Don't overpay for breakdown cover!

You can save a small fortune by shopping around for roadside recovery.
Way back in 1997, my wife and I were heading home one evening when her ageing A-registration (1983) Fiat Uno conked out.
The Fiat's engine had finally given up the ghost, so we were perched on the hard shoulder of the M40 in darkness and pouring rain. Thankfully, my wife had breakdown cover with Green Flag, which despatched a tow truck to scoop up her Fiat and carry us home.
Shortly afterwards, my spouse sold her Fiat for £50 to a friendly, local mechanic who brought it back to life and ran it for several more years. Meanwhile, Mrs D bought a brand-new P-reg Volkswagen Polo which gave her seven years of trouble-free motoring.
Is breakdown cover worth it?
This was the only time in 26 years of driving that my wife had needed roadside recovery. Then again, that's largely because her vehicles have always been well-maintained and serviced annually, plus we've had new or nearly-new cars since 1997.
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See the guideTherefore, is it really worth buying breakdown cover? I think it is, especially if (like me) you have only a basic understanding of car care, maintenance and repair. However, as always, it's important to shop around for this cover. Otherwise, you're sure to pay well over the odds for this protection.
For the record, the market leader for breakdown insurance, The AA, attends over 3.5 million breakdowns each year, which is one call-out every nine seconds. On average, call-outs take between 30 and 40 minutes, although waits in excess of an hour do happen during busy periods, especially Bank Holidays.
The basics of breakdown cover
There are various packages and levels of breakdown cover, made up of the following:
- Fix at roadside: If you are more than 0.25 miles from home, a mechanic will try to repair your vehicle at the side of the road. This may include a tow to the nearest approved garage.
- Roadside recovery: If your car cannot be repaired, then up to, say, seven passengers will be taken to any UK destination.
- Home start: If your car breaks down within 0.25 miles of your home, a mechanic will attempt to repair it there and then.
- Onward travel: Provides train tickets or a hire car, plus one night's accommodation to enable you to finish your journey.
- Parts and garage bills: Pays for the cost of repairing your vehicle.
- European cover: An add-on for emergency European roadside recovery.
Hence, breakdown cover is a pick 'n' mix of different options -- the more you pick, the more you'll pay. What's more, it should not be regarded as a substitute for properly maintaining and servicing your car. For this reason, many providers charge varying rates, depending on the age of your car and yearly mileage.
The market for breakdown cover is dominated by three household names: The AA, the RAC and Green Flag. Packages from these three firms cost from £28 to £153 a year.
Two Best Buys
By shopping around online, the most basic breakdown service (roadside repair) can be had for under £10, with full-service UK cover available for under £40. Here are these Best Buys:
Entry-level cover for £7
The AA usually charges £28 for its basic recovery service. However, if you buy this policy via cashback website Quidco, you get £21 cashback, reducing the net cost to just £7. (For AA breakdown policies costing over £75 and under £100, this cashback is £42; for policies over £100, it is £60.)
Rachel Robson takes a look at which car brands come out best in terms of value for money.
Please note that Quidco take the first £5 of cashback each year, so make the most of its many offers whenever you’re shopping online.
Alternatively, you can buy RAC breakdown cover using Tesco Clubcard vouchers, which are worth three times their face value. In other words, some RAC policies are only a third of the price when you pay with Clubcard vouchers.
Don’t forget, you can boost the number of Clubcard points (and therefore vouchers) you receive if you spend on the Tesco Clubcard Credit Card!
Full-service cover for £38
AutoAid provides the cheapest full cover -- that's why my wife has been with AutoAid for years.
AutoAid is owned by the Boncaster insurance group, which also owns the AutoNational breakdown service. Its policy costs £38 a year and includes free cover for your spouse.
This package covers you, not your car, so it doesn't matter how old your vehicle is. It covers roadside repair, towing to a garage, plus onward transport for up to six people to your destination. Also, it provides up to £65 for labour and recovery for a home breakdown.
However, unlike AA and RAC policies, this is a 'pay and claim' policy. This means that you pay the costs of repair and towing, with AutoAid repaying you within 14 days of your claim. Thus, it's important to safeguard all your recovery receipts to smooth your claim.
Keep your car in tip-top shape
Once you've bought breakdown cover, do your very best to avoid using it!
Before setting out, especially on long journeys, take ten minutes to give your car a mini-service.
Check the levels of engine oil, radiator water and windscreen washer, as well as tyre pressures. Clean your front and rear windscreens and side mirrors before leaving. Also, have your battery checked regularly. To avoid unexpected hazards, always drive within speed limits, even more so in poor weather conditions and at night.
In addition, charge your mobile phone before setting out, as it will be your lifeline to emergency and breakdown services. It’s also worth noting the AA now has a funky, free iPhone and Android app to pinpoint the exact location where you've broken down.
Finally, here's wishing you many years of breakdown-free motoring!
More: Get quality quotes for car insurance | The best-value car insurer in Britain | The whiplash scam that’s costing you £££
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Comments
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My last car insurance offered breakdown cover for a small fee (I forget now) but I had to pay £20 for each breakdown - and sod's law, first time ever, I broke down on hols. Because they were an independant, they contacted the nearest breakdown firm & 15 minutes later the guy was with me. He had a quick twiddle and diagnosed the diesel fuel pump had gone. Towed me to a nearby garage - they performed many (expensive) tests to come up with the same answer. Some years back, the wife's car went bang & threw all the coolant onto the road - water pump simply shattered. We called out breakdown (Saturday evening) who were with us within 20 minutes (it would have been sooner but we were on a dual carriageway & traffic was heavy). the guy lifted the car and took us to his garage (in the middle of nowhere!). His wife had got the kettle on & gave us hot drinks & home-made cakes whilst hubby dropped the car into his garage. After refs, he took us onto our holiday cottage in his car. The next day, Sunday, he trawled the local scrappy for a water pump. Monday, we caught the bus which went right past the garage (and the driver helpfully stopped for us right outside) and we picked up our car - £60 (2nd hand water pump, clean old gasket off pump & car, fit pump & new gasket, add coolant & test) what a bargain for everything they had done for us & certainly deserving of the big bunch of flowers & thank you card we took in on the way back to our holiday cottage. Whilst the AA might be market leaders, the few occasions we have needed breakdown & the indies have come out, we have always had prompt, excellent service - and the indies will give excellent service to get good feedback so they will be used again by the breakdown companies.
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The AA are a bit naughty at renewal as well. Each time my renewal comes up they double the cost (even though I have no call outs). Each time I ring them to cancel my cover and go with the RAC (at half the price for the same cover), they then 'Speak to their manager' and can then match the cost. It pays to ring them up & haggle over the price.
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Stay away from AA at any cost. I picked up a puncture in France and it took me £25 worth of international call to explain what is the colour of my car, size of the tyre etc. They left me stranded saying it is their 'sister' company's fault that I had to wait from Saturday evening until Monday morning to fix the tyre. What do you do on French motorway for one whole day is beyond me. Shocking level of incompetence so be warned. I will be driving to Switzerland mid July and I will need European road side assistance. The trouble is that my car is registered in April 2001 so it is older than 10 years and that automatically doubles the coverage fee. I have only done 45K miles, the car is in excellent condition but this so far has not made any difference.It looks like age i used as an excuse to double the price. Any advice on getting reasonably priced coverage for my car would be very much appreciated.
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19 July 2011