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Cheap breakdown cover
Basic cover from £33/year, full cover from £57/year
Many are paying over the odds for breakdown cover as they let it auto-renew year after year. This guide reveals the cheapest full-service policies, how to get AA and RAC cover for less, and other tips to really drive the savings.
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Top-pick breakdown cover
We've split the deals into full service and basic policies, plus we've a section that covers you for European travel, with options for each level of cover. Use our best buys below to find the policy for you.
Important – please read first: Cashback and these policies. You can usually get a decent saving on breakdown cover if you go via a cashback site, so where it's available, we include the best cashback offer for each of these policies (or at least the closest comparable policy).
Where we quote a cashback price, this is the equivalent price assuming the cashback's paid. However, you should budget to pay slightly more upfront, as cashback can take a few weeks or months to be paid out. Always treat cashback as a POTENTIAL saving rather than an actual saving until the money's in your account, as things can go wrong.


We're classifying policies as 'full service' if they cover breakdowns at your home, plus have roadside assistance and onward travel (which usually includes a hire car, overnight accommodation or public transport costs).
Always diarise a month ahead of your renewal so you've time to benchmark the cheapest price and switch, or use the benchmarked prices to haggle with your existing provider.
Let us know your experiences with these providers in the forum discussion.
Full service cover
PROVIDER | HOW GOOD IS IT? + COVER COSTS (i) | |
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Get full service cover for £56.64/year (after £7 guaranteed cashback) with AutoAid*. Via our link, newbies pay £63.64/yr (or £78.54/yr if your car's 16+ years old) but then get £7 back from AutoAid, automatically paid within 60 days. The policy covers you and your partner in any car you drive, with mis-fuelling cover and help if you're stuck, for example, in snow/mud. But AutoAid doesn't have its own recovery fleet – it notifies local recovery operators.
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Full service cover for any car up to 16 years old for £57.50/yr, via this Eversure Gold* link. This policy gives full service cover in any car you or your partner drive, or are passengers in. It also gives mis-fuelling cover. But Eversure doesn't have its own recovery fleet – it notifies local recovery operators. As Eversure is a new addition to MSE, please tell us your experiences. | |
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Full service AA breakdown recovery for two – £280/yr direct, or £149/yr via cashback site. You and one other living with you are covered in any car. Unusually, it's more expensive to only cover one person via Topcashback* (£152/yr) than it is to cover two (£149/yr) – though the cashback is never 100% guaranteed. The AA also has its own recovery fleet. | |
Buy it direct from the AA for £280/yr* | Buy it via Topcashback for £149yr* (i) | |
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Big brand breakdown recovery – 'personal' cover for two £290/yr direct with RAC or £152/yr via a cashback site. You and one other living at the same address are covered in any car, either as a driver or passenger. Like AA above, while applying direct for single person cover (£242/yr) is cheaper than for two (£290/yr), if you're applying via Topcashback*, you'll find it's actually more expensive (£177/yr) than dual cover (£152/yr).Though an important reminder, cashback's never 100% guaranteed. RAC has its own recovery fleet. | |
Buy 'personal' cover direct from RAC for £290/yr* | Buy 'personal' cover via Topcashback for £152/yr* (i) |
(i) The equivalent cashback price assumes you get the cashback, and is based on the rate for basic members. Though always remember cashback is never guaranteed, see our Top Cashback Sites guide for full info.

Basic policies are typically a lot cheaper, but do have exclusions. You usually won't be covered if you break down at home or close by, and your provider has no obligation to get you to where you were going. However, you are covered for roadside assistance, or if it can't be fixed there, you'll usually be towed to a garage near to where you broke down.
Always diarise a month ahead of your renewal so you've time to benchmark the cheapest price and switch, or use the benchmarked prices to haggle with your existing provider.
Let us know your experiences with these providers in the forum discussion.
Basic cover
PROVIDER | HOW GOOD IS IT? + COVER COSTS (i) | |
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Cheapest AA policy for £69/yr direct, or £33/yr via a cashback site. AA's vehicle-only policy with roadside assistance included as standard comes to £69/yr. But you could save £36 by going via Topcashback*, bringing the annual cost down to £33/yr. | |
Buy it direct from the AA for £69/yr* | Buy it via Topcashback for £33/yr* (i) | |
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Cheapest RAC cover for £57.24/yr after cashback. RAC's basic cover comes to £74.24/yr. However, if you go through Topcashback*, you can save £17, bringing the total cost down to £57.24/yr after cashback. Note: this policy allows a max of five call-outs per year. | |
Buy it direct from the RAC for £74.24/yr* | Buy it via Topcashback from £57.24/yr* (i)(ii) |
(i) The equivalent cashback price assumes you get the cashback, and is based on the rate for basic members. Though always remember cashback is never guaranteed, see our Top Cashback Sites guide for full info. (ii) You can also get basic cover (including home rescue) for £32 worth of Tesco Clubcard points.

Here, if your vehicle breaks down when you're driving on the continent, it'll be repaired at the roadside, or perhaps at a local garage. The prices below are based on a three-week trip to France in a two-year-old Hyundai Tucson, to give an idea of how providers compare. If you're going for longer, to more countries and/or have an older car, prices tend to be higher.
If you're planning two or more trips or regularly drive to Europe (for example, you live in Northern Ireland and regularly visit the Republic) then it's worth getting an annual European breakdown policy (or checking if cover via a packaged bank account is worth it).
Always diarise a month ahead of your renewal so you've time to benchmark the cheapest price and switch, or use the benchmarked prices to haggle with your existing provider.
Let us know your experiences in the forum discussion.
European cover
PROVIDER | HOW GOOD IS IT? + COVER COSTS |
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Compare multiple breakdown providers, plus a 15% discount via our link. This site zips your car's details off to a few providers to help you find the best price. Cover starts from £24.08* for three weeks in France, after the 15% discount. However, as we don't vet the companies it features, we can't vouch for their service. Let us know if you try it. |
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Big brand roadside assistance that includes a hire car or hotel if your vehicle can't be fixed there. The RAC* charged £75.81 for our example of three weeks in France. The policy gives you 24/7 access to an English-speaking helpline, and a contribution towards costs if it needs to be fixed at a garage (the amount depends on which level of cover you go for). |
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AA roadside assistance that again pays for a hire car or hotel if needed. The AA* quoted £81.78 to cover our example three weeks in France. This policy gives you 24/7 access to an English-speaking helpline, plus you can pay extra to get a contribution towards the costs of getting the car fixed at a garage. |
(i) We have little feedback to share on Compare Breakdown Cover. Discount available until 11.59pm on 30 April 2023. (ii) You can also get RAC Europe cover using Tesco Clubcard vouchers worth £64+, depending on the level of cover you want.
Looking for one-off or specialist policies?
If you're looking to cover a one-off journey, or need something more specialist, MoneySupermarket* allows you to compare roadside recovery tariffs.
It misses some of the best deals, so it doesn't always get the very cheapest, yet if you've specific needs it can quickly find a competitive quote.

Check special deals
A few companies have special deals and some car insurers bundle free breakdown with their car insurance cover (see our Car Insurance guide). These currently include:
Provider | Deal information |
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20% discount for newbies via code MSE20. You can either choose to cover all vehicles you own or, if you'd rather have cover for yourself in any vehicle you're driving or are a passenger in, you can opt for personal cover. Breakdowns at home and recovery anywhere in the UK are included, though there's a £40 excess per claim as standard (unless you choose to pay extra to reduce this to zero). Also, please let us know your experiences in our forum discussion. |
17% discount for new annual policies via our link. It offers vehicle cover or personal cover, so you can choose which you'd prefer. Breakdown assistance is provided if the car's more than a quarter of a mile away from your home as standard, or you can opt to include 'Home Assist' for additional cost. |
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15% discount for new policies via our link. Compare Breakdown Cover is a broker, and offers a range of policies with different assistance providers. It therefore allows you to choose a variety of levels of cover for UK-only and Europe. Let us know if you try it. |
We have little feedback on these providers, so please let us know your experiences in our forum discussion (via the link against each provider).
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How to complain about your insurance provider
The insurance industry doesn't have the best customer-service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others.
Common problems include claims either not being paid out on time or at all, unfair charges, or exclusions being hidden in small print.
It's always worth trying to call your provider first, but, if not, then you can use free complaints tool Resolver. The tool helps you manage your complaint, and if the company doesn't play ball, it also helps you escalate your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.
Car breakdown Q&A
Have your say in our forum!

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