Write a review

RAC: Breakdown Cover reviews

Name: Breakdown Cover
Rating: 1.8 (142 reviews)

View other RAC products

1.43

Based on 142 reviews, last reviewed 4th Jan 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

20% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

14%

77%

Latest highest rating:

4

Brilliant There is a discount on brake down cover at min...brilliant for money. Reviewed on: 24th August 2024

Latest lowest rating:

1

I would give them a ZERO if I can. I would give them a ZERO if I can. 2024 New Years Eve I was returning back from Scotland to Leicester and the weather was pretty bad, heavy winds and ... Read more Reviewed on: 4th January 2025

Read all reviews See your review

About this product

Like many drivers, breaking down is not something we want to think about! But when it happens, You'll be thankful that you're with a good breakdown cover provider. That's were our RAC breakdown cover reviews come in. You can read and write YOUR RAC Breakdown cover reviews. We started Smart Money People to help drivers like you to find the best breakdown cover based on our honest reviews. Together, we can make financial services work better for everyone.

RAC Breakdown Cover reviews (142)

Review of the RAC, Breakdown Cover:

Garbage and not safe for women

Called 4.40pm, alone in car park, electrical faults, told RAC would be there at 8pm. Had to move car as car park was closing and area was dark. Was told it was not safe to move car but then told by other operator it was my decision. Drove car with rattling engine to main road with hazards. Told it would be around 10pm. No escalation about female on own, in dark. Drove 5 mph home. Told RAC would be here by 1.50am. Escalation team rang said now I was home safe, no guarantee of time as other people may be vulnerable. What a ridiculous service. Spike to 9 people all saying something different. Wish I had never left the AA. Now told it will be tomorrow BUT no guarantee anyone would turn up. Reviewed on: 4th October 2024

Didn't fix my car

Called for help bu the mechanic didn't fix my car. Reviewed on: 18th July 2023

Thank you Paul Heath 3134!

I am writing as I wish to commend the hugely kind and efficient recovery help of Mr Paul Heath 3134 at RAC, following an upsetting incident in which a bus collided with my car and drove away in view of passers by and captured on CCTV. I had spent over three hours awaiting another company’s assistance the previous night only to find they had called the wrong vehicle for the job, and had an unhelpful and unsympathetic call with my insurance company the following morning that left me feeling all the more shaken. Paul was something of a hero following this - he arrived on time and saw that I was visibly shaking, gave me the time I needed to accurately report the situation, assessed and documented the damage comprehensively before taking great lengths to relay this detail to my insurance company, and importantly described to them the severity of the collision. Paul even went above and beyond to check with two passing bus drivers where their depot was for the insurance company to investigate, helped pick up pieces of the bus paint/casing from the ground to collect as evidence, and reminded me to notify the Police. He took such care and sensitivity to deliver the probable bad news and I can't express how much of a positive difference his patience and clear communication made at a time of sadness and worry. I owned my car and looked after it with so much love and brilliant memories over 14 years, so I appreciated Paul's outstanding communication even more, his respect for my poor car ensuring I had all of its contents, and practical care following a hit and run incident like this. Thank you for your amazing help again, it definitely deserves recognition within the RAC! Reviewed on: 24th June 2023

NEVER AGAIN!!

NEVER AGAIN! Having called RAC at 18.40 and receiving a text to say someone would be with me at the latest 19.45 no one appeared. Then told 2-3 hours as they were exceptionally busy turned into being 12.40am & finally towed at 1am to my nearest garage. The company RAC subcontracted to was 10 mins down the road from me....galling!! I was left in the middle of nowhere, completely rural in a dark dangerous lane, too dangerous to walk in the dark, with no water or toilet. When my husband managed to get home some 4 hrs later, as that was who I was collecting when I broke down, he was able to drive his van from home and sit with me. Unacceptable level of service and it is very apparent talking to others about my experience I am not alone and they obviously are overpromising and under delivering! upon sending a complaint email, they gave a standard lip service apology and closed the case. My request was a refund on our policy as they did not uphold their constant promise splashed across the media and when they sell you the policy that they would reach you within 2 hours. Plus I never want to be left in such a vulnerable position again! Having heard a number of peoples experience in my locality this is not a one off! Some have been left in terrible situations with young children and others were not reached until 23 hours later having spent the night in their vehicles. Incredible lack of customer care. Even at busy times RAC you should be able to cover your obligations. No stars for customer service who kept fobbing me off, no stars for how you dealt with my complaint. That one star is for the sub-contractor that finally turned up who really is nothing to do with your company!! Seriously concerned for anyone who breaks down and are with RAC in the South Devon area. Hear Green flag have a better reputation. Reviewed on: 21st June 2023

Shockingly bad service - left stranded 2am, sub zero temperature, two small kids and 5 hours wait for a jump start! And they think that is fine!

Shockingly bad service. RAC seriously gone down hill and should be avoided if you expect quality customer service. I was stranded in centre of Birmingham (few miles from RAC HQ) with a flat battery. 2am, freezing conditions with two small children and needed a jump start. I used the app and it told me someone would be with me in 5 hours. Obviously I assumed this was an error and called to speak to a human who also informed me they marked my case as “urgent” but was told 5 hours to get to me. I pleaded with the CS as kids were really cold and upset and was told they had “lack of contractors available” and “nothing can be done”. In the end my parents travelled from Leicester to rescue me with some jump leads. (Only took them 40 mins to get to me :-)). The next day I used the RAC complaint procedure and had automated message back saying RAC would review the complaint and get back to me within 20 working days. 30 working days later nothing! So I chased, nothing. 35 working days I chased again, nothing, and again, nothing. Then over 2 months after submitting the complaint I got a response basically saying the service they provided is normal and they saw nothing wrong claiming they were busy at the time (2am with hardly a car in the road). They don’t guarantee the response time and five hours for an “urgent” case is absolutely fine. In the end they shut me down saying nothing more can be done and closed the case. It’s just terrible, disappointing experience start to finish. Don’t rely on this service, you pay a premium and expect RAC to be there to help when you need it most. But you don’t get what you pay for! (And complaining about the poor service takes months and gets you nowhere). Spend your money elsewhere is my advice. Reviewed on: 20th June 2023

No customer care and really poor experience

The RAC left me on side of smart motorway from 7,49 to nearly 1 am a single lady with a dog in the car phone and battery dying when they could have towed me to a service station after a 2 hour wait. It was dark no means to use facilities not safe and no customer care Ladies this is not a company to use I am not the only one to suffer poor service leaving me feeling unsafe cold scared and abandoned I did 7333 steps trying to keep up beat and warm waiting for a tow when the first RAC man could have taken me to a service station Reviewed on: 19th June 2023

Most Terrible Service Ever!

Most Terrible service ever! I reported a car breakdown on the 16th of June at 8:36am. The first attempt of contact they made was at 13:00pm after that I clearly stated that I had a civil marriage ceremony to attend to. When I returned back to my car after the appointment I was told that the earliest someone can come to me was at 00:31, and it wasn’t guaranteed that he would be there are 00:31 as it could be 04:00. I was then advised that he could book me a slot for the following day (Saturday) between 09:00-11:00. I rang them up at 10:30 as I had still not received a text message and I was told that the person who booked the appointment booked it for Sunday!! Terrible! The lady got it changed and never confirmed that with me. I called back again 30 minutes later and I was told that the patrol will be with me at 11:59am. I rang up at 1pm as no one showed up and I was told I was next in line… I waited until 4pm and was told that he should be with me at 4:42pm. I rang again as there was no show of a patrol after all the waiting and I got informed that no one will be with me until 9pm in the evening! I have been waiting over 13 hours in the space of two days and I am still waiting as I am typing up this review. There is no way I would ever use RAC again. Reviewed on: 17th June 2023

Would give zero stars if possible

Would give zero stars if possible. Have been waiting 13 hours overnight and counting for breakdown assistance. Communication has been the worst I have ever experienced from any company. I have been fed a constant stream of lies regarding the estimated recovery time, which is eternally “30 minutes away”, and never arrives. Their staff have been exceptionally unhelpful over the phone, and could offer no assistance whatsoever. If you have RAC membership, cancel it and save your money. If you’re not a member, don’t touch it with a barge pole. Reviewed on: 15th June 2023

UTTERLY SHOCKING AND INCOMPETENT

UTTERLY SHOCKING AND INCOMPETENT. My daughter broke down on the M56 this morning and reported the incident to the RAC at 0900, she was then left on her own until 1330 awaiting recovery although the RAC kept stating they would have a recovery asset to her with in 45 mins as she was classed as being in a vulnerable situation being parked on the hard shoulder with no lay by nearby. After 4.5hrs of being in a vulnerable situation a recovery truck arrived and was supposed to take her home but dumped her at Birch Services stating the next recovery asset would be there shortly. Numerous calls were made to the RAC for updates and the RAC complaints dept were also briefed on the diabolic treatment and assistance she had received so far; during each call we were continually told our issue was urgent and a manager would call us back, which clearly never transpired. At the time of writing she has now been stranded on her own for approx 12hrs, the latest update is that she will be collected from Birch Services at 2200, although at the time of being dropped off at approx 1430 she was told a recovery asset would be waiting, then surprisingly delayed yet again. The latest update from the RAC (having spent another 45 mins in a call queue for them to answer) is she will be collected from Birch Services at 2200 and taken directly to our requested drop off point (local Ford dealer near our address), however having spoken to the recovery contractor which the RAC refused to give me contact details of, (apparently they don't have their numbers but then proceeded to call them?) (but the internet never lets you down) they have stated they will only take her another 30 miles to Hartshead Moor Services then another recover asset will need to be tasked, albeit the RAC call handler assured me the recovery would take her to the final destination. Throughout the day both my daughter and I have been continually lied to and fobbed off by the RAC call handlers. At present having spoken to the 8th call handler named KARAM it will come as no surprise that no assurance on the final recovery of my daughter and her vehicle has been guaranteed and I thought for completeness I should probably ask for the the 8th time for a manager to call me back which will clearly not happen because in KARAM's word a lot of them are on the sick, I wasn't aware incompetence was an illness, lets hope its not catching? In short if you want breakdown recovery i suggest you follow the advice of the first recovery driver that collected her from the motorway "Don't use the RAC they're CRAP, use Green Flag they're much better" That said if you have a fetish for being stranded on the side of a motorway or spending hours in a HGV truckers park (being abused) and enjoy pathetic excuses and lies the RAC is most definitely for you! Reviewed on: 12th June 2023

Disgraceful

Absolute disgrace of a company. Rang them to get my bike recovered as advised by my dealership because my Petrol cap had seized. The patrol attended and proceeded to try and prise open the cap with a screwdriver. I asked him to stop and his reply was, let me get a bigger screwdriver. At this point I told him do not touch the bike again and asked him to get it recovered. His reply was, I’m trying to f@&cking help you mate. I was bemused to say the least. I once more asked to get the bike recovered and he refused, jumping in his van and driving away. I made a complaint to ktm regarding the incident. Which they was amazing and gave me £400 compensation and a sincere apology. Whereas rac have taken over 2 months to respond to my complaint, saying there is no evidence to say their patrol did the damage and claim they aren’t at fault. If this wasn’t a free service provided by ktm, I’d never buy any breakdown cover from these cowboys. I hope ktm read my review and assess wether they are in business with the right breakdown service. The rac’s customer service is absolutely non existent and they should take a leaf from ktm book. Avoid at all costs. Ps I have picture evidence of the damage caused to my bike, which is why ktm gave me the compensation they did. Reviewed on: 11th June 2023

Terrible service

Reported the car had a fault and the engine light was on continuously. Called RAC who said they would be out that day to collect the car and take it to our local garage. After numerous phone calls, and managers calling me back to promise it would be collected nothing happened. It took three days for it to eventually get picked up. I had to take time off work to wait in. Following this very stressful situation, I write a complaint to RAC who acknowledged my email and provide me with a complaints number. They promise to get back to me within 20 working day. We are now on day 27 and no response, despite writing to them again. I checked how I can take the complaint further, as per there website, I can write to the National Conciliation Service, however RAC doesn’t subscribe to any ADR scheme as they aim to resolve the complaints! Avoid at all costs. Reviewed on: 11th June 2023

Do you have a different RAC product?

Share your experiences with products to help others make smarter financial decisions and learn more about different products available. Write a review

Are you a business? Get insights, reply to reviews, invite customers and understand their needs

There's still more to see!

RAC has a range of products available. Check the ratings of each product to find the right one for you. View all products

Join Smart Money People

Keep up to date on ratings of your favourite businesses. Find out about our awards and write new reviews with ease

Create an account

News, guides and insight from our team

View resource hub