Breakdown Cover

sparkle_star

I've just got my RAC renewal through, and they want to put the cost up to £19.00 per month. Suffice to say I'm not happy with that, but the cover is the best one they offer. I *do* get breakdown cover with First Directory, but I am aware that a lot of the policies that come with paid-for bank accounts aren't really worth the paper they are written on. Can anyone offer an insight into how good the First Directory Breakdown Cover is and whether it's worth me cancelling my own cover?

Iceweasel

I gave up on the AA and the RAC some years ago. They are no longer clubs ran for the benefit of their members but simply businesses selling a commodity for the benefit of the shareholders.

I have 'free' UK breakdown from my bank and 'free' international breakdown cover from the Insurance company Aviva.

Both are a waste of time when you read the small print and the list of exclusions.

So my wife and I have taken out joint membership of the biggest motor club in Europe - the ADAC - 18.5 million members throughout the world.

We have Membership-Plus, which covers either of us, in any car - or even without a car - for medical assistance, repatriation, breakdown and accident assistance - anywhere in the world at all. They'll even fly you home from USA if you fall ill.

It's headquarters are in Germany of course - but all the telephone operators speak English and they can summon up assistance from whichever motor club or breakdown company is nearest to you.

They give an old-fashioned level of care and attention and because they can call on any service provider outwith Germany they are able to provide very quick response times.

We pay €109 (£88.50) per year for the highest level of cover - no other breakdown cover looks near it.

Have a look at their very comprehensive web-site:

http://www.adac.de/mitgliedschaft/tarife/default.aspx

If you use google chrome the pages can be automatically translated.

jbainbridge

http://www1.firstdirect.com/content_static/pdf/first_directory_breakdown_assistance_0514.pdf

Read it!

If you're paying for the top RAC cover the main thing you won't get with First Direct is 'onward travel'. Only you can decide if it is worth £19/mth.

If the stuff you get with the 'paid for' account isn't worth it - why are you paying for it????

gilbert_and_sullivan

Do we get a bit carried away with this breakdown service levels argument.

How often to you break down is the first question to ask yourself, for most of us its something that happens once in a blue moon, hopefully, what once every 5 years maybe and costs up to say £600 over those 5 years for peace of mind cover....you could get your car commercially transported from near enough one end of the country to the other for less than that.

My own choice is Autoaid, costs me about £40 a year, i maintain my cars properly so lessening the risk in the first place, and if i break down i mitigate the costs as much as possible, wouldn't dream of calling someone out to change a wheel for instance.