Breakdown Cover in rural areas

stanleyman

Hi,

I live in a fairly rural area in the Highlands of Scotland, and used to use RAC for breakdown cover (vehicle cover via Tesco clubcard vouchers), but now that Tesco only offer personal cover I'm looking at other companies.

I've always stuck to RAC and AA since they're known and I see their vans going around up here, but other providers like Green Flag etc say they do national coverage, and the comparison sites have several companies I've never heard of.

Does anyone know they work? I've never seen one of their vans, do they outsource to the big companies or do they do it themselves? If the latter then would they even have mechanics near me, or am I likely to be left waiting for 4 hours for them to drive up from Glasgow?

comeandgo

A garage close to where I live is used for RAC and Green Flag so I imagine that means Green Flag sub contracts jobs to local mechanics .

MX5huggy

Go for the AutoAid policy, they use local firms to provide the service, just 10 minutes wait on a couple of occasions.

AdrianC

Even the RAC and AA sub jobs out. In properly rural areas, there'll be one or two local garages who are contracted to almost all of the breakdown providers - so you'll likely get the same guy turn up in the same van whoever you actually pay.

Nebulous2

Wait is random - whoever you use. I had to wait 3 and a half hours for the AA in Inverness with my work car.

For my own use I use a German organisation called ADAC because they provide European cover and also recover caravans, which most of the organisations don’t do. Anytime I’ve used them in the UK they’ve sent the AA. If I didn’t have the caravan I’d look for introductory discounts and switch between the AA and RAC. I haven’t looked for a while, but you get a new policy much cheaper than a renewal and often get cash back deals on places like Quidco.

Ectophile

I was with Autonational Rescue for several years. If I broke down, they would just call out whichever local independent company was nearest to me.


I am currently with Aviva, which is just RAC breakdown under another name, at a lower price.

AdrianC

Nebulous2 wrote: »

For my own use I use a German organisation called ADAC because they provide European cover and also recover caravans, which most of the organisations don’t do. Anytime I’ve used them in the UK they’ve sent the AA.

We were with ADAC a while back. After calling them out twice in three years in the UK - a burst coolant hose, a dead alternator, different cars - they decided that they'd no longer cover us.

Pity, because they were astonishingly good value - <£100 for pan-European cover with no age limit on the car.

cajef

AdrianC wrote: »

Even the RAC and AA sub jobs out.

Agreed, when I worked for a main dealer in rural Suffolk we had our own fleet of breakdown and recovery vehicles, we were often requested and sub contracted to do work for all the major breakdown services.

oldagetraveller

"but now that Tesco only offer personal cover I'm looking at other companies."
Sorry to be nosey, but why is personal cover a problem? I much prefer it to vehicle specific cover. You are covered, , with personal, even as a passenger in a vehicle.

stanleyman

oldagetraveller wrote: »

"but now that Tesco only offer personal cover I'm looking at other companies."
Sorry to be nosey, but why is personal cover a problem? I much prefer it to vehicle specific cover. You are covered, , with personal, even as a passenger in a vehicle.

My wife and I share the car, and neither of us have access to other vehicles. So personal cover is no use if she's driving alone (and adding an extra person is expensive)

Thank you to everyone for the replies, I think I'll give Green Flag a go.