Best Breakdown Providers
A guide to choosing the best breakdown providers
Having breakdown cover is vital when you own a motor vehicle, whether it be a car, motor home, motorbike or a cosy camper van. Even the most reliable vehicle can fall victim to a puncture or flat battery, and can often happen at the most inconvenient moments.
It is essential to have breakdown cover, but, with the array of companies clamouring for your attention, all the time, making a decision can be hard. Taking a few minutes to read this article could help make your choice that little bit easier.
The AA
The AA is the largest provider of breakdown cover in Britain, and has been going since 1905, when the speed limit was 5 miles an hour! Because it is the largest provider, chances are a mechanic will be with you sooner; however, that same mechanic may be absolutely rushed off his feet, and you could be bumped back when a more important call comes along. (See Ten Top Tips to help avoid this happening)
There are four options to choose from with the AA:
Roadside Assistance - This is basic breakdown cover, covering all UK roads, and costs from £28.00 - online discounts may be available.
Home Start - This service includes breakdown cover at your home. Ideal for those days when it just won't start. Prices start at £74.00, but beware that they will not keep sending you a mechanic for that same price if your car is constantly breaking down - not to be used as a pre-paid mechanic service!
Relay - With this option your car will taken free to a garage or your house if a roadside repair cannot be made.
Stay Mobile - This is the deluxe option from the AA - includes Roadside Assistance and Home Start, and provides a courtesy car, and covers the cost of an emergency overnight stay or public transport needed to get home instead. It allows to continue your journey - or at least to get home. From £144.90.
The AA has an excellent roadside repair service, which is certainly a good reccomendation: when your car has broken down miles from anywhere on holiday on the hills, being towed to a far away garage is not an option. The AA is always a reliable option for breakdown cover - just beware low price offers: a low price will probably creep up as time goes by.
The RAC
The RAC is in fact Britain oldest breakdown cover provider, having been set up in 1897; although it is not the largest provider, it prides itself on being reliable; their mechanics are highly qualified technical experts, and 80% of their call outs are fixed at the roadside. Like the AA, it offers different levels of breakdown cover:
Roadside - This is their most basic service, and like the AA it also provides a free tow to a garage within a 10 mile radius as well as legal advice in the event of an accident for the same price as the AA's basic cover.
Recovery - This is Roadside plus vehicle recovery over the whole of the UK as well as transportation for up to seven people. This goes from £69.00.
Home - From £66.00 - In case it won't start at home! Can also be combined with Recovery.
Onward Travel - This is added to all other options, from £129.00. Includes financing emergency overnight accomodation and up to three days with a replacement vehicle.
The RAC is one of the largest breakdown cover providers in Britain and has certainly earned its place there: RAC mechanics are technical experts and their value is in their reliability - their prices vary little from the AA's. In fact their Onward Travel package is less than the AA's for much the same service.
Green Flag
As the third main breakdown cover provider in Britain, Green Flag has risen quickly since its beginning in 1971 to offer dedicated, expert technicians and a reliable service. It stricly provides only roadside repaid and vehicle recovery, which allows to them to focus on their job. They work through associated agents - this means that though they are a smaller provider than the AA or RAC, a technician could be with you much sooner as they will be from the area you have broken down in.
Green Flag provides:
Rescue and Rescue Plus - 24/7 roadside recovery; Rescue + includes Home Start; their prices start from £20.00 and £48.00 respectively.
Recovery - This adds long-distance recovery, but does not include home-start. The vehicle and passengers are tranported to any location in the UK and starts from £48.00
Recovery Plus - As above, but also includes home-start as well as onward journey costs or emergency overnight costs. From £60.00.
Euro Plus - Customers can recieve roadside assistance in any qualifying European country, for up to 90 days.
Green Flag is a dedicated and unique service; instead of the tenchicians travelling all over the country and often taking longer than expecte3d, Green Flag's associated garages will send out a mechanic as soon as Green Flag headquarters is notified. With Green Flag, not only will you get a fast and dedicated service ( a £10 cashback offer is given to the customer if a technician does not arrive within an hour), but you will also get it at very competitive rates.