Van breakdown cover

[eggsarascal]

Who uses who for what kind of cover, just basic, or compression cover. I realise some banks offer cover so do insurance companies aswell as the big hitters, AA, RAC, Green Flag. LV seem to have good reviews. If you've been unfortunate enough to have to use breaking cover recently which company were you using and what was the service like? Personally because I run older vans I usually take.a comprehensive cover including cover in Europe. Your.thougjts and experiences?

[Doug Tait]

I'm just about to renew with RAC. Been with them for a few years now, policy is for fix at roadside or get me and vehicle home or to garage of my choice anywhere in UK.

 

I feel like it's pretty cheap considering what I'm entitled to. Have only used it once but that occasion made all the years I've paid well worth it. They got me and L200 from a motorway services in Cheshire home to the Scottish Borders, in something like 14hrs using 5 different recovery trucks.

Good service, decent value for money.

[Peasgood]

In the last 30+ years I can only think of 3 times where I needed recovering.

Once in a supermarket carpark when the fuel solenoid failed on my diesel Orion. RAC disconnected it so it would start but you had to stall it to turn the engine off. Ran it like that for weeks before actually fixing it.

I was in a 12 ton wagon when some of the pistons became disconnected from the crankshaft. Uncle dragged me off the M56 with a Merc van, handballed the load onto our other wagon and never saw the broken one again.

Another time was a puncture on a Vauxhall Movano in Manchester and I couldn't undo the wheel nuts, I bent the wheel brace in half trying.

 

Point being I would have been much better off over the years just pay as you go rather than RAC, AA etc. Having said that, if I was doing a lot of travelling and motorway miles far from home I think I would go with the cheapest of RAC, AA or Green Flag for peace of mind.

ps. I have been lucky I guess as I certainly haven't been running around in fancy vehicles, most of them if they broke down they'd be best left where they were, same as the wagon.

[Dan Maynard]

AA RAC seem to have got really expensive, when I was looking for my Defender some of the cheaper places like Green Flag had age limit on the vehicle. I've gone with adding it to the insurance policy as they definitely can't claim they didn't know what they were taking on, touch wood not had to call them.

[eggsarascal]

It's like lots of insurance, especially ones we don't have to aquire by law, pet insurance for example, it's something people pay for and hope they never need to use it. I too would be far better off if I'd not had breakdown cover and paid only when I've needed recovery.

[Peasgood]

I wish I had run on red all those years too because I have never been dipped.

[dumper]

1 hour ago, Dan Maynard said:

AA RAC seem to have got really expensive, when I was looking for my Defender some of the cheaper places like Green Flag had age limit on the vehicle. I've gone with adding it to the insurance policy as they definitely can't claim they didn't know what they were taking on, touch wood not had to call them.

I added mine to my insurance however just found out they only recover the vehicle not any trailer attached

[GarethM]

AA family cover was 230, granted NFU threw breakdown in as part of the truck insurance.

 

Not sure about larger vehicles prices such as your passion waggon 🙂

[waterbuoy]

As we run two Landrover Discos and do a lot of off-road work and towing, with combined annual mileage of over 50k,  then breakdown cover is pretty much an essential requirement for us.

 

We usually go with the AA because they offer a range of sensible options - we have included the replacement vehicle and also the mechanical repairs sections as well as the bog standard relay cover.  This means that if they take your car to a garage to get it fixed they will, subject to approval, pay for the first £500 of any repair.  Over the last three years we have claimed on this every year and got more than our premium back.

 

They do try and ramp up the premiums each year but we just cancel our renewal and take out a fresh cover, alternating the policy holder between myself and my wife.

[Dan Maynard]

3 hours ago, dumper said:

I added mine to my insurance however just found out they only recover the vehicle not any trailer attached

That's a good point to check, mine probably has a trailer on three quarters of the time.