To wonder if car breakdown is even worth it if you’ve been driving for years and never broken down?

[MyHeartyBlueShaker]

I’ve had breakdown cover for ages, but in all my years of driving, I’ve never actually needed it. It feels like I’m just throwing money away for something that might never happen.

I get that it’s supposed to be a safety net but at what point does it become pointless? If you keep your car well-maintained and don’t drive an old banger, is breakdown cover really necessary or is it just another unnecessary expense?

Would love to hear other people’s thoughts - do you have it and has it actually saved you?

Many bank accounts provide bundles such as breakdown cover, travel insurance and mobile phone insurance... i have used all of them!

One small Pothole, a not scary bang and within 45 seconds, poof the engine seized, all the oil left the car, it was classed as a write off, unfixable.

Without breakdown cover we would have been stranded in the Highlands, Hours away from anywhere. With breakdown cover, we were brought home (a mere 7 hour drive), our car was brought to the garage of our choosing.

Husband has breakdown cover as part of another benefit but we will never be without it.

Im not sure about decent but it picks me and the car up and takes it to my home or local garage for me which is all I need really. Deffo shop around, I just add it on at the end of the quote. Im with RAC

Edited to say, that's if it can't be fixed roadside :)

First:
Parked up at Tesco, got £100 ish of shopping - inc frozen stuff - got back to the car and nothing. Dead.
Called Greenflag and they were there within 20 mins jumped me then drove home. Got Halfords to fit a new battery on my drive the next day.
Second:
DH found he'd got a puncture when we got home, so called Greenflag and they were here within an hour to change the tyre - lucky it was the car with a spare and not the "here's some foam" car.

I'd never be without them.

We use Green Flag and it covers cars and drivers so Dh, me and Ds are all covered on 2 different cars and I think it is £60? It would cost a hell of a lot more to have your vehicle recovered if it broke down.

As my dear old dad used to say, " better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".

Just to add...
Someone we know broke down about 100miles from home, catastrophic engine failure - think "big end in a bucket" and got the car towed home - it cost him £700 to get the car home as he didn't have cover.
He finally came to his senses and got cover - lucky as the tyre on his caravan blew out and he had to get breakdown out to jack it/swap for the spare.

We just pay for our joint account £17 a month (£2 back if you don't use your overdraft and have 2 DDs from the account) it covers us both for AA as drivers and passengers, mobile phone insurance for both of us, emergency appliance/boiler cover which we used when our boiler packed up, travel insurance that also covers DC. I think that's the cheapest way to get all of that and I don't begrudge the cost at all £15 a month. We used the AA cover a lot with our old car and it was really comprehensive, included home start, onward travel etc.

I think when you are on the hard shoulder and cars whizzing past you and your life in danger you just want to get back home with as little hassle as possible.

Breakdown cover does that, without you wondering how much the tow is going to be on top of the car repair charges.

As others have said, just because you haven't needed it, it doesn't mean you won't need it. You should haggle each year when it comes to renewal time; with your track record you should get a good discount.

My parents have used it 3 times in 50+ years of driving.
Once when they'd borrowed my grandparents' car for a long journey and it just stopped.
Once when their car hit a pothole and took 2 tyres out.
Once when their almost new car refused to go into anything other than reverse at a traffic light.

Ironically they have never had to call it out for their "pride and joy" - bought 2nd hand in around 1982 and sold last year.

We've also had to call them out three times in 20 years:
Once when a pothole shattered the suspension (was only going 5mph too)
Once when the garage failed to screw back a vital screw which meant most of the oil exited onto the driveway. (garage still grovels when they see me 5 years later)
Once when I had an oil leak which wasn't obvious because it was leaking onto the engine.

Most of those we'd have had to phone round until we found a garage happy to come and pick the car up.
However if I hadn't had breakdown cover with the last, I probably would have decided to complete the journey (another 15 minutes) and then check where the smell was coming from. It wouldn't have seemed worth stopping because I would had to hope I could get enough signal to google for a number, then phone it - much easier to do from home.
It's a good thing I didn't because I would almost certainly have ended up on fire on the M25.

When you're desperately removing everything of value from your car in case of fire, then having a phone number you can just phone as you do so is really helpful.

I have it for peace of mind.

With my last car, I used it 3 times in 13 years. Twice for a dead battery (no warning signs in either case) and once for a puncture.
The puncture occurred on the morning I was due to check out of holiday accommodation (with my two medium to large size dogs.) They turned up, sorted out the tyre and I was able to make the 100 mile journey home.

Many years before (different car), I broke down on the motorway whilst heading home for Christmas, again with my two dogs with me. It was 23rd December and bitterly cold. The car issue couldn't be fixed at the roadside so a transporter was sent to transport me, my two dogs and the car to our destination 70 miles away. It was an absolute life saver on that occasion.

If I was just doing local mileage, I probably wouldn't bother as most local garages will come out for a reasonable price.

I also have it for peace of mind. We broke down in Europe in our motorhome, you have to have cover there anyhow but the breakdown company were literal angels, they arranged a breakdown truck to rescue us off the roadside, Ubers from the garage to a hotel, they translated and organised all the parts and repairs and although we only lost a couple days holiday sat around in a remote hotel, we we grateful we could continue and weren’t looking at vehicle repatriation and flights home instead

In 40 years of driving I've called mine theree times.

My cars are newish and well maintained. Once was a flat battery and I couldn't restart it, a long way from home. One was when a small object got wedged in the clutch and I couldn't change gear, a complete fluke, one was when someone drove into the back of me and the damage was such that the car couldn't safely be driven.

I could have sorted things eventually using a local garage, but the breakdown service made it much less of a headache.

When you break down at the side of a busy motorway you’ll be grateful that the AA or whoever can come to you very quickly. It’s not fun waiting while the massive trucks fly past.

Yep I wouldn’t be without it and I work in the motor trade
the amount of people that ring us and need help, and when I ask don’t have breakdown cover.. there’s nothing we can do so they have to pay for a tow truck

I keep my cars well maintained but things go wrong. I had a 3 year old car where the exhaust fell off. Another car with an electrical fault that cut out on the motorway. I've had a tyre blowout and no spare. I've had one car crash where I required towing. I guess it depends on your mileage but when doing a lot of miles wear and tear isn't always visible.

We dont do many miles per year but we live in the sticks so if we do drive anywhere it'll be some distance and I want to at least be able to get home. Was sure glad of it when the alternator belt snapped whilst on holiday. Replaced on the side of the road.

I’ve got it, I drive old cars so have used it more than most. Maybe once every other year. Puncture, flat battery,low petrol , I had enough to get to the garage next to work which had run out of petrol,weren’t covid times fun, once the clutch cable snapped. One old car just gave up and died. Tesco vouchers pay for an rac membership for me.

I haven't had it. This thread might change my mind. My general approach to insurance is to self insure after a horrific experience of a genuine claim for water ingress on your house denied after 6 months of massive stress and scaffolding. If I broke down I would join on the spot or just pay for towage to closest garage- I mainly drive locally and I maintain my car.

I wouldn’t be without it
Tyre blow out on the motorway
Flat battery
most recently a faulty starter motor which I’d had replaced 6 weeks earlier - the replacement also developed a fault

We don't always have it - depends on travel plans for the year. If doing longer trips then will get it but if mainly going to be driving locally, and not so often, might not bother. We have older cars and it has definitely paid for itself in a couple of rescues! Don't see it as essential - if you breakdown you could always call the AA and join then surely

The last two cars we’ve bought have come with cover as standard, one for five years and one for three. PIL have managed to clock up 50 years with the AA and got a letter from them to acknowledge this. No freebies though!!! I do wonder if all their premiums were worth it for the odd call out during that time.

Always kept my car well maintained (by main dealership) and it was only 8 years old (& under 60k miles) when it broke down…. 70 mph on a dual carriageway with my young daughter. Totally irreparable. Never ever had to use breakdown assistance in the 15 years before that day. To say I was beyond relieved to have it in that moment would be an understatement.

I just left RAC after appalling service. I would not recommend!