Is it worth getting breakdown cover?

peter_the_piper

Had a broken clutch whilst in the mountains at the back of Fort William on the last day of the holiday. Whilst a breakdown cover would not have helped me, my recovery cover got me home in one day. 4 different lorries and 24 hours .

AdrianC

I let my breakdown cover lapse when lockdown started.

I'm doing a 90 mile round trip today in an 18yo 3.5t camper that's new to us - we bought it just before lockdown, and it hasn't even left the drive since. Furthest I've been since March in any vehicle.

I am genuinely bricking it... I know there's no rational reason to be worried - it's very weird.

<edit: For those worried, I survived - and the van didn't miss a beat.>

Ectophile

I'm not a fan on taking out insurance on things that don't need insuring.

But I do have breakdown cover, because you never know when or where you are going to break down.  It's handy to have a card in your wallet with the breakdown company's phone number on it.  One phone call and they send someone out, either to fix it on the spot, or at least to tow you home.

I tend to drive older cars, which do break down from time to time.  Though anything more than once a year suggests it's time for a new(er) car.

Ebe_Scrooge

Worth bearing in mind that if you ever needed recovery from a motorway, you'd be looking at North of £100 just to get you off the motorway and to the nearest garage.  Yep, insurance is always a gamble.  I've always had fully-comp insurance on my car - thankfully I've never needed to make a claim, so in hindsight I could have saved myself thousands over the years by only having third-party.  But I like the peace of mind.  I've always had breakdown cover - but then I drive older cars, and do a lot of miles.  Over the years I've had to call them out a few times.  Once I'd been working away from home, broke down on the way home.  They recovered me 300 miles back home, where I was able to leave my car with my trusted local mechanic to sort it out.  I dread to think what the cost of a 300-mile recovery would have been - I reckon I've had my money's worth.  But at the end of the day it's a gamble, and it's peace of mind.  You pays your money and makes your choice.

Fingerbobs

Lots of people citing the *one* time they've needed to call their breakdown service, but I'm sure that one recovery would have cost a lot less than their annual subscription has cost them over all the years they haven't needed recovery. I'm still unconvinced of the value of it for a modern, reliable car that rarely breaks down. I can see it being worthwhile if you drive old classics that are likely to break down frequently. 

elsien

I'm a mechanical numpty with no intention of trying to change flat tyres etc due to visions of driving off and seeing my carefully put on tyre sailing past me down the road. Plus add in the idiot factor when I called them out because I thought the ignition had gone when it was just a lead had come off the battery.

You may well be right that it's costing me more by doing it this way, but I've used them for flat tyres and knackered batteries as well as breakdown. At the end of a long tiring day at work (my last puncture) when all the garages are closed and there's a 30 mile drive down the motorway ahead of me I don't want to be fannying round trying to find someone available to come out there and then for a job that's probably not worth their while. I want to be on my way with the minimum amount of fuss.
That's what I'm paying for. Along with the strong suspicion (based on experience)  that if I try to do anything much more complicated than checking the oil I'm probably going to make things a whole lot worse. 

EssexExile

Fingerbobs said:

Lots of people citing the *one* time they've needed to call their breakdown service, but I'm sure that one recovery would have cost a lot less than their annual subscription has cost them over all the years they haven't needed recovery. I'm still unconvinced of the value of it for a modern, reliable car that rarely breaks down. I can see it being worthwhile if you drive old classics that are likely to break down frequently. 

You keep saying this and the answer will always be the same - if you don't think it's good value then don't have it. Others will do what they want.

pallyman

As someone said you can get cover for about £30 so if you broke down and it cost £300 to get you back home they would have been covered for 10 years.

The_Rainmaker

OP you box on but the day will come when you value time and hassle over the small amount you will save.  That process will be speeded up when you are broken down on the motorway at 1am on Saturday night  Sunday morning 300 miles from home on a cold January night.

The first set of guys will tow you off the motorway to a place of safety charge you £200-£250 and then say cheerio.  You will then have to find someone else to take you home at £300-£500 because all the garages are shut because its a Sunday, in the meantime you have spent the last however many hours trying to sleep in a freezing car.

Those are the pleasures of youth, been there done that got the T Shirt, nowadays I just pay my premium to the AA and have no worries.

Mercdriver

You say it's not worth it to get it if one breakdown costs the same as a year's subscription.  You wouldn't have to breakdown loads of times to make it worthwhile: just twice in a year would do it.