Need to sort out some breakdown cover – needs to include two cars or both Mrs BNS & myself – have national recovery & and get me going from home – so whose using what – what’s recommended & what’s to avoid

AA or RAC if you want a consistent level of service, and trained patrols who’ll actually attempt roadside repairs (patrols don’t get as much bonus for having to recover vehicles, so it’s in their interest to repair)

All the others use local contractors, so level/quality of service varies greatly.

RAC have been consistantly cheapest for me and also offer an excellent service.

AA aren’t the cheapest, but have been genuinely ace with me so far. They’ve been quick, polite, friendly, knowledgeable and have gone out of their way to help (as far as ringing their mates on a sunday night at home, to get them to open up a garage so they could get me a part i needed – then giving it to me FOC, including fitting!)

They also convinced me i should replace my first car when they showed me how to start it, using a crowbar 😯

If you can deal with the slight hassle of having to say “sprechen ze Inglish bitter” when you phone them, then you can do no better than joining ADAC – the German equivalent of the AA.

Last year I paid €80 for me and the other half to be covered in any vehicle (car, bus, truck, bike, kubelwagon), in any country, worldwide.

They’ll happily accept members from the UK and when called out will send the AA’s premier service. There’s no limit on the number of claims in a year and their teutonic efficiency is astounding – took 30 minutes from calling to the truck arriving.

If you’re at all interested in track days, they recover from any circuit as part of the deal.

Ze Germans are coming!

AA or RAC if you want a consistent level of service, and trained patrols who’ll actually attempt roadside repai

RAC service was not consistent…in some areas they send a local recovery agent who does just that (and makes little effort to repair). I think only the AA use their own patrols and only their patrols.

This was the case a ‘few’ years back – anybody know any different.

The cars just run out of the manufactures warranty (VW) and had full breakdown cover – before that I was with (inter)national breakdown – but they seem to now quite expensive

Try ETA, at least they’re not out there spending their “members” money campaigning for more roads and no one else using them.

AA still use local contractors, as the patrols only work till a certain time. The actual patrol guys Ive found have been very helpful, contractors have just wanted to get me to nominated garage asap, not too keen on getting you home tho!