AA renewal...usual palaver

rocketrob5

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82049109#Comment_82049109

Recently used Ford Protect (free through Ford with a service) after electronic handbrake stuck on. Ford protect recovered home (evening), then to garage the next day, and 2 days hire car, all included. My previous provider would have potentially charged me for using extra equipment wheel dollies etc. and would have had to pay to get car to garage next day. Never needed/used breakdown before, but this opened my eyes to the what if and differences in cover.

Bendo

Wouldn't touch AA or RAC with someone elses stick. Seen far to many horror stories of them taking hours to turn up in a fan, failing to fix and then hours more wait for recovery.

My car insurance comes with RAC cover, but just renewed my Auto National cover. £30 / year (named car) UK Nationwide recover and home start. Only had to use it once in the past 15 years (blown tire after hitting pothole on motorway). Recovered quickly from Bridgewater services at 1 AM and taken the rest (70 miles) of my journey on a recover truck.

Mildly_Miffed

There's long been a ryanairisation in the race for the cheapest premium, so you need to start by figuring out what you actually want, then figure out the provider that meets your requirements.

As for response times - AA and RAC are the only providers with full-size fleets of their own. Green Flag have a much smaller one. Every other provider uses the same network of local recovery outfits. The own-fleet providers also use them, if their own resources aren't available. So… you're very likely to get similar times from all the providers, dependent on the availability of the local contractor. AA/RAC stand a chance of being quicker.

For me, with a mix of vehicles, including older (none <10yo) and a camper van. A desire for Euro cover. Two people personal cover.
There's really only one game in town - Nationwide Flexplus bank account, £18/mo inc full global travel insurance. The recovery's actually done by the AA.
Your requirements may well vary.

I needed to get them out last year when the campervan had a lie-down (completely and abruptly blocked diesel cat, after 23yrs and 250k km) in a very dodgy place on a dual carriageway.
The AA sent a flatbed to move me to safety in the nearby services, within ten minutes.
Then a van for a fuller diagnosis, within a couple of hours.
It took a good few hours to get me home, clear across the country, sure - but a big enough flatbed for the van, then a swap to another for driver's hours…
I can't see any other provider would have been faster.