Breakdown cover conundrum

[thebullettrain]

Due to a change of circumstances, we don’t need two full time cars anymore. So the 840d is out and a 2005 120d in, for those occasions we need a second car: the economics work.

The 120d will be used for local journeys, no more than 10 miles each way. It may need to do the occasional 500 mile round trip where needs must.

I’ve been looking at breakdown cover and I want home start, away from home and then recovery to a place of choosing:

RAC £175 including tyre cover; or
AA £235, no tyre cover, but include parts and garage cover to £535. It’s a basic annual warranty with a £35 excess. Which seems a no brainier.


Any thoughts on this? I will get around £100 off both, via a cashback site.

[V8 Bob]

Look at rescue my car….use local recovery companies so no long wait and are very good value for money

[havoc]

I'd buy more on reputation than on price/features (unless a certain feature is a must-have for you).

...do some research as to which breakdown companies are 'least st'.

(e.g. I was with RAC for over a decade as they'd historically got a better rep than the AA and I didn't like the AA's stance on a couple of issues. Then the first time I need to use them they quote a 4+ hour wait time, which was going to* completely fk up a day out with my son that I'd taken a day's leave for and bought tickets for. They couldn't have cared less, and their complaints procedure couldn't have cared less.)


* My local dealer came to the rescue within the hour.

[tr7v8]

Nationwide Flex plus account holder, I get full AA Cover through that. Only (touch wood) used it once when the wife had a puncture in the MX5. Came out, took it too a garage no problem at all.

[Nick67]

tr7v8 said:

Nationwide Flex plus account holder, I get full AA Cover through that. Only (touch wood) used it once when the wife had a puncture in the MX5. Came out, took it too a garage no problem at all.

I would second this, it covers you not the car, used it once while in another car, AA came and flat bedded it to a garage we selected.

NW account also gives phone insurance and world wide travel insurance all for £18pm

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/current-accounts/flex...

[A500leroy]

Start rescue will be about £35.

[carreauchompeur]

I’d strongly consider AutoAid or something similar. From my experience most of the time you just want a tow, and this is something the insurance-based recovery agents do quicker and more reliably than the big names.