The four tiers, and what they are called
Every UK provider sells the same ladder under different names. The AA calls the levels Roadside, Relay, Home Start and Stay Mobile. The RAC uses Roadside, Recovery, At Home and Onward Travel. Green Flag sells Rescue, Rescue Plus, Recovery and Recovery Plus. The content is near identical: roadside help, then long-distance recovery, then help at home, then a hire car or hotel.
Vehicle cover versus personal cover
A vehicle policy covers one registration number regardless of who is driving. A personal policy covers a named person (and sometimes their household) in any vehicle they are driving or travelling in. Households with two cars and two drivers often find one joint personal policy is cheaper than two vehicle policies. Our dedicated guide walks through the maths.
The exclusions that catch people out
- Waiting period. Cover usually starts 24 hours after purchase. Buying cover while broken down means a joining fee or no cover for that incident.
- Call-out limits. Five or six per year is common on cheaper policies. Repeat call-outs for the same fault may be refused until it is fixed.
- Vehicle condition. The vehicle must be taxed, insured, MOT'd and maintained. Persistent faults can lead to cover being withdrawn.
- Accidents. Breakdown cover is for mechanical failure. Recovery after a collision is normally the job of your car insurer, although some policies include accident recovery as an extra.
- Misfuelling, lost keys, flat tyres with no spare. Often chargeable or sold as separate add-ons.
- Weight, length and age. Typical limits are 3.5 tonnes, around 5.5 metres and, on budget policies, 10 to 16 years of age.
How to choose
- Decide how far from home you regularly drive. Under an hour: roadside plus home start. Longer: add recovery.
- Count vehicles and drivers. Two or more of either points to personal cover.
- Check vehicle age and weight against the exclusions before comparing prices.
- Decide whether you need Europe this year.
- Compare like for like on the comparison table, then buy as a new customer rather than renewing.