Breakdown cover for A3

[DebbieJ]

Hi all,

Hope this is the right place to post.

I'm looking to get breakdown for an A3.

Can anybody tell my why the price of breakdown cover varies so much between different companies?

For example, when you look at the list below it shows anything from £12.68 to £135.

list of breakdown cover prices

Even when you compare the exact same levels of cover, the price difference is really big. Why?

Am I missing something?

Has anybody had experience of the cheaper options on this list? Is it worth paying more for someone like the AA?

Sorry for all the questions but it's my first time buying breakdown cover so any help you can give is really appreciated.

Thanks

Debbie

[Trevor]

Hi Debbie....welcome to the Forum

Yes, this is the right place for this post.

I suppose the best way to buy breakdown cover is to first weigh up what you need...e.g. multicar, european cover, personal cover, homestart, etc.

If you don't need any other options than roadside cover and being towed to a garage within 10 miles of where you broke down then that would be the cheapest method. 
After that, you can bolt on various options and then it becomes quite expensive.

You get what you pay for, as the old saying goes!

[DebbieJ]

19 minutes ago, Trevor said:

Hi Debbie....welcome to the Forum

Yes, this is the right place for this post.

I suppose the best way to buy breakdown cover is to first weigh up what you need...e.g. multicar, european cover, personal cover, homestart, etc.

If you don't need any other options than roadside cover and being towed to a garage within 10 miles of where you broke down then that would be the cheapest method. 
After that, you can bolt on various options and then it becomes quite expensive.

You get what you pay for, as the old saying goes!

Ok thanks Trevor. I would probably want home cover just for peace of mind. Rescuemycar do it for £20.99 but then AA charge over £100. I just find it odd that the prices are so different for the same cover.

[Southampton Graham]

Hi Debbie

I use Autoaid and have never had a problem with them

It is like an insurance policy. If you breakdown, you contact them and hey arrange a local firm to come and either fix or recover you.

They then reimburse the recovery company  for the cost

Recommended by Martin Lewis on his website.

 

approx £40 per year

[Magnet]

Hello Debbie,

As far as I can see, breakdown cover (which is in fact an insurance based cover) understandably varies as much as quotations for your normal car insurance - even when you compare apparent like for like cover. Personally, I would give up trying to understand why, and simply follow Trevor’s advice and first decide the level of cover which suits your needs. Basic cover would say simply cover you for roadside assistance, then you move on to recovery add-on options - which I’m sure you are aware of. 

To my mind, it’s the limitations of recovery option which is all important.Some will just transport the vehicle to the nearest garage, leaving it at the mercy of trying to control its repair from afar. Others will transport you and the vehicle to a place of your choice - usually your trusted local garage. 

One other point I would make is to beware of ‘cheaper entry’ offers which usually come with an automatic renewal. That’s where the sting cuts in! I know RAC do that, and all their business is based on an automatic renewal system. 

If it were me, I would decide the level of cover you want, and just go with the best deal that comprehensively provides that - having read the all important small print exclusions. Don’t bother to try to work out why A is cheaper than B. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Hello Graham. Not sure how long you have been with Autoaid, but as you say, it was based on paying for your breakdown assistance and then claiming the money back. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling you don’t now have to pay and reclaim - they now operate as others do, and sort out and pay for the assistance. 

[DebbieJ]

2 hours ago, Magnet said:

Hello Debbie,

As far as I can see, breakdown cover (which is in fact an insurance based cover) understandably varies as much as quotations for your normal car insurance - even when you compare apparent like for like cover. Personally, I would give up trying to understand why, and simply follow Trevor’s advice and first decide the level of cover which suits your needs. Basic cover would say simply cover you for roadside assistance, then you move on to recovery add-on options - which I’m sure you are aware of. 

To my mind, it’s the limitations of recovery option which is all important.Some will just transport the vehicle to the nearest garage, leaving it at the mercy of trying to control its repair from afar. Others will transport you and the vehicle to a place of your choice - usually your trusted local garage. 

One other point I would make is to beware of ‘cheaper entry’ offers which usually come with an automatic renewal. That’s where the sting cuts in! I know RAC do that, and all their business is based on an automatic renewal system. 

If it were me, I would decide the level of cover you want, and just go with the best deal that comprehensively provides that - having read the all important small print exclusions. Don’t bother to try to work out why A is cheaper than B. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. Hello Graham. Not sure how long you have been with Autoaid, but as you say, it was based on paying for your breakdown assistance and then claiming the money back. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling you don’t now have to pay and reclaim - they now operate as others do, and sort out and pay for the assistance. 

Thanks Gareth.

I understand from others that some of the cheaper firms don't have their own fleet of vans etc. Instead they just use local garages to do the work. I suppose it comes down to how often you think you will use the service. Not sure it's worth paying the extra for some of the more well known companies.

[Magnet]

I don’t think it boils down to the frequency of breakdown, but all to do with the ‘quality’ of service when you need it, and above all,  ensuring the level of service you buy is adequate for your needs - irrespective of cost. Cheaper ones using local garages - don’t see anything wrong with that, and at least they are unlikely to have sales targets to meet with such items as batteries etc. as some of the major players do! 

Kind regards,

Gareth.