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.