How To Save Money On Breakdown Cover With Cashback Sites

Want to save money on breakdown cover? The simplest trick is to stop renewing and take out new cover every year through a cashback site instead. Do it right and you can pay as little as £16 per vehicle for a full year’s cover.

It’s one of those savings that feels almost too easy, yet most people still overpay.

Do you have to take out breakdown cover?

Unlike car insurance, breakdown cover isn’t legally required. After spending hundreds (and often over £1,000) on insurance, tax and MOTs, it’s understandable that people see breakdown cover as something they can skip.

But when things go wrong, it can get expensive very quickly.

If you break down on a motorway hard shoulder in the middle of the night, you’ll need immediate assistance. A one-off recovery without cover can easily cost £150–£250 depending on distance and location. If the vehicle can’t be fixed at the roadside, towing fees alone can wipe out any savings you made by not having cover.

Even away from motorways, breaking down on rural roads or outside your home can still mean long waits and high call-out charges.

I’m always looking to cut costs, but breakdown cover is one thing I’ve never gone without. I’ve only needed it a few times, but each call-out would have cost more than an entire year’s policy. The key difference is that I never pay full price and I never auto-renew.

What kind of cover should you choose?

One of the issues we all face when choosing our cover is selecting the right policy. All providers offer different policies, which become more expensive as extra features are added.

Some of the main features you need to consider are:

• Roadside – this is a standard feature included in all policies. However, some companies will only attend your breakdown if you’re over a certain number of miles away from your home.
• At Home – you often have to pay extra for this. If your car fails to start when at home, then your provider will come and see what is wrong.
• National recovery – most providers will only tow you a certain distance (such as to the nearest garage or home). But with national recovery, they will tow you to the destination of your choice.
• Unlimited callouts – you may be restricted to the number of times you can call for help over 12 months. But if you have a troublesome car, it may be worth paying for unlimited callouts.
• Onward travel – in the case of a breakdown, you could be provided with car hire or overnight accommodation.

The cover that is most suitable for you depends on your circumstances. For example, I have a mechanic who lives next door to me, who is very helpful, so home start isn’t something I need.

European cover

If you’re planning to drive around Europe, don’t forget that most policies won’t cover you as standard. Check before you travel, but you will usually need to pay an extra premium for the length of time you’re abroad.

So, how much will breakdown cover cost?

If you check prices regularly, you’ll notice that many providers constantly put their prices up and down. This is partly to draw you in with ‘special offers’.

When choosing one of the big providers (like AA and RAC), expect to pay anywhere between £9 and £20 per month per vehicle. If you’re a first-time customer, you’ll often be given a fairly hefty discount, sometimes close to 50%. But that isn’t the only way you can save money.

Breakdown cover through TopCashback and Quidco

One of the best ways to save money, which still seems to pass plenty of people by, is through cashback sites. Simply click on a link provided by the cashback company before you make a purchase, and you’ll earn some money back.

But it can’t save you that much, can it?

As you can see from above, depending on your policy choice, you can earn anything between £26 and £150 back. That means you could save well over 60%.

Alternatively, you can look at Quidco to see the savings you can make with the RAC.

Although the savings aren’t quite as impressive as TopCashback, you can still cut your costs substantially.

And bear in mind that both the AA and RAC are listed on TopCashback and Quidco, with rates constantly changing. Make sure you check both sites before you make you take out your cover to see which pays more.

What happens when you renew?

Once your policy finishes after a year, your breakdown provider will send you a renewal notice. Most of the time, they hope that you will just renew, so they charge you full price. But never accept that. If you don’t want to switch, then give them a call and haggle with them for a reduced price. They will always drop how much they want.

But the best option is to cancel and take out a new policy with another company. Not only will you get a new customer discount, but you can also earn cashback too.

Some alternative ways to save money on breakdown cover

Many mainstream banks offer current accounts that come with a monthly fee. However, in exchange for this fee, you’ll also receive many extra benefits such as phone and travel insurance and breakdown cover. Check to see if your bank has one of these accounts and whether you can make use of several of the benefits. If you can, it could save you money.

Alternatively, when renewing your car insurance, look to see if your chosen company is offering a special deal on breakdown cover. You can usually just add the cover when you’re arranging your policy. But be warned, prices don’t usually beat the prices you get through cashback sites.

And if you shop at Tesco, you can exchange Tesco Clubcard points for RAC vouchers worth 3 x their value. So, if your breakdown cover costs £60, it will only cost you £20 in vouchers. However, RAC is a little sneaky when it comes to this. My last policy would have cost £68.99 if I had visited the RAC site directly. But visiting through the Tesco site, this price rocketed to £84. Okay, so using Clubcard vouchers saved me money, but it was still annoying that the price was higher. Take a look at the best ways to use your Tesco vouchers.

And if you’re unsure which company to choose, why not look at my AA vs RAC comparison?