RAC breakdown cover

[EXKAY120]

Hi all....

Ive been with the RAC for a few years now, nut they've just put the premium up from £230 a year, to £360 a year, bit of a big jump i thought, and thats for just a basic cover........ who's everybody else with ? coz i think i'm gonna cancel them, thanks in advance guys.....

[Turn7]

Sack them … service is beyond useless these days .

Green flag I’ve heard are better , and the AA not much better than RAC.

Like parcel delivery , I think it’s become a race to the bottom.

[Mr Squarekins]

As above. Rubbish when you need them. Go Green Flag.

[1690cc]

I have been buying cover with whoever is cheapest on MoneySupermarket for years now for each of the 4 cars in the house. This ranges from £8 for a Yaris to £14 for a i4. Called them out twice, once a few years ago for a completely destroyed tyre at 3am and second time my daughter hit a pothole at night which bent the steering out of shape. Both times local breakdown companies attended within 30 mins with a low loader and dropped the car off at a garage local to us and then dropped the driver home.

Some years CoverMy are cheapest some years 2Gether. Seems the same cover with either.

What are you getting with RAC that warrants so much money? If I have a breakdown I just want a guy with a truck to turn up and get me home.

[Sir Bagalot]

Cashback site.

AA one year. RAC the next. Rinse and repeat

[sooty61]

I have breakdown cover with my joint Nationwide account. It costs £18’per month but they give me £200 a year at the moment in fair share payments so it’s pretty much free

[MCSV8]

Check the price for your package on line. Phone them and say if they don't match that you'll leave.

Works every time for me.

[grumbas]

1690cc said:

I have been buying cover with whoever is cheapest on MoneySupermarket for years now for each of the 4 cars in the house. This ranges from £8 for a Yaris to £14 for a i4. Called them out twice, once a few years ago for a completely destroyed tyre at 3am and second time my daughter hit a pothole at night which bent the steering out of shape. Both times local breakdown companies attended within 30 mins with a low loader and dropped the car off at a garage local to us and then dropped the driver home.

Some years CoverMy are cheapest some years 2Gether. Seems the same cover with either.

What are you getting with RAC that warrants so much money? If I have a breakdown I just want a guy with a truck to turn up and get me home.

Watch out though, the very cheapest have to find a way to make money, it's simply not possible at those prices (knowing what a recovery firm will have billed to attend a basic call), let alone a more complex issue than a quick flat tyre recovery.

Start Rescue is generally a good balance of price/service, MSE usually recommend AutoAid which is essentially the same.

[EXKAY120]

Interesting guys, thanks for your help...... i'll get rid of them.... and search around, the Nationwide quote...is that the Building society Nationwide ? i've got an account with them, so that could be worth a try, depends on what cover you get i spose ?

[sixor8]

How much!

That's over 5 times what I pay for personal cover with the RAC, ie any vehicle, including national recovery home. I can only assume that is for the full, everything cover. European, hotel accommodation, hire car, battery / tyre cover, there's probably more!

I used to switch around but this year I just let the policy expire (renewal was a lot) on a weekend and took out a new one.

https://www.rac.co.uk/breakdown-cover/personal

[LordHaveMurci]

I ve just renewed my personal cover, Home start, roadside recovery, onward travel, £83.50 for 12 months.

I paid £83.50 for 14 months last year, same level of cover

[v9]

EXKAY120 said:

Interesting guys, thanks for your help...... i'll get rid of them.... and search around, the Nationwide quote...is that the Building society Nationwide ? i've got an account with them, so that could be worth a try, depends on what cover you get i spose ?

I’ve got this too. It’s pretty good AA cover including European and travel insurance / mobile phone insurance too. As above, they give dividends which negate the cost of the account

[Actual]

I don't want to pay but cost is no object if I am stranded or my wife is stranded.

I don't buy breakdown cover directly but I ensure that I have cover through my motor insurance policy which is Green Flag and duplicated by my Ford Assistance which is either AA or RAC. If I breakdown I can have a race to see who gets to me first but I'm still likely to be waiting for hours.

[davek_964]

I've been with Gem for years. About £100 for personal cover (hence any car) and includes home start etc

[EXKAY120]

Can safely say there trying to rip me off i think !!!!

[miniman]

Britannia Rescue or Green Flag. No idea why anyone would use RAC any more.

[Hackney2]

EXKAY120 said:

Hi all....

Ive been with the RAC for a few years now, nut they've just put the premium up from £230 a year, to £360 a year, bit of a big jump i thought, and thats for just a basic cover........ who's everybody else with ? coz i think i'm gonna cancel them, thanks in advance guys.....

Ouch! That is very expensive road side assistance. The most our NRMA charge is around $263 per year for their premium cover. I don’t use them anymore, just use my Insurance company @ $80 per year. But new cars have road side assistance for the duration of the warranty period anyway. You guys are seriously ripped off.

[Smint]

Currently with RAC, don't need home start, current years premium was around £110 i think, full recovery for myself and wife.

They beat Green Flags quote last time when i spoke to renewals, having 1 older car now rules out Autoaid due to their double charging for older cars ie premium surcharge and another surcharge at the time of breakdown.

Only have 1 older car now so many not bother to renew again, the newer car has AA cover included with annual servicing.

[vikingaero]

Sir Bagalot said:

Cashback site.

AA one year. RAC the next. Rinse and repeat

You can't teach the powerfully built PH folk about cashback because it involves 5 minutes of their time to register and they won't do that. 5 minutes of their time gets them up to £140 cashback, but their hourly rate is obviously more than £3360.

I join the AA via this year via Quidco (other cashback sites are available) for £280 (bells and whistles cover with relay/onward cover etc). I get cashback of £140 in a few months effectively halving the cost of the cover.

Next year the AA want £280 again, so rather than waste time calling up and negotiate a better price, I just cancel and take out cover with the RAC with Cashback.

And the other way to do it is with packaged bank accounts where you get breakdown, mobile phone cover, travel insurance and a few other benefits.

[sixor8]

I got the hump with Quidco when they introduced a yearly fee and then decline a cashback pay-out for no reason.

I've used Topcashback for 13 years now though. You use the comparison sites and then their own, and decide which is best. I insured my home on 11th May and a car on 12th May, so it takes a while (in case you cancel early for a refund I suppose), this week, I got £36 and £45 respectively.

I had used Confused for another car, I got £20 and a monthly hot drink at Greggs for a year. BUT, I completely forgot they did it for breakdown cover, it varies depending on the level of cover you buy and with whom. Next year, Rodders....