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RAC Breakdown Cover
You know you’re getting complete peace of mind with our UK breakdown cover – we’ve been doing this since 1897. Our expert patrols get to you within 60 mins or less, and we fix 4/5 on the spot.
Plus, with our AA Price Guarantee you’ll always pay less – if you find it cheaper, we’ll beat their price by 10%.^
What level of cover do you need?
‘Basic’ is our entry level of cover, which includes roadside assistance. If you need extra cover, like National Recovery, you can choose our Extra or Complete cover.
And we don’t just offer car breakdown cover – our packages suitable for most vehicles, including vans, motorbikes and caravan and motorhomes.
Basic
From £5.49 a month*
FREE car health check
24/7 Roadside Assistance
5 callouts a year
Recovery up to 10 miles
Plus £40 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card**
Extra
From £8.99 a month*
FREE car health check
24/7 Roadside Assistance
5 callouts a year
If we can’t fix you, we'll take you anywhere in the UK. Starts after 24 hours.
Plus £40 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card**
Complete
From £10.53 a month*
FREE car health check
24/7 Roadside Assistance
Unlimited Callouts
If we can’t fix you, we'll take you anywhere in the UK. Starts after 24 hours.
We fix you at home.
Worth up to £55, at selected RAC garages
**New customers only. Excludes Roadside (Basic), ends 23/01, 4pm. Gift card restrictions apply, see www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal. *At least 10% of new customers pay this for single-vehicle cover.
What’s included in our Defaqto 5 star rated cover?
Roadside Assistance
With Roadside Assistance, a patrol will come out to you if you break down while you are on the move.
At Home cover
At Home cover means our patrols will come to your doorstep if your vehicle breaks down at home. Included with ‘Complete’ cover.
National Recovery
With National Recovery, we’ll take you anywhere in the UK after you breakdown. Included with Extra and Complete cover.
Free MOT
With our Complete cover, you’ll get a Free MOT worth over £55 at an RAC Approved Garage.
Out of charge?
Our award–winning EV Boost vans can give your electric or hybrid vehicle a 10–mile boost to the nearest charging point.
Already broken down?
Have you broken down? Whether you’re an existing RAC member or not, we’re here to help you. Find out what to do below.
I'm already a member
The quickest way to report a breakdown is online.
Prefer to speak to us? Call 0333 2000 999. Lines are open 24/7.
Report breakdown
I'm not a member
Call us on 0330 159 8743 to arrange instant breakdown cover.
If you buy cover online after breaking down, we won’t be able to attend.
Call 0330 159 8743
Not sure what cover type you need?
Personal cover
If you break down with personal breakdown, you’ll be covered as a driver or passenger in any eligible vehicle.
This can be a good choice for families or housemates with multiple cars.
Vehicle cover
You’ll be covered for a specific car, van or motorbike. If your vehicle breaks down, it means it’ll be protected no matter who’s driving when it breaks down.
We offer cover for up to 3 vehicles ideal for vehicles that are shared with different drivers.
Family cover
Similar to personal cover, you and up to four other people living at the same address will be covered as drivers or passengers.
This cover can be cheaper than taking out individual breakdown policies for each person.
Extend your cover
Onward Travel
Can’t do without your car? Get a hire car while yours is in the garage with Onward Travel.
European Rescue
With RAC European Rescue, you’re covered in 48 countries across Europe. So you can have complete peace of mind when driving abroad.
Avoid big bills
Tyre Replace
Puncture? No problem — you're covered for the cost of 5 new tyres a year.
Battery Replace
Get a new battery if we can't recharge yours — saving you £160 on average.
Key Replace
Lost your car keys? We'll replace them, saving you £300 on average.
Why choose us?
With our AA Price Guarantee, if you find the same cover for less, we’ll beat their price by 10%^. Just submit your claim within 7 days and we’ll refund you the difference.
RAC members also save £20 on a service at home with RAC Mobile Mechanics. And you’ll get a FREE upgrade at renewal and FREE legal advice. That’s on top of all the savings on fuel, tyres and more in the myRAC app!
What our members are saying
How we give you more
Our patrols fix 4/5 on the spot
RAC patrols fix most vehicles on the spot. And repairs are done in just 30 minutes on average.
Free car health check
Only with the RAC. Make sure your car is in tip–top condition with a free 20–point health check.
AA price guarantee
With our price guarantee you'll always pay less. If you’ve seen it cheaper, we’ll be their price by 10%. Submit your claim within 7 days.
We’re experts
The RAC is the most experienced breakdown provider with 127 years’ experience.
Still not sure? Find answers to your questions.
Our cheapest breakdown cover is our Basic cover for 1 vehicle. But our breakdown cover prices are tailored to you, so you might get a cheaper price based on your personal details.
Plus, if we’re running an offer, you might find an even better price. How much your breakdown cover costs depends on:
- The level of cover you choose – Basic, Extra or Complete
- The type of car you own and where you live.
- How many vehicles or people you cover – the more you add, the more it will cost
- Whether you need add-ons – like Onward Travel, Key Replace, Battery Replace or Tyre Replace
Yes, you can. Some car insurance providers allow you to buy breakdown cover as an added extra. You may find that they only offer basic breakdown cover, and you need to pay extra to upgrade. Before you buy breakdown cover, you should check that it’s not already included with your car insurance. RAC Car Insurance and RAC Temporary Car Insurance both include the option to add breakdown cover.
If you have vehicle breakdown cover (which covers a particular vehicle), you can transfer your cover to another vehicle. You can do this on your myRAC online account, or by calling us on 03301 591 466. There’s no charge for this.
If you have personal breakdown cover (which covers you personally in any car), you can’t transfer your policy to another person.
Breakdown cover is separate from car insurance, so it won’t affect your no claims bonus.
Car insurance doesn’t include breakdown cover as standard. Unless your car insurance offers it as an extra, it’s worth buying a separate breakdown cover policy to make sure you can get help if you break down.
The short answer is yes. Breakdown cover can save you money, time and stress if your car breaks down. You’ll have 24/7 roadside assistance if you're stranded on the side of the road and need help.
If you don't have breakdown cover and something goes wrong with your car, getting help can quickly become expensive. You may have to call out an expensive recovery firm who could charge by the hour for their services.
Breakdown cover includes the cost of fixing your car at the roadside (which our patrols can do for 4 out of 5 vehicles). We just have to charge for any replacement parts, fuel and batteries. But if your car needs further repairs at a garage, your breakdown cover won’t include the cost of those.
Unlike insurance, you don’t have to pay excess on most breakdown cover. Your membership covers you for 24/7 access to roadside assistance and includes free fitting and labour if you need repairs at the roadside.
If we need to use any replacement parts to fix your car at the roadside, you’ll have to pay for these. But you can help avoid unexpected bills by choosing one of our breakdown cover extras, such as Tyre, Battery or Key Replace.
RAC Business Breakdown Cover is the best cover if you want to cover more than 3 vehicles. You can cover 1-99 vehicles.
Yes, if the vehicle fits the specifications outlined in the RAC Terms and Conditions.
All RAC Breakdown Cover packages give the same level of Motorbike Breakdown cover as standard.
The motorbike must have an engine capacity of 49cc or above and be within our standard vehicle specifications.
We’ll come with a bike trailer or low loader for recovery if needed. We may need to send a second recovery vehicle for this.
We also cover licenced, taxed and tested quad bikes and trikes as standard.
More about our cover.
We provide car breakdown cover for vehicles of any age. We also cover hybrids, electric vehicles, classic cars, motorbikes and vans. Your vehicle must be:
- UK registered
- a maximum of 3.5 tonnes, 6.4 m long (and 2.5 m wide – that’s roughly the weight and size of a Ford Transit long wheelbase van)
- a motorcycle over 49cc (or 121cc in Europe)
For caravans, campervans and motorhomes, we can offer roadside assistance and recovery with our RAC Arrival product.
Unless you’ve taken out business breakdown cover, we don’t cover vehicles used for business. If you do have a vehicle that is occasionally used for business, you can add ‘occasional business use’ to your personal policy.
Excluded vehicles include:
- Mobility scooters.
- Vehicles with trade plates.
- Caravans/trailers where the towing vehicle hasn’t broken down. Otherwise, please see our Arrival Product to cover your caravan/trailer.
- Vehicles used on a ‘hire or reward’ basis eg. taxis and private hire cars. Please see our business breakdown cover.
- Vehicles broken down in areas that don’t have public right of access.
- Unroadworthy vehicles at point of joining, upgrading membership, or in a break down situation.
- Vehicles or trailers containing horses or livestock.
- Sign posted vehicles. For example, vehicles that are advertising a company or service with a logo, web address or telephone number. This would need to be covered by business breakdown cover.
Roadside Assistance and At Home cover begin on your start date, as long as you haven’t already broken down. You can select this when you complete your purchase.
With Extra and Complete cover you also get National Recovery and the option to add Onward Travel which both start 24 hours later.
Key Replace, Battery Replace and Tyre Replace cover start 7 days after your breakdown cover start date.
If you’ve already broken down, do not buy online. Please call 0330 159 8743.
You can choose to pay on a monthly basis or pay upfront for the full length of your plan.
Your RAC membership also comes with exclusive discounts on car maintenance, travel and leisure. This includes 25% off airport parking, up to 51% off theme park tickets and more. See all your RAC Rewards.
You’ll need RAC Business Breakdown Cover instead. You can choose a 12 or 24 month contracts for commercial cars, vans, taxis, minibuses and more.
If you break down and have pets in the car, we’ll come out to help you. If we can’t fix you there and then, you may need a recovery. In this case, assistance animals are allowed in the recovery vehicle.
Other animals will be able to stay in the vehicle that is being recovered. Please bear in mind that this is solely at the owners’ risk.
We recommend that you let us know if you have pets in the vehicle when you call us.
For full information please visit www.rac.co.uk/priceguaranteeterms
Page reviewed by: Andy Baker
Last updated 08/01/24
