I have been comparing breakdown cover and started with a well-advertised provider. They do not tell you until you apply that if you are over 80 they will not quote at all. What can I do?
You are not out of options, and you should not be paying more because of your age. The major motoring organisations — the AA, RAC and GEM Motoring Assist — do not apply an upper age limit to breakdown membership. Age limits appear mostly on white-label products sold by insurers, banks and some retailers, where the underwriter's rules are applied to the whole book and nobody mentions it until the quote fails.
Two practical points. First, if the car rather than the driver is the issue (budget policies often exclude vehicles over 10 or 16 years), the same three providers cover older vehicles on standard terms as long as the car is maintained. Second, when you do break down, tell the operator your age and whether you are alone. All the main providers run a vulnerable-customer priority scheme and you will be attended faster.
We have written a full guide to breakdown cover for older drivers that lists what to check in the eligibility section before you start a quote, so you do not waste time with a provider that was never going to cover you.
Have a question of your own? Email [email protected].