Still only £41 per year - great level of cover, home start + recovery onward travel etc. Covers you and your partner. As recommended on moneysavingexpert. There are conditions + you do need to claim back the costs if used...........All explained here http://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/breakdown_insurance/breakdown_faqs.php . I've claimed a few times over the last 3 years or - never had a problem. OFC if you never have a breakdown, it's even easier :-)
Top comments
thelatics
13 Jul 158#9
Not strictly a deal as it's this price all year round, but if you've never heard of them it's worth repeating I suppose.
me_lee
13 Jul 157#18
I think they need to update their policy wording...
"Your car must display a valid tax disc"...
KrazyPonk
13 Jul 156#5
Been using AutoAid for years - excellent service. Call out whoever can get to you quickest, pay for the repair/recovery and then send AutoAid the bill. Get a refund within a week generally. Appears to cover what you get at the highest, most expensive, level on RAC, AA or Green Flag - but at a fraction of the cost.
nanuek to qwerta369
13 Jul 154#26
That's £10 per month though so the comparable price is £120 per person.
I'm currently paying £20.50 per person so the revelation that I can get better cover by paying 6 times more is hardly newsworthy.
Latest comments (92)
stevetiam
19 Dec 16#92
Joined online 3 weeks ago (on MSE recommendation) unable to get any confirmation of cover from them, even following chase up phone call, so as far as I know, they have just stolen my £42
muffboy
13 Jul 15#2
in any car?
nickz98 to muffboy
13 Jul 15#4
Yep, it's personnel cover.
nickz98 to muffboy
31 Oct 15#91
Yes, any car... As long as your in it :smile:
boomish
26 Jul 15#90
Yea thanks I've switched from RAC even though it's cheaper but covers so much more..
atangy
25 Jul 15#89
thanks op, I'm about to switch away from the AA
octopus
16 Jul 15#87
That theory would only work if both are traveling together. what if you are driving "her" car and cover is in your name on your car?
celticprince to octopus
16 Jul 15#88
The cover is personal, you can drive any car. Therefore, as long as you 'were' in the said car when it broke down (even in spirit), you can contact Autoaid, or local breakdown company, for recovery. It doesn't mean that you would be able to hang around for up to 90-mins for the tow-truck to arrive, hence leaving your partner ("her") to await recovery :smirk:
Obviously, if you are married or in a civil partnership etc. this would not be necessary as both of you would be covered under the policy.
boomish
14 Jul 15#78
Pity they don't do family deals, I need to cover her car as well as ours..
redcup to boomish
14 Jul 15#81
It depends who "she" is - if it is a legal spouse, they are covered at no extra charge.
Excellent service.
I started using it around 10 years ago after relying on the breakdown cover included with my "Premium" Bank Account. It turned out they would only tow you 10 miles to the nearest garage - no use to anybody when it's a Sunday afternoon and you are 100+ miles from home - it cost well over 100 pounds to get my car home on top of the Bank account fee.
Last time I used Autoaid for a breakdown I didn't have to pay and claim back - the local breakdown firm settled direct with Autoaid.
celticprince to boomish
16 Jul 15#86
Scenario: you are driving "her" car and it breaks down; unfortunately, you have to get a taxi/bus/walk to a "very important meeting" leaving "her" to be rescued and taken onwards to a garage, home etc. The local breakdown company won't care a jot who is in the car as long as they get paid, but it would of course mean that you would have to make the initial call to Autoaid (to validate your membership etc.), or alternatively arrange your own local breakdown cover before claiming from Autoaid.
Obviously, just a hypothesis :smirk:
PaulTheo
14 Jul 15#85
However, if you are not legally married or in a civil partnership (same sex marriage), we are unable to cover a common-law partner under the same policy. If your partner would like to become an AutoAid Breakdown member, a separate breakdown policy would be needed.
wackyraces
14 Jul 15#84
Went with Start Rescue and used the 15% voucher code. Have made a note of this one as well for next year.
Askrulous
14 Jul 15#83
Thanks OP
Never heard of this before, but sounds good. Currently pay RAC over £100 a year, so if its offering the same its a bargain.
imanc18
14 Jul 15#82
Great deal, I already have a wife you see..
BeerGoggles
14 Jul 15#80
I called to check to see if this also covers a motorbike and they said it did. So car and motorbike cover for £40.
octopus
13 Jul 15#41
Thanks dragonexpress
dragonxpress to octopus
14 Jul 15#79
You're most welcome :smiley:
getknk
14 Jul 15#77
ahem... they increased? I thought it was £37
i was using it for last 4 years when a similar post came in HUKD and the best breakdown coverage
rendeverance
14 Jul 15#73
Europe or just uk?
nickz98 to rendeverance
14 Jul 15#76
just uk
rendeverance
14 Jul 15#75
Don't worry just found it - uk only
Hot deal, not for me unfortunately :disappointed:
sjm1993
14 Jul 15#69
Anyone know where I can find the auto eligibility criteria? Doesn't seem to mention anything on their website, tho it does say the cover is only valid for 'eligible' vehicles. Mine is an 11-year old Corsa, will that be covered? Sometimes cars older than 10 years aren't.
nickz98 to sjm1993
14 Jul 15#74
Just phone them up and check. I'm pretty sure you'd be covered as the cover is with you, not the vehicle......just phone and ask
me_lee
14 Jul 151#72
Pleasantly surprised to discover that this also covers my motorcycle as well :man:
scubascuba3
14 Jul 15#71
Hear. I've used these for years, recommended by moneysavingexpert too
280671
14 Jul 15#70
Shame it don't cover large vans I would of brought this
KrazyPonk
14 Jul 15#68
You can call someone yourself, or you cal call AutoAid and they'll arrange recovery for you - it's your choice.
19roel77
13 Jul 15#67
Cheers op much appreciated.
nickz98
13 Jul 15#66
Anything over £2500 doesn't earn a penny, better off with Santander, and the worldwide insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions, which might mean for a lot of people it would never pay up. Clearly it's not a bad policy / account - but compared with a straightforward £20.50p pa (each ofc) + not changing my bank account, it's a no brainer.
Wowhats
13 Jul 15#64
Do you have to have your vehicle serviced yearly to qualify for full breakdown cover?, or does it not really matter. I only do a low mileage each year with my vehicle so I only have it serviced every two years. Do Autoaid Breakdown check your service record?
nickz98 to Wowhats
13 Jul 15#65
no
bfam
13 Jul 15#63
Using them for years. Brilliant! Never had to pay out and claim back. I guess Autoaid have an arrangement with some recovery companies.
qwerta369
13 Jul 151#20
I'd rather pay £10 for Nationwide FlexPlus bank account. Gives top breakdown cover, travel insurance, appliance warranty + more.. A lot more value for money.
jonboy32 to qwerta369
13 Jul 153#24
It's £10 a month though isn't it?
nanuek to qwerta369
13 Jul 154#26
That's £10 per month though so the comparable price is £120 per person.
I'm currently paying £20.50 per person so the revelation that I can get better cover by paying 6 times more is hardly newsworthy.
jazzyb88 to qwerta369
13 Jul 15#62
I'm going to second this. While Autoaid sounds great, for me, the FlexPlus option made a lot more sense for the following reasons:
Nationwide's policy (underwritten by Britannia Rescue) covers not only the account holder, but the car. Autoaid only covers the policy holder IIRC. So anyone driving your car that you gave permission to under Nationwide's policy would be covered. That's not the case with Autoaid.
With Nationwide, if you wanted to extend the breakdown cover to someone who you are not married to, you could turn that Flex Account into a joint account and then they would automatically be entitled to the same benefits. For example, a son/daughter or mother/father. With Autoaid, that means buying two policies.
Finally, if you can put £2500 in the Nationwide account and maximise the interest, you'll actually end up earning approx £60 in interest a year. So in the grand scheme of things, that £10 a month could effectively be £5. Then when you consider all the benefits for £60 (after interest) PLUS breakdown...
I'm still voting hot on this deal because it is a good deal, through a reliable and well reviewed provider. Would easily take these people over the likes of AA/RAC/Greenflag if it were not for Nationwide's offer.
amichaelglg
13 Jul 15#61
recommended, although regardless of the problem the car is always towed back to wherever you want. my personal opinion. - in london
Mottmania
13 Jul 15#60
Also subscribed to this service for the last few years and will be renewing again later this month.
qwerta369
13 Jul 151#59
Sorry, not biting. But I have my spray ready.
playaz
13 Jul 15#42
Been using these for about 4 years can say I've never had any real issues, would recommend to anyone. The getting invoices to send off is a bit of a faff but still well worth the price, and you are allowed up-to 8 callouts per year!
nanuek to playaz
13 Jul 15#58
Can't find anything in T&Cs about 8 call outs. Is that from their website?
Ozzie
13 Jul 15#57
my renewal is £39. perhaps they reward loyal customers unlike banks , BS's , insurance companies .............
Alih81
13 Jul 15#45
i have been using startrescue for couple of years for me and thenwife (seprate policies) they r very cheap and when i have used them they use good local recovery firms and you dont have to pay upfront. is autoaid better or start rescue? my renewal is due so just wanted to make sure i make right choice
octopus to Alih81
13 Jul 15#46
Like you my wife has start rescue. Can I add my name to the same policy or do you need to take out separate policies?
If separate policies, then I'm planning to take out Autoaid cover so that next year we don't need 2 policies.
cliosport65 to Alih81
13 Jul 15#56
Start rescue is by far better been with them for years. A little tip if your up for renewal with them phone them up and ask if they can offer better than the 10% renewal I got 15% for a few extra minutes of my time , its worth a try :smiley:
makkax1
13 Jul 15#54
It's not a bad deal but I'm always skint after buying tat advertised on here, so wouldn't have the money to pay up front! Last year I signed up to the AA, it worked out at about this price after quidco. I broke down twice and on both occasions got a free hire car till my car was fixed. Do these offer that level of cover?
nanuek to makkax1
13 Jul 15#55
I'm pretty sure they do but best advice would be to follow the link and make sure before buying!
The two times I have had to pay a local breakdown firm I had the option of being invoiced to pay later.
Edit: this may have been an option to pay for only the parts by invoice. I didn't need to so I didn't check.
nanuek
13 Jul 15#52
I quite agree that the two deals aren't really comparable. Perhaps you should comment on the Nationwide FlexPlus thread.
f3rgy15
13 Jul 15#51
autoaid sound a lot like simplyhealth, my health insurance. If they are anything like them (but for vehicle recovery) they should be brilliant. Pay the cost, send the receipt and they reimburse you in no time.
Seanieboy70
13 Jul 15#50
Good guys, after a breakdown the mechanic took my wife and kids to his house, cooked them all spag bol, with a lemon posset desert before taking them home in his own car
What a great service
Gollywood
13 Jul 15#49
For the whole office? :wink:
me_lee
13 Jul 157#18
I think they need to update their policy wording...
"Your car must display a valid tax disc"...
Billythebubble to me_lee
13 Jul 15#48
You do, online hehe
celticprince
13 Jul 15#40
Another recommendation for Autoaid. I have used them several times over 3-years and never had a problem. Interestingly, the last breakdown I had, the recovery guy told me that I didn't need to pay him and that his company would just invoice Autoaid directly. I asked him to verify this and after a call to his office it was confirmed that I did not need to pay anything. I heard nothing after and can only assume all is well.
Very good deal, especially if you have an older vehicle in your fleet :smirk:
Gordinho to celticprince
13 Jul 15#47
I had the same experience earlier this year, the radiator went on my car, I had AutoAid's number on my phone, they sorted all my details over the phone, the vehicle was recovered to my home (Saturday afternoon) and then to a local garage on the Monday when everywhere was open, AutoAid paid the lot and I didn't have to pay anything up front or claim anything back.
I can't fault their service.
glennhoward007
13 Jul 15#44
Another recommendation from me. Used 2 or 3 times over the past few years and never a problem with any claim and always reimbursed very quickly indeed with no questions asked. This has reminded me to renew as mine expired in April! A no brainer of a deal....hot!
playaz
13 Jul 151#43
That is it - just remember to have the funds or a card on you as YOU HAVE to pay the initial amount on the spot, usually about £50-65 in most cases. I once called them out three times in a week.....
nigelbutler
13 Jul 15#39
Yes! Thats exactly how it works
dragonxpress
13 Jul 15#38
octopus
13 Jul 15#33
So, I can take this and will be covered when I drive my own car and my wife's car? Do you have to give the reg no of each vehicle at the time of taking out the insurance and does it cover cars over 10 years old?
dragonxpress to octopus
13 Jul 15#37
Yes, No and my third car is 20 years old which has been stood for 12 months - still paid out - no questions ...
dragonxpress
13 Jul 151#36
I had an issue with my spare car last month which has been stood for 12 months. Breakdown guy turns up, spent 2 hours fault finding, changed 7 fuses but still refuses to start. In the end he had to call for trailer to tow my to my preferred garage 7 miles away on a Saturday. He said there would be two call out charges but he would put it on a combined invoice £113 odd. I paid the bill and sent off a claim to Auto Aid who sent a cheque 10 days later for the full amount. I have been a member for nearly 10 years now (was with their sister company National Breakdown before that). Never trust RAC or AA ever again (former left me and my 8 month pregnant wife stranded on a motorway island for 3 hours on a hot August afternoon !)
Aiadi
13 Jul 15#35
Used the a couple of times over the years and their service have always been first class. This is why they appear to have so many loyal customers.
qwerta369
13 Jul 15#34
It's hardly a revelation.
£120 per year gets you:
1. UK & European Breakdown and Recovery Assistance
2. Worldwide family travel insurance
3. 3% AER in-credit interest on balances up to £2,500
4. 3 month fee-free overdraft
5. Worldwide family mobile phone insurance
6. Extended warranty on appliances
7. Commission-free cash withdrawals abroad
8. Identity theft and emergency card assistance
For me, £120 is a very good deal for the European breakdown cover, worldwide family mobile phone insurance (which includes Apple devices) and worldwide family travel insurance alone. If you only need breakdown cover and don't mind paying out potentially hundreds of pounds first then reclaiming it later then maybe £41 is a good deal for you.
Waterbuoy
13 Jul 151#32
Autoaid themselves have been very good, but be wary of some of the garages/recovery agents they recommend. We had to use a Manchester based recovery firm, and had to pay over the phone with them insisting they'd send an invoice in the post, after 4 calls to them and repeated promises they never did. In the end Autoaid agreed to pay out with a copy of our bank statement, took a few months in all.
This is the problem with so many independent recovery agents being involved, service isn't consistent, and once they have your money they can lose interest.
You have to bear this in mind as to whether you have the time to deal with this kind of stuff as they manage to keep the costs low based on many people never claiming it back. They're an insurance company after all.
HondaLad
13 Jul 15#31
Thanks, OP. I've just signed up.
dmarook
13 Jul 15#30
Thank you! Just what I was looking for... :smiley:
itm2
13 Jul 15#29
I've claimed a few times (including once on Christmas Day) and the service was great every time
tawse57
13 Jul 15#28
Right, so..
1. You ring these guys - Autoaid?
2. They send someone out to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
3. You pay whoever they send to you directly via a credit card? You get an invoice from them there and then?
4. You then claim the money back from Autoaid.
Is that how it works?
nanuek
13 Jul 15#27
I did it by calling AutoAid who arranged for the rescue vehicle to come to us then paying the breakdown firm directly on Credit Card (I think it was a local firm). The breakdown firm were then able to produce an invoice on the spot and I posted it to AutoAid along with a claim form and my credit card details. I think I got a payment back to my card within a couple of days.
I think you can arrange for the breakdown call-out yourself but I found it easier to let AutoAid do it.
rmtheatre
13 Jul 15#25
Just renewed with Gem as they seem to be one of the few companies to cover motorhomes
alwatson
13 Jul 15#23
I no longer have a car but I think I used AutoAid 3 times when I was with them and the service was always great. As long as you have the money to pay for the recovery and get it back in a week or so it's a great service.
mickey_brock
13 Jul 15#22
this looks a very good offer , i never took out breakdown cover on my insurance policy so this would be ideal
KrazyPonk
13 Jul 156#5
Been using AutoAid for years - excellent service. Call out whoever can get to you quickest, pay for the repair/recovery and then send AutoAid the bill. Get a refund within a week generally. Appears to cover what you get at the highest, most expensive, level on RAC, AA or Green Flag - but at a fraction of the cost.
LesD to KrazyPonk
13 Jul 15#7
+1....very pleased with the system. Have claimed a few times including a complete recovery from South London to the Midlands.
tawse57 to KrazyPonk
13 Jul 15#21
So you have to ring someone and then this firm will reimnburse you after you claim the bill back?
Blackhatter
13 Jul 15#19
A tip for anyone looking for business insurance for their car fleet, i used Just Quote Me via their website and got breakdown cover for no charge, only cover 5 cars with it and the insurance price was spot on too.
nigelbutler
13 Jul 15#17
Yeah been doing this for years thanks to Martin Lewis!
Covers you in most cars i believe and lots of other benefits
The only drawback is you pay upfront for the call out and then claim back BUT the payback speed is very quick usually within 7 days
n9801904
13 Jul 15#16
I've used them for years - it all worked fine on the two occasions we've needed to claim.
bavis1
13 Jul 15#15
does not cover all cars would not be covered in my Ford Mustang so make sure you read small print!!
nanuek
13 Jul 152#14
Home cover (I think AA/RAC call it "Home Start") is only normally covered at the highest levels of cover. When I was looking at RAC a year ago I had to spend £180 to get any cover at home, so £65 included for my wife and I at £20.50 each is a steal. Also bear in mind that this covers the individuals rather than the car which I much prefer. I have small children and so would never want to be without things like onward travel covered so it's nice to be covered even if we accept a lift from Grandma or when I'm driving the courtesy car from the garage.
I ended up printing out a claims form and keeping it in the glove compartment. This meant that the one time I had to claim it actually got paid before I had to pay off my credit card.
grannysoo
13 Jul 154#13
Price didn't rocket on renewal, either!
grannysoo
13 Jul 15#12
I called them out for a home breakdown, and they asked if I had a preferred garage nearby. They got it started at home, though. Very pleased with the service.
CrazyBob
13 Jul 151#11
I have looked at these before, but didn't like this bit...
Home breakdowns
If your breakdown occurs at your home, we will arrange help and reimburse any call-out fees and labour charges needed to start the vehicle. If the car can’t be repaired quickly at the scene of the breakdown, we will reimburse the reasonable cost of taking the car to the nearest available garage. The maximum reimbursement under this benefit is ONLY £65.
The nearest available garage may not be the one of your choice, plus £65 may not be enough to get you there
atifprince
13 Jul 152#8
No mistress in this cover :wink:
nickz98 to atifprince
13 Jul 15#10
I'm sure you'd getaway with 1 mistress, but maybe not 2 or the wife as well ;-)
thelatics
13 Jul 158#9
Not strictly a deal as it's this price all year round, but if you've never heard of them it's worth repeating I suppose.
jdocuk
13 Jul 15#6
Never heard of them before, but as I do little driving this is a good offering, HOT
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Opening post
Top comments
"Your car must display a valid tax disc"...
I'm currently paying £20.50 per person so the revelation that I can get better cover by paying 6 times more is hardly newsworthy.
Latest comments (92)
Obviously, if you are married or in a civil partnership etc. this would not be necessary as both of you would be covered under the policy.
Excellent service.
I started using it around 10 years ago after relying on the breakdown cover included with my "Premium" Bank Account. It turned out they would only tow you 10 miles to the nearest garage - no use to anybody when it's a Sunday afternoon and you are 100+ miles from home - it cost well over 100 pounds to get my car home on top of the Bank account fee.
Last time I used Autoaid for a breakdown I didn't have to pay and claim back - the local breakdown firm settled direct with Autoaid.
Obviously, just a hypothesis :smirk:
Never heard of this before, but sounds good. Currently pay RAC over £100 a year, so if its offering the same its a bargain.
i was using it for last 4 years when a similar post came in HUKD and the best breakdown coverage
Hot deal, not for me unfortunately :disappointed:
I'm currently paying £20.50 per person so the revelation that I can get better cover by paying 6 times more is hardly newsworthy.
Nationwide's policy (underwritten by Britannia Rescue) covers not only the account holder, but the car. Autoaid only covers the policy holder IIRC. So anyone driving your car that you gave permission to under Nationwide's policy would be covered. That's not the case with Autoaid.
With Nationwide, if you wanted to extend the breakdown cover to someone who you are not married to, you could turn that Flex Account into a joint account and then they would automatically be entitled to the same benefits. For example, a son/daughter or mother/father. With Autoaid, that means buying two policies.
Finally, if you can put £2500 in the Nationwide account and maximise the interest, you'll actually end up earning approx £60 in interest a year. So in the grand scheme of things, that £10 a month could effectively be £5. Then when you consider all the benefits for £60 (after interest) PLUS breakdown...
I'm still voting hot on this deal because it is a good deal, through a reliable and well reviewed provider. Would easily take these people over the likes of AA/RAC/Greenflag if it were not for Nationwide's offer.
If separate policies, then I'm planning to take out Autoaid cover so that next year we don't need 2 policies.
Update: sort of...
Edit: this may have been an option to pay for only the parts by invoice. I didn't need to so I didn't check.
What a great service
"Your car must display a valid tax disc"...
Very good deal, especially if you have an older vehicle in your fleet :smirk:
I can't fault their service.
£120 per year gets you:
1. UK & European Breakdown and Recovery Assistance
2. Worldwide family travel insurance
3. 3% AER in-credit interest on balances up to £2,500
4. 3 month fee-free overdraft
5. Worldwide family mobile phone insurance
6. Extended warranty on appliances
7. Commission-free cash withdrawals abroad
8. Identity theft and emergency card assistance
For me, £120 is a very good deal for the European breakdown cover, worldwide family mobile phone insurance (which includes Apple devices) and worldwide family travel insurance alone. If you only need breakdown cover and don't mind paying out potentially hundreds of pounds first then reclaiming it later then maybe £41 is a good deal for you.
This is the problem with so many independent recovery agents being involved, service isn't consistent, and once they have your money they can lose interest.
You have to bear this in mind as to whether you have the time to deal with this kind of stuff as they manage to keep the costs low based on many people never claiming it back. They're an insurance company after all.
1. You ring these guys - Autoaid?
2. They send someone out to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
3. You pay whoever they send to you directly via a credit card? You get an invoice from them there and then?
4. You then claim the money back from Autoaid.
Is that how it works?
I think you can arrange for the breakdown call-out yourself but I found it easier to let AutoAid do it.
Covers you in most cars i believe and lots of other benefits
The only drawback is you pay upfront for the call out and then claim back BUT the payback speed is very quick usually within 7 days
I ended up printing out a claims form and keeping it in the glove compartment. This meant that the one time I had to claim it actually got paid before I had to pay off my credit card.
Home breakdowns
If your breakdown occurs at your home, we will arrange help and reimburse any call-out fees and labour charges needed to start the vehicle. If the car can’t be repaired quickly at the scene of the breakdown, we will reimburse the reasonable cost of taking the car to the nearest available garage. The maximum reimbursement under this benefit is ONLY £65.
The nearest available garage may not be the one of your choice, plus £65 may not be enough to get you there