To think car breakdown cover is often rather extortionate?

[TheViewFromTheCheapSeats]

The AA offered me a renewal of £198, up £30 on the previous year. I’d not had it for many years but last year I found a cashback deal and coupled with a lot of journeys I got cover. I’ve never used them, I remember though in the past they’d hike the price significantly each year without me using the policies.

For the basic cover it’s less, but it still sounds like if you broke down you’d be stranded as if it can’t be fixed roadside there’s only a 10mile tow. Feels pointless If it can’t get you to a garage or your destination.

What do others do? I’ve been years without any cover at all (saved the cost of car nearly...).I’ve never broken down on the road, just things like flat batteries I’ve sorted myself with a jump or replacement. Or once at a holiday home when I rang a local garage.

Is there an easy way of being able to contact local garages/ tows as one offs if you don’t have cover?

I've been with autoaid for years, much better value, especially if you need a joint policy for a spouse.
www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

I would speak to them and see if that's the best they can offer.
We've just got AA family cover - up to 4 people in household whatever car they are in) so Me DH and DC who will is learning to drive. (That's for recovery, at home and on the road plus onward travel and getting you to a garage). That was £140

Also, for things like this, I always look at MSE
www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/breakdown-cover/

Green flag I think was £98 for the year for a decent policy.

@AnotherEmma I used them one year (the year my car wouldn’t start at the holiday home) but when I rang them they informed me that if my problem was due to a maintenance fault with the car I’d be liable for £100/£150 call out. She wouldn’t define what a this fault was but said it was if they felt it was due to lack of maintenance or something, eg I’d left the lights on. I had a reasonable idea that a stuck relay switch had drained the battery, but she couldn’t say if they would deem this as chargeable. In the end I walked a mile to a local garage and borrowed their jump starter and then fixed it myself. It really annoyed me, she kept pushing on the phone that I could be charged- but wouldn’t clarify in what circumstances and said it would be determined when they checked it. It felt like a massive risk to use them and it annoyed me. It was stressful, I mean potentially any breakdown could be deemed to be due to a pre-existing fault the owner hadn’t spotted- a clogged fuel filter?

It's not been necessary to pay for the likes of the AA or RAC for years. Like a PP says, autoaid and a few others offer the same coverage for a fraction of the price.

Make money saving expert your friend and you can get information on how to get just about everything for less.

@Mogloveseggs

Green flag I think was £98 for the year for a decent policy.

Mine was £42 with Green Flag including home start.

AA are notorious for taking the piss out of existing customers when it comes to renewal.

The AA always offer their best deals to new members. My renewal quote was more than double my first year, so I phoned and cancelled, and told them I’d be signing up as a new customer again. The guy said this wasn’t what the offer was intended for, but that they wouldn’t stop me.

I think it’s crap that they tempt you in and then hike the prices, but if you know the game you can play it too.

I wonder if having something set up on your phone to find the local breakdown garage were your car to break down, and being prepared to meet the one off cost each time, would be cheaper.

We’re with green flag, think it was around £45 at last renewal.

We pay £17 a month for our bank account with that we both get AA breakdown cover (used it loads with my old car no tricks/restrictions) , travel insurance, mobile phone insurance and emergency home cover -great even our boiler conked out in December. I think that's cheap for that amount of cover for two people.

£198?! I'm paying £25 a year and sounds like I get way more cover than you. They'll take me home from anywhere in the UK.

Use compare websites. Kind of your own fault getting prices like that if you don't bother. It's so much easier. I change everything every year unless the price is the same. Never been with the same car insurer for more than one year. There's no benefit to being 'loyal' anymore, companies don't care, you are just a number to them.

@Letsnotargue

The AA always offer their best deals to new members. My renewal quote was more than double my first year, so I phoned and cancelled, and told them I’d be signing up as a new customer again. The guy said this wasn’t what the offer was intended for, but that they wouldn’t stop me.

I think it’s crap that they tempt you in and then hike the prices, but if you know the game you can play it too.

I also had an extortionate renewal quote from AA last time I used them. I called to tell them I would not be renewing unless they could reduce the quote (I could find the same cover advertised for new customers for less than half the price). They offered to knock of £10 (less than 10% of the amount I felt I was being overcharged) and seemed amazed that I didn't snap up the offer. I said I would cancel and renew next month as a new customer but I was told I wouldn't qualify for the new customer deals unless I had been away for 12 months. The person I spoke to suggested going to RAC for a year then back to them again. I now refuse on point of principle to use AA.

Like a pp, we now get cover included with our joint bank account for a small fee- we have had to call them out a couple of times and they've been just as good as AA (no attempts to charge us for anything, trying to persuade us to use their garage etc- just decent friendly service)

We've been with autoaid for years, never had a problem (and have called th out 5+ times).

Even if you were charged €100 it's still cheaper than the AA. And tbf if it's due to a lack of maintenance then I think they have a point - though perhaps that's because we drive old cars where that's really important

Try others - we all pay around £90 each for home start/recovery and breakdown

I am with greenflag and have been for about ten years now, having moved from RAC who let me down once. Called them out a couple of times and they were good, and cheaper than RAC or AA. Just make sure you are getting like for like. Typically there are restrictions on the age of the car (ten years), where cover starts from (does it cover you at home?) and also will they relay you to a garage/home/your place of destination? As is always the case I would shop around.

@JaceLancs

Try others - we all pay around £90 each for home start/recovery and breakdown

That's expensive, you could get it much cheaper. Check out the MSE link I shared.

We have a bank account you pay for, it includes mobile insurance and breakdown cover (also other extras too, but these are the ones we've had to use)

I get mine through my nationwide flex plus account. For £13 per month I get breakdown cover, mobile phone cover and worldwide travel insurance. It is a bargain.

If you want to buy individual breakdown cover, switching provider every year is the best way to say money. Also look at cashback via quidco.

AA shoots up on renewal. I always let it lapse and join as a new member the next morning.

Cashback is your friend. I use Quidco.

With Quidco you can get cashback for joining Start Rescue. I'm very happy with them.

My car is 21 years old and hasn’t broken down yet, so I am thinking it’s due to😂

@userone what annoyed me as they wouldn’t define what maintenance was. I’d had a service a fortnight before and a valid MOT and I asked if that was proof, she said no and gave the example of having left the lights on. I mean what if it was water ingress not spotted? Anything could be deemed as potentially spottable in advance (with hindsight...).

I’ve looked at a few today and £80 seems otherwise a ballpark figure for that level of cover.

I’d just love to know if anyone doesn’t bother, how they find local garages or get a tow if the worst happens.

When I renew my car insurance I always use one of the comparison sites and tick the box for breakdown cover. Then I reinsure with whoever gives the cheapest quote.

Last time, the AA happened to be the cheapest, but I've had cover from Green Flag and all sorts over the years.

My battery died not long before lockdown. I rang the number given by the insurance company (Hastings) for breakdown cover and it was the RAC that turned up.

I pay £5 a month with the RAC, to cover the driver rather than the car - i.e. me driving any of my cars. I think it’s limited to 15 call outs per year, but even with my 26-year-old slightly temperamental camper van I’ve never gotten close to that. Includes “home start” if I break down outside of near my house.