Considered by many to be the premier breakdown club it has the largest membership base of any breakdown cover company. They are often seen to be the market leaders when it comes to launching new products; they were the first company to offer a courtesy car (onward cover only) in the event of a breakdown.
Not only do the AA have the largest breakdown membership they also have an exceptionally high retention rate. The number of people renewing their membership with the AA each year is huge they have 95% of their members renew with them each year. With so many members and a huge percentage of them renewing each year then they must be doing something right.
One of the biggest common reasons for people leaving the AA is the price of membership and they see the AA as the most expensive because they are seen as one of the premier services, but that’s not quite true. The AA currently offers the largest online discount which is typically between 20% and 35%. Depending on which options you take and taking into account the huge online discount the AA is frequently cheaper than the competition when purchased online.
Some people get put off by the cost of breakdown cover but if you’re not covered at all and you breakdown then you’re looking at a huge fee. £200 upwards is not unheard of for a simple recovery if you’re not a member. You can get the most basic level of cover from the AA for £29 and you’re covered then for a whole year. If you’re considering no cover it may be worth reconsidering.
AA membership comes in 4 different levels of cover to help tailor your policy to fit your needs. The level of cover you pick can then be placed on someone as a personal membership (which is the default of the AA) which means that person is covered in any car for the option you have chosen. The personal membership can be extended to an extra person in that house covering 2 people in a joint policy is much cheaper than taking out two separate single memberships. One more option for personal breakdown cover is family membership which extends to cover to protect two adults and 2 children and again saves a lot of money over taking out four single policies.
The other option is to cover the vehicle and not the person. Instead of covering the person in any vehicle you can cover one vehicle so it’s covered no matter who is driving it. IF you only have one car but two people needing cover it’s cheaper to cover that one car than to get a joint membership. Remember though personal membership covers you as a driver or passenger in any car so even if your in your friends car and they breakdown your still covered with personal membership.
Roadside Assistance
The entry level of cover with the AA is option 100 roadside assistance if you take out this membership then you are covered as long as you are more than ¼ of a mile away from your home. In the event of a breakdown an AA patrol man will come to the scene of a breakdown and attempt to get your car going again, the AA get 8/10 cars working at the roadside. If the AA patrol man cannot get your car working he will give it a local tow to the nearest garage.
Relay
With the basic level of cover (just roadside) you will only get a local tow if you can’t get your car started. If your 200 miles away from your home and you breakdown and they can’t get your car started then you will be towed to the nearest garage from that location and still be 200 miles away. If you wanted to be towed home you would need the AA’s Relay service if you have that and you breakdown then you and any passengers (up to 8) will be taken to a destination of your choice in the UK.
Roadside Home Start
Without home start you are covered anywhere in the UK accept at your home address, so if you wake in the morning about to set off to work and your car doesn’t start then you’re not covered. You need to be more than ¼ of a mile from your home and quarter of a mile is quite a push. Home start gives you cover at your home.
Onward Travel
If you have onward travel and your car has broken down and cannot be fixed then the AA will provide you with alternative travel arrangements usually a courtesy car or hotel accommodation.