Roadside rivals: AA Vs RAC: Which is best?

If you’re looking for breakdown cover, there are plenty of providers to choose from. But there are two companies that we all think of before the others – AA and RAC. But which should you choose? Let’s take a look at which one comes out on top and how to find some good discounts.

I’m generally not a fan of insurance products. They’re only offered because they make a company profit. And if the company is making money, somebody is losing out. And it’s me. But with that said, they do come with a major benefit – peace of mind.

Why you should consider breakdown cover

Picture this… it’s 11 o’clock at night and your car has broken down on the motorway and you don’t have any cover. What do you do? Well, you’ll have to phone around and find a company to come and help you out. But because you’re not a member, you won’t be seen as a priority. And not only that, it will cost you a small fortune.

You might not even do much motorway driving, but breaking down could happen anywhere. It can even happen when you’re at home. Of course, this might not really bother you, so you really have to weigh up the cost of your breakdown cover against the potential cost of recovery and the hassle of finding someone available to help you out.

Quick history

The AA (formerly The Automobile Association) was created in 1905 and provides vehicle insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, road maps and other services. It claims to have over 14 million members.

The RAC (formerly the Automobile Club of Great Britain) was founded in 1897 and offers roadside assistance, insurance, help in buying a new or used car, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services and up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information. It claims to have over 12.7 million members.

Now you know that useful information, you need to think about the kind of cover you need.

Vehicle cover vs personal breakdown cover

Both RAC and AA have two main types of cover – vehicle and personal. Which is best for you depends on your circumstances and driving habits.

Vehicle cover means that your vehicle is covered in the event of a breakdown, no matter who is driving. If you’ve lent your car to your gran so she can pick up some whiskey, she’s covered. This is ideal for a couple or family sharing a car.

On the other hand, Personal cover gives you breakdown cover, no matter what vehicle you’re in. This is usually a more expensive option compared to vehicle cover. But if you drive multiple vehicles, it’s probably cheaper to take out a personal cover policy.

Single vs couple vs family cover

To complicate matters even further, you can also purchase breakdown cover for multiple people from one family. This is worth considering though as you can often see discounts of around 40-50%.

Don’t forget European cover

Neither the RAC nor AA offers cover in Europe as standard. If you’re travelling over to the continent, then you will need to add the option to your policy. But it isn’t cheap and you may find better value by buying a separate policy for your journey. Especially if you’re only going to make one trip per year.

AA vs RAC price comparison

The table below breaks down the costs for both the RAC and AA’s vehicle cover policies. Packages and prices are always changing… it’s almost as if they try to confuse you.

	AA (vehicle only)	RAC (vehicle only)	AA (personal)	RAC (personal)
Roadside	£7.50	£7.95	£10.95	£9.95
National Recovery	£12	£12.50	£15.05	£14.50
At Home	£17	£17.50	£20.45	£19.50
Onward Travel	£22	£22.50	£25.65	£23.50
Free MOT?	No	No	No	Yes

As you can see, if you’re looking for vehicle cover only, AA is slightly cheaper than RAC. However, RAC wins it if you need personal cover.

The free MOT (worth up to £55) may tempt you, but this has to be done at an approved RAC garage.

Both companies offer joint and family policies starting at exactly the same price.

You will also receive a small discount if you pay for your cover in a lump sum, rather than paying monthly.

Customising your cover

RAC is a little more rigid with its policies. For example, you can’t have At Home cover unless you pay for National Recovery. However, AA allows you to chop and change.

But, RAC does have a few extras available, if you’re willing to pay. These include Key Replace, Tyre Replace, Battery Replace and European Rescue. These range from £3 to £9 per month.

Number of patrols

The fact is, the more patrol vehicles a company has, the quicker it should get to you… in theory. AA claims to have 2,700 vehicles operating, whilst RAC has a far smaller patrol fleet of over 1,600. 

Response times and customer satisfaction

So, the AA has far more patrols, but does that make them better? Well, this is a much harder metric to measure. Neither company seems keen on publishing how quickly they attend breakdowns or the number of cars they can repair at the roadside.

However, a study by Which? in 2023 revealed that:

AA scored 78% for customer satisfaction. They were given 3 stars (out of 5) for arriving within an hour and 5 stars for vehicles repaired at the side of the road. A total score of 75%.

RAC scored 68% for customer satisfaction. Customers only gave them 1 star for arriving within an hour and 4 stars for repairing their car at the roadside. A total score of 52%.

That’s a big win to AA.

App comparison

Both companies offer an app which will allow you to manage your policy from your phone and report if you’ve suffered a (vehicle) breakdown. You can also track the location of your rescue vehicle.

The AA app allows you to plan your travel route, whilst also giving you live travel updates. You can set up MOT and service reminders and get up to 15% off at selected pubs and restaurants.

The RAC app has a route planner, a widget showing the cheapest fuel prices and gives rewards such as discounted gym membership, savings on Shell fuel and a free sausage roll from Greggs each month.

Which is best – AA or RAC?

My conclusion changes every time I write this review. But considering most people will opt for vehicle cover rather than personal, AA wins it because it’s ever so slightly cheaper.

But if you’re looking for customer satisfaction, the results from Which? are pretty conclusive. AA blows RAC out of the water, and it’s not even close to which provider you should choose.

With all that said, I belong to the RAC because they had the best cashback deal when I joined! Let’s just hope I don’t need to call them…

AA RAC

How to find cheaper breakdown deals

If you’ve decided on the provider you want, the next step is to find a deal. Generally, you can find even better prices than those you see above. Depending on the time of the year, both companies may offer discounts on their monthly prices.

But you can also find discounts elsewhere.

Cashback sites

Cashback sites are often a great way in finding discounts, especially when it comes to breakdown cover. The likes of TopCashback and Quidco offer some hefty deals, although these tend to change most weeks. At the moment, you can earn between £36 and £160 back on a new policy with AA. The RAC deal is very similar, with cashback ranging from £25 to £160.

If you’ve never used these sites before, take a look at how TopCashback works or how Quidco works.

Tesco Clubcard vouchers

If you’re a regular shopper at Tesco, you’ll be well aware that their Clubcard vouchers can be exchanged for 3 times their value at selected partners. And one of these partners is the RAC. Be warned though, I found that prices through the Tesco partner site were slightly more expensive than the RAC site.

But never let your cover renew

One piece of advice you need to take notice of is never to let your breakdown cover automatically renew. We often complain that new customers always get the best deals in other industries and it’s the same for this one.

You’ll receive your renewal notice around one month before your cover is due to expire and the chances are, it will be far higher than your original price. This will give you plenty of time to shop for a better price. Or negotiate a better price with your current provider.