AA or RAC? Which is better

Slinky

We currently have AA Relay cover with a packaged bank account. I'm thinking of changing to a Coop account which is cheaper, but they use RAC.

We've used the AA a couple of times, recovered about 100 miles on each occasion, which involved being taken a distance by one operator, dropped at a service station to wait for somebody else to pick us up and continue the journey. Second time we were carried by 3 different vehicles and was a very long time to get home.

Do RAC use the same system of multiple recovery vehicles to get you home, or is it a single vehicle journey?

One of our cars is 10 years old, the other is 3 if that makes any difference.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Car_54

The RAC generally use a single operator - it used to be a selling point over the AA.

That may not be possible for really long journeys because of driving hours limits, my knowledge of which is decades out-of-date.

forgotmyname

AA Relay was a nightmare for some people.  RAC used to take you from one end of the country to the other but they clamped
down on the drivers hours.  No more recovery trucks driving for 15+ hours.

I used to use RAC but they stopped dropping the price to a sensible level so I moved to Greenflag, no need to haggle.

Stateofart

There's a reason why the AA are expensive, their service punches way above the others.  The app is good as well.

Stubod

...no brainer...AA....

Slinky

Stubod said:

...no brainer...AA....

Would you care to elaborate?  We've been recovered home twice, but would have been happier to have got home in one journey.

My only two contenders are AA and RAC.

Geranium44

Stubod said:

...no brainer...AA....

Annual renewal increased for son and myself at home recovery and roadside. Was £270. Now £380. Still a no brainer? Quidco got me £140 Cashback last year but they only cashback on new policies not renewal. 

Slinky

Geranium44 said:

Stubod said:

...no brainer...AA....

Annual renewal increased for son and myself at home recovery and roadside. Was £270. Now £380. Still a no brainer? Quidco got me £140 Cashback last year but they only cashback on new policies not renewal. 

Well in that case the no brainer option would appear to be opening a packaged bank account with Coop (£15 per month cost) which gives RAC membership in addition to travel insurance or Halifax (£17 per month) which gives AA membership and travel insurance. These are the two I'm looking at to replace the Lloyds account I currently pay £28 a month for.

Car_54

Slinky said:

Geranium44 said:

Stubod said:

...no brainer...AA....

Annual renewal increased for son and myself at home recovery and roadside. Was £270. Now £380. Still a no brainer? Quidco got me £140 Cashback last year but they only cashback on new policies not renewal. 

Well in that case the no brainer option would appear to be opening a packaged bank account with Coop (£15 per month cost) which gives RAC membership in addition to travel insurance or Halifax (£17 per month) which gives AA membership and travel insurance. These are the two I'm looking at to replace the Lloyds account I currently pay £28 a month for.

Or Nationwide, £13 per month.

Slinky

Can anybody please help with the original question of whether the AA or RAC give better service IYO. Surely somebody out there has had help from both?

Am seeking to avoid being transported home via multiple vehicles should a situation occur long distance from home in the future.

Car_54

Slinky said:

Am seeking to avoid being transported home via multiple vehicles should a situation occur long distance from home in the future.

If that is your only (or main) concern, then AFAIK the AA are the ONLY organisation that operates a 'relay' system. Everyone else will take you in a single journey.

However, they are all subject to driving hours regulations, which should only affect exceptionally long journeys, and in any case are for your protection.