I can recommend autoaid. Been with them for years. The two times I've had to use them they've been fine. It's pay and claim - both times I used credit card and had refund by return of post (well before credit card bill due)

Read the cover - you'l struggle to find better value cover (especially as a spouse is covered too).

I was with the AA for years via my bank account. I was called into one of their rooms and talked into upgrading my bank account at a cost of £15 per month. The AA membership was an incentive along with travel insurance etc.

I have not broke down in 8 years and I have not used the travel insurance. Ive wasted over a £1000.

It makes no difference which company we subscribe to because all each of them do when we break down is telephone the nearest independent recovery operator to us. This person then comes out to assist us. These vans we see driving around are driven by local recovery operators servicing the recovery callouts of that company. I went to have my car M.O.T'd at my local garage which also does recovery and there were rows of RAC vans in the backyard. I saw one of the mecahnics changing his overalls from company name to another.

Breakdown companies just take the call from us. Middlemen. This is why so many more have sprouted up over the last 5 years.

I only use pay as you go now as you can get recoved from as little as £50. This includes 30 mins roadside assistance and carriage for up to 10 miles.

Some companies charge for membership about £6 and some dont. Just run a search on Google for pay as you go breakdown cover.

Pay-as-you-go may be a reasonable cost if you drive a relatively new car, all you want is recovery to the nearest garage and you never drive at night or away from major routes or population centres.

But if you break down in the middle of the night on a country lane don't expect to get recovered for £50 and probably not any time soon. And you will always have to find your own way home.

Breakdown cover is all about peace of mind. And no, the AA and RAC patrols are not staffed by contractors from local garages who swap vans and jackets.They employ their patrolmen.

Many of the other breakdown recovery firms do use local contractors but you are likely to get preferential treatment through them because the recovery contractors rely on them for woirk and they have to meet a minimum Service Level Agreement which means you always get picked up and you do not get lumbered with emergency callout charges.

Edited by LucyBC on 03/06/2011 at 08:20