Cheap Roadside Assistance
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The cheapest base policies from the main three suppliers all come under the common term of roadside assistance. Bought online direct, a first year costs roughly £57 to £67 with the RAC or AA, and smaller providers advertise from under £30 — less than a tank of fuel, because competition for that first policy is fierce.
And for most callouts, that base policy is genuinely all a motorist needs. Both the AA and RAC say they fix four out of five breakdowns at the roadside, usually something ordinary: a flat battery, which is the single most common callout of all, or tyre trouble.
Is Roadside Assistance Enough For Your Needs?
Thought should be given to the sort of driving you and your family actually do, how reliable your vehicle is, and whether the cheapest policy really is the best policy for you.
For example, if you have starting problems on your own drive, no roadside assistance policy will cover a fault at home or very close to home — a school run, if the school is local, could fall inside that exclusion zone.
Ask yourself how likely it is that you will need something more comprehensive. A cheap policy is only cheap if it deals with the emergency you actually have.
If, after all that, you decide no extra cover is needed, it comes down to choosing which supplier.
Comparing Is Harder Than It Used To Be
The three big suppliers offer broadly similar services, but they no longer package them the same way, which makes a straight price comparison misleading:
- RAC sells four tiers — Basic, Standard, Extra, Complete — each including everything below it.
- Green Flag keeps Rescue, Rescue Plus, Recovery, Recovery Plus and Euro Plus.
- The AA has dropped tiers altogether: you choose personal or vehicle cover, then add At Home, National Recovery and Onward Travel individually.
So the cheapest headline figure may include national recovery at one provider and exclude it at another. Compare what is in the policy, then the price.
Three things to check on any cheap policy: how many callouts you get in a year (the budget tiers cap them); whether recovery is included or only a tow to the nearest garage; and whether there is a waiting period before some elements kick in. Then check you are not already covered through a packaged bank account, your car insurance or a lease — paying twice is common.
And Never Just Renew
Those introductory prices are for new customers. The renewal quote will be higher, sometimes considerably, for exactly the same cover. Diary a reminder a month before the policy ends and get fresh quotes — this is one of the few markets where loyalty reliably costs money.