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?

My DS forgot to renew his cover and paid £100 yesterday for very local recovery he is taking out personal rather than car cover now as that covers any car he is driving - if I'd had the same I could have got his car recovered free as his passenger. OP as your car is so old personal cover might be a better choice.. I think some charge more for older cars.

Even when my battery died I decided to sort myself, as I had no battery specific cover. I got a jump start from next door and got a cheap battery from euro parts for less than a as/rac costs

@Furrydogmum I’m cool with £100, it’s less than cover. In 20 years I’ve not needed a tow so odds are paying £100 is worth it...

Why is so expensive for everyone? I pay £45 pa with the AA

Go on the comparison websites. I change most years and it costs £25-£30. I’ve used it a a couple times and never had to wait more than 30 mins and problem is either fixed roadside or I was towed home.

I think that call where they warned you you might be charged is a bit weird. I called them out once over an electric issue and when they got there the car started working again fine and there was no charge or anything. I always thought it was if you called them for same issue without getting it repaired. Like if you called them twice for a dud battery they told you the first time needed replacing.

@Spiderplantsoutside it was bizarre, but she hammered it home a bit and refused to be drawn in to offering clarity. I was stressed and had the kids and was on the spot, so made the call to walk to the garage to borrow the jump starter.

OP, you can join the breakdown companies in an emergency. RAC for example, you just phone them, say you've broken down and want to join on the spot, and they charge you for the year's policy and also an emergency fee - not sure how much exactly but I think in the region of £80-120. They send out their people as normal and Bob's your uncle. I guess they probably wouldn't prioritise you over other customers, so if lots of people broke down at the same time as you maybe you'd wait a bit longer.
Am sure the other breakdown companies also do this too.

It would obviously cost more when you do have a breakdown, but easily offset by the years of not paying the annual subscriptions, unless you can get a really cheap deal maybe. You'd have to weigh up the cost saving vs chances of you having an accident. It might be worth going back to paying annually when your car starts to get ancient, for example.

Thanks for this. You just reminded me to cancel my AA renewal. They wanted £298 (roadside and home assist) for cover on any car driven by my DH or me. We have more than 1 car (all of which have done negligible mileage since Covid began) and the newest car is covered for any driver by an RAC policy issued by the dealer, which even upon renewal is much cheaper than the AA.

With young adult drivers, it seems that cover for individual cars regardless of who is driving seems the best option.
This will be the first time in my adult life that I will be without AA cover...my own family always had it in the 1960s...60 years' customer loyalty has been killed by their renewal premium greed.

My AA cover including homestart is covered with the monthly fee for my bank account which also covers home emergency, mobile insurance & travel insurance. Think i pay about £17.00 per mth which seems pretty decent value.