Breakdown cover recommendations

egyptiancotton

I'm looking to take out breakdown cover. Would be grateful for recommendations.

Are there any providers that provide onward travel if a prompt local repair cannot be arranged? I think only the AA do this but their cover is expensive. The likes of Green Flag offer a choice of either being taken to one place in the UK, or a hire car instead.

neilmcl

Start Rescue.

Ebe_Scrooge

Autoaid is another one to look at.  Not as cheap as it used to be, but good value if you have a spouse and/or drive more than one car.

egyptiancotton

Thanks for the replies. The AA has an offer on - 1/3 off breakdown cover for new customers - I might check it out.

egyptiancotton

AutoAid and Start Rescue seem like a good shout. Any experiences of how good their roadside repair rates are?

AdrianC

lloydyyy said:

AutoAid and Start Rescue seem like a good shout. Any experiences of how good their roadside repair rates are?

They'll use the same local contractors as just about every other breakdown insurer bar the guys with their own fleets, and even they use the contractors frequently.

SaverRate

I would recommend Start Rescue

motorguy

StartRescue here. Have been with them for several years and have had to call them out twice. Were as quick as the AA for a fraction of the price.

Ebe_Scrooge

As AdrianC says, they just use local contractors, so it depends on who happens to come out to you.  I've been with AutoAid for many years - realise I'm starting to sound like a walking advert for them!  But for my situation (me and wife with a car each, and I sometimes drive my son's car) they're good value, and I've always been pleased with the service.

Over the years I've had to call them out a few times.  My experience has been that they'll do a good job of repairing simple faults, but they don't really seem minded to spend hours working at the roadside - which is reasonable enough.

But for me, the big plus is that there's never any quibble about taking you where you want to go.  If it's something that can't be fixed at the roadside, I want my car taken to my local mechanic - someone I trust, with the added advantage that it's literally a 3-minute walk from my house.  Many years ago I broke down 170 miles from home - on my way home from somewhere.  They loaded the car on to the wagon and dropped it at my local mechanic's place, no questions.  I hate to think what a 170 mile recovery would have cost if I had to pay for it myself.

egyptiancotton

I've had a look at the Which? survey. The recommended providers are:

• AA: Customer score - 82%, arrived within an hour - 5/5, fixed at roadside - 4/5
• Start Rescue: Customer score - 86%, arrived within an hour - 5/5, fixed at roadside - 3/5
• LV Britannia Rescue: Customer Score - 82%, arrived within an hour - 5/5, fixed at roadside - 2/5

There's a discount code for Start Rescue which knocks 15% off the price. I might give Start Rescue a try.

There's a third off AA policies, and cashback, which brings the prices in-line with Start Rescue's, but cashback isn't guaranteed and should be treated as a non-guaranteed bonus (as the advice goes). Tempting, though.

swansea_lad

My renewal is due today. It seems new customers get better deals than existing customers with the AA. Can i cancel my 2 year membership and start again?  Ive used the AA twice and had excellent service.