AA or RAC?!

Parisian

It's that pesky time of year where I need to renew my Breakdown Repair. I've been with the AA for a few years, and just had the renewal notice in the post.

AA - Roadside, Home Start, relay, Stay Mobile & Breakdown Repair Cover for £248.15 on the renewal notice, and when I called them to potentially cancel they offered this for £195. They have been quite reliable I suppose, and I do like their Breakdown Repair Cover option which I have used once in the two years that I have had it to replace a radiator which would have cost me £300+. They declined one claim last year for a tracking arm.

I can get RAC Roadside, Recovery, At Home & Onward Travel for £105 online, plus £60 cashback on Quidco. So this would be £45! They don't have any equivalent to AA's Breakdown Repair Cover option, boo!

I guess I wanted to ask:
1. Does anybody have experience with the RAC - Are they reliable? Would you recommend them?
2. Does anybody know of companies that do Breakdown Repair Cover separately? I quite like the idea of having it.
3. Any reason to stay with the AA at £195? Quite a difference between £45 and £195 I guess!

Thanks guys

espresso

There is no real discount for loyalty, they just get as much from you as they can. Strange how they say when the renewal cost is queried "because you have not claimed in the last year we can do it for £XXX", surely that discount if it is a real discount should be automatic.

Alternate each year and start again with the best cashback deal available but remember to cancel any auto renewal - you get nothing for loyalty!

pinkteapot

Also get a quote from Green Flag, if your car is less than 10 years old.

Green Flag actually quote based on your car (rather than having fixed prices), so for new cars (less likely to break down) they're dirt cheap. For old cars, more expensive. After Quidco cashback, Green Flag were about £20 for the top-but-one cover (excluding Europe) for our 10-plate car.

They were cheapest for my other car until it hit ten years old - then RAC were cheapest.

I had several Green Flag call-outs and they were always good.

Not had cause to call the RAC out yet...

Notmyrealname

You can get RAC for free if you have enough Tesco clubcard points.

RAC are fine as are AA. They're pretty much much of a muchness.

We've been with the RAC for over half a decade paying with Tesco clubcard points and the times we've needed to call them out they've turned up and done what it says on the tin.

EdGasket

RAC are much better than the AA in my experience.
They will make more effort to get you going; staff seem better and you aren't bombarded with marketing like you get with the AA which I still have not managed to stop even though I haven't been with the AA for several years.

slyracoon

+1 for Green Flag.

If I had to choose AA or RAC it would always be AA. I've been with both and the service provided by AA was much better when I needed to call them.

Parisian

Thanks guys, much appreciated! It looks like RAC may be winning here....

Does anyone have the Breakdown Repair Cover I mentioned? It is essentially an insurance policy to cover repairs when you breakdown (ie. a breakdowncover and not for repairs that are required from accidents). I currently have this cover with the AA and have found it useful in the past. RAC don't have this option though, and I'm not sure if any other companies do it either.

shown73

One reason I've stuck with RAC, was the fact that recovery meant putting it on a truck and taking it home, regardless of distance, whereas with AA there was more potential faffing around if it was a long way, changing transporters etc. Could be wrong, but RAC has never let me down, even towed me a few hundred yards home when my clutch cable went on a dual carriageway, and no insistence on taking it to a garage. Works for me.

Own_My_Own

Am with the RAC as it covers my folding camper as well.

skivenov

I go with whichever quotes me the best price that year. Can't fault the patrols either way, but I've had a few bad experiences with the contractors, so now I insist it's one of their own patrols that turns out, I'm paying for them not a subby.

Parisian

Thanks again everyone! Just cancelled my AA cover, and have joined with RAC for £105 for the full package, with £60 cashback from Quidco = £45. Hurrah!