flat tyre or a bump start, I would be surprised if they can ever fix much by the side of the road.
Buy a policy from rescuemycar through a price comparison website for £20 with a £40 callout excess. Gives you the peace of mind of being able to call someone at a sensible price. Unless of course you have a car that you typically call them out more than once a year.
I use Gem.
I've called on them 3 times and the mechanic has always been with me within an hour and got me going. Buggered battery each time so probably not much of an empirical experience.
Good call centre though and they keep in touch to check the van has arrived.
I was with Boundless (formerly CSMA) for over 20 years; cover inc. discount was linked to my LV motor insurance policy. In 2022 I changed to RAC insurance and b/down following LV motor insurance quote showing a hefty and unjustified increase. I have max. no claims bonus. This month, Jan 2023, RAC quote increased; I did not query it but immediately sought a quote inc. b/down cover from the AA – which was cheaper than RAC – so i signed up online with the AA. Next year I may try Boundless and LV again for motor insurance & b/down cover following LV offering and me accepting, an excellent home contents insurance quote. Still pays to shop around'. i do wonder what commission element (if any) is included in the quotes when I actually speak to a broker / operator – as distinct from completing the online matrix application. I am a former insurance professional.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I guarantee that 95% of the call outs in winter wouldn’t happen if people pre-emptively replaced their battery and then most people would not need breakdown assistance.Originally Posted by Onelasttime
That, and the fact that you can’t change your own wheel these days because the air guns that Kwik Fit and the like use to tighten the wheel nuts make them so tight that you need specialist equipment to loosen them.
After all, we have Smart Motorways for a reason these days. Nobody actually breaks down while driving.
Loyal AutoAid customer. Used a few times and always been well taken car of. Cover is for you and your missus, in any vehicle, so really useful and at £60, cheap
Sent from my M2101K6G using Tapatalk
Nationwide FlexPlus (joint) account.
For £13pm (I think), you get European breakdown cover, worldwide travel insurance and mobile phone insurance for both account holders.
Not a bad deal, really.
Regarding your 'guarantee' :
AA main cause of winter breakdowns:
Battery-related (24%)
Tyres (16%)
Intake and emissions (8%)
Starter and alternator faults (6%)
Locks and alarms (5%)
And ref difficulty with wheel removal:
Apply a mallet or hammer to the wheel wrench ... or use an extension on the wheel wrench. e.g., a box spanner and another wrench.
Furthermore, to suggest that "Nobody actually breaks down while driving" is bunkum. Vehicles can suddenly 'conk out' for lots of reasons
I'm a former London Country Bus Servies chargehand bus mechanic
Last edited by sundial; 28th January 2023 at 11:22.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I’ve joined Topcashback and will join the RAC, they have a 50% off deal through the site. Looks as though it will be under £60 before the cash back. Bit of a no brainer. Thanks for every bodies input, just shows to save money ask in the G&G!
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
I'm assuming this is your attempt at humour?
If your battery has seemingly been working fine with absolutely no hint of failure, why would you pre-emptively replace it?
And you must have missed all the stories about the people killed while broken down in the inside lane of a 'smart' motorway.
Humour?
Once the battery is over 5 years old, test it at the start of each winter.
Yes the smart motorway stories make great headlines, but given the number of cars going up and down motorways it is a drop in the ocean.
How is the RAC going to stop you getting killed if you breakdown on a smart motorway? They don’t, Highway’s England does irrespective if you have breakdown cover or not. You will then have to pay a one off fee to whoever recovers you if you don’t have breakdown cover.
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/mot...ay-breakdowns/
However, for drivers who break down in a live running lane the RAC can only attend once Highways England has made the scene as safe as possible through the closure of lanes with the red X signs and the attendance of Highways England Traffic Officers or police officers to provide protection for both our patrols and customers
Last edited by noTAGlove; 28th January 2023 at 11:37.
Auto aid for us as well, not used it in 6 years! £60 a year and when we did use it before great service.
I was with AA for years when they didn’t give me a decent discount i switched to RAC. The AA currently have a sale on so I will probably switch back to AA at the end of the month.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Really glad I’ve come across this thread. I’ve been a member of the AA for what seems like an eternity and have only used their services twice in the past 12 years or so. I pay my premium monthly and have never really taken any notice of how much it is. SHOCK HORROR !!! I’ve just checked my bank statement and I’m paying £28.55 a month …….. Time to make a phone call me thinks !!!!!
I can see why you chose your username.
Think I might change it to ‘not-on-the-ball’ !!!
Another autoaid user. I have 3 vehicles (one is a classic car) and I’ve had to call them out once when the classic broke down on Humber bridge, they recovered me to a garage of my choice, no increase in premium the next year.
I have RAC as an extra with my bank account and AA as an extra with my car service agreement. If I break down I may call both and see who arrives first!
I'm sort of rivetted on to Mayday, the breakdown & recovery service offered by the Caravan & Motorhome Club (formerly the Caravan Club).
This is the only major operator that covers faults with the trailer as well as the tractor; if you have a problem with a towed trailer or caravan, the big boys won't help; only if it is a fault with the tractor.
Having said that, at £78p.a. and a couple of successful callouts, I am happy with them. It is Green Flag rebadged as Mayday.
I'm not sure that's true (or maybe only of caravans?).
Recently we had a wheel bearing fail on a boat trailer (with boat on!) and the AA recovered it under the regular cover.
It did take a while to get us a recovery vehicle though and then they weren't sure the trailer would fit (luckily it did).
It wasn't my coverage - We have something via AXA (after years with the RAC, they skyrocketed their prices) and the few times we've called on it, it's been at least a match for the big boys and sometimes better for far less money.
M
Last edited by snowman; 31st January 2023 at 12:14.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Ah, OK, I stand corrected.
I did have problems in the past, but things may have changed.
I'm still happy with Green Flag/Mayday though.
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