Best car breakdown providers for 2024

The car breakdown cover service you sign up to makes a big difference. The best will almost always get to you in under an hour and, in most instances, have the tools and knowledge to get your car going again.

The worst can leave you stranded at the side of the road for hours and have much less chance of fixing your vehicle on the spot.

Our ratings are based on feedback from more than 8,000 people who had to call out their breakdown service within the 12 months prior to completing our survey. You can trust our findings as they're based on the real-life experiences of people using these services.

The tables below reveal how the companies we've rated stack up against each other. As you'll discover, the best breakdown providers aren't always the most expensive.

Save on breakdown cover: read our top tips on how to haggle and other ways to keep costs down

Best breakdown cover providers

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What is car breakdown cover?

Breakdown cover is a type of insurance for cars, vans and motorcycles that helps to keep you on the move. Unlike car insurance, it's not a legal requirement, so is completely optional.

If you have a breakdown policy in place, even the most basic come with roadside assistance. This is where your provider will send out a mechanic (sometimes called a patrol) to you, whether you're on the motorway or a rural B-road, at any time of the day. However, most basic policies don't cover breakdowns that occur at home.

Compare breakdown cover providers

Breakdown providers, such as the AA and RAC (also known as third-party breakdown providers), provide cover for almost any car and usually charge annually, although some may offer monthly payment options.

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You may also get breakdown cover from these providers as part of another service you pay for, such as a packaged bank account or car insurance (find out how to get cheap car insurance).

• We've rated 15 third-party breakdown cover companies, including big names such as the AA, RAC and Green Flag as well as other providers including GEM Motoring Assist, LV Britannia Rescue and Start Rescue.
• Only three car breakdown providers are Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs). Find out what makes a WRP for breakdown cover.

Best car manufacturers for breakdown cover

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Compare car manufacturer breakdown cover

When you buy a new car, breakdown cover is often included for a set period (typically one to three years). Some manufacturers will extend this by 12 months at no extra cost if you have the car serviced at an authorised dealership or garage.

Your car manufacturer doesn't actually provide the breakdown service. Instead, it’s usually supplied by a third-party provider such as the AA or RAC. As an example, if you’ve bought a new Ford, you will get Ford Assistance breakdown cover, but since the AA is the chosen provider it will be an AA van that turns up to help you if your Ford breaks down.

• We've rated 14 car manufacturer breakdown providers, including BMW Roadside Assistance, Hondacare Assistance, Toyota Roadside Assistance and Volkswagen Roadside Assistance.
• Three were good enough to be Which? Recommended Providers – all three got to more than 80% of breakdowns within an hour, and their high customer scores show that customers are happy with the service.

What makes a Which? Recommended Provider for breakdown cover?

To become a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for breakdown cover, third-party and car manufacturer providers must:

• have a customer score of at least 70%
• be among the best performers when it comes to how long customers had to wait for help to arrive,  how successful they were at fixing the fault at the scene, and how knowledgeable the mechanic was. 

We rank breakdown providers by their total score. The total score is made up of:

• 50% - customer score
• 25% - waiting time
• 15% - vehicles fixed at the scene
• 10% - mechanic's knowledge.

All ratings are based on the survey responses of more than 8,000 customers who experienced a breakdown in the 12 months prior to our survey.

The customer score reflects how satisfied customers say they are with their provider and how likely they would be to recommend it. Providers must receive a minimum sample size of 30 to be awarded a customer score.

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