Compare Breakdown Cover

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Which? Recommended Provider Breakdown Services September 2021

Finding the right vehicle breakdown policy can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. With the help of Start Rescue you can compare breakdown cover products against your demands, needs and budget with ease - whether you’re a new driver, or you’re simply looking for a different breakdown service provider.

This handy breakdown cover comparison guide will provide you with an overview of what you can expect to find included as part of your breakdown cover policy with Start Rescue v's RAC, The AA and Green Flag.

The Two Types of Breakdown Cover

Breakdown cover is usually provided in one of two ways: vehicle-based, when only a specific vehicle is covered; or personal, which covers any vehicle the covered person is travelling in.

The types of cover offered can vary between insurers. For more information, please see the breakdown cover comparison table below.

How does Start Rescue compare to The AA, RAC and Green Flag?

With a breakdown policy from Start Rescue you can be assured of breakdown cover that not only matches, but exceeds the main providers in the industry at a fraction of the price.

Our one and two star policies are on par with similar policies offered by the likes of the AA and RAC.

For added peace of mind, if you opt to choose our 5 star breakdown cover we even include cover against theft, vandalism and driver/illness/injury. Neither RAC, The AA, nor Green Flag offer such a comprehensive package as part of any of their policies, and you’re still likely to pay a lower premium for our 5* breakdown cover than you would pay for a standard policy with one of the others.

At Start Rescue we appreciate that most homes now own multiple vehicles. Although we already offer affordable breakdown cover, we even offer a further discount if you wish to add more than one vehicle to your policy.

	Start Rescue	Green Flag	RAC	The AA
Provide vehicle cover?	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Additional vehicle discount	✔️ 10% off	✔️	✔️	❌
Provide personal based cover?	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Number of people allowed on Personal Breakdown policies	4	1	5	4
Accident Recovery	✔️	✔️ Costs not covered	✔️ Costs not covered	✔️
Unlimited Callouts	✔️	✔️	✔️ Only on 'Extra' and 'Complete' plans	✔️
Misfuel Cover	✔️ Up to £250 cover for a drain and flush, plus 10 litres of fuel.	❌ Taken to the nearest repair centre but not covered for drain and flush.	❌ Can arrange for a drain and flush but costs are not covered	❌ Provided at an additional cost when misfuelling occurs.
Theft, Vandalism or Driver Illness/Injury as an additional option	✔️ Theft, Vandalism or Driver Illness/Injury is available on Start Rescue's 5 Star policy.	❌	❌ Does not cover theft or vandalism. The policyholder is covered if they fall ill- this is discretionary	❌
Breakdowns can be reported via either a mobile app or phone	✔️ App or phone	✔️ App or phone	✔️ App or phone	✔️ App or phone

This information is believed to be correct after obtaining from startrescue.co.uk, greenflag.com, rac.co.uk and theaa.com in September 2026.

What's included in Breakdown Cover?

Roadside Assistance

This is included as standard. If your vehicle breaks down, your provider will dispatch a Vehicle Recovery Operator who will aim to make repairs and get you back on the road.

Recovery

If you break down in a dangerous location, breakdown service providers have a duty of care to recover you, your passengers and your vehicle to a safe destination. However, this is not the only scenario when you might need to be recovered. Recovery might be needed if the fault is of such a nature that it cannot be repaired at the roadside.

How far breakdown providers take you will depend on the policy terms and conditions. Providers typically include local recovery as standard. For example, Start Rescue’s local recovery guarantees recovery within 10 miles of the breakdown scene. Comparatively, the RAC’s roadside cover also guarantees a tow to a garage or a destination of your choice up to 10 miles of the breakdown scene. To be recovered any further you’ll need to choose a policy that features nationwide recovery - available with all major UK providers, and included with Start Rescue’s 2, 3, 4 and 5-Star policies.

Home Assist

If you break down at your registered home address, a home assist feature will ensure a Vehicle Recovery Operator is sent to your home to repair your vehicle. If they are unable to repair it, they will recover it to a garage. Maximum recovery distances and other limitations may vary between providers.

Alternative Travel

Alternative travel provides safety and peace of mind if you break down away from home. Alternative travel features vary between providers. For example, startrescue.co.uk will cover the cost of a hire car, hotel accommodation and/or alternative transport.

Compare European Breakdown Cover

If you leave the UK without breakdown cover that covers you in Europe, getting breakdown assistance in Europe can be a challenge and expensive. Having European breakdown cover which is normally based on a registered vehicle as opposed to personal cover, means if you break down whilst driving in a specified European country, you’ll be back on the road in no time. If you are planning to use your vehicle in Europe more than once in 12 months, or you wish to travel for more than 31 consecutive days, you can usually add ‘Europe’ as an extra option to your annual breakdown policy.

If you have chosen a personal breakdown policy rather than a vehicle based breakdown policy, you may be required to nominate the vehicle you want to be covered in whilst travelling in Europe. Some personal breakdown policies do not cover you in Europe at all. In that case, you will need to buy a separate vehicle based Short Term European cover. Check your terms and conditions to see what level of cover you have in place before starting your trip abroad!

	Start Rescue	Green Flag	RAC	The AA
Maximum Short Term European Period	31 days	90 days	90 days	365 days
Maximum Annual European cover	90 days with vehicle based cover only	90 days (Maximum of 30 days per trip)	Up to 90 days per trip	365 days
Countries covered	40	40	48	45
Pre-departure cover	Up to 7 days prior to a pre-booked trip	Up to 7 days prior to a pre-booked trip	48 hours before your departure date	72 hours before scheduled departure time
Annual European cover	✔️ Available with 4 and 5-Star policies	✔️	✔️	✔️

This information is believed to be correct after obtaining from startrescue.co.uk, greenflag.com, rac.co.uk and theaa.com in September 2026.

Compare Breakdown Provider Reviews

Breakdown cover is one of the few services we buy hoping we’ll never need to use it. But if a breakdown does happen, it’s reassuring to know an experienced Vehicle Recovery Operator will be sent to help straight away.

Review sites provide a really good source when choosing a provider. They offer real opinions of real customers, so give a great insight as to what you can expect in the way of customer service and service levels from each company.

Start Rescue consistently scores higher on review websites than the main competitors; Green Flag, RAC and The AA.

It’s little wonder that 97% 0f our customers recommend us after receiving assistance with their breakdown.

	Start Rescue	Green Flag	RAC	The AA
Which? Recommended Breakdown Service	✔️	❌	❌	❌
Reviews.co.uk score (out of 5)	4.7	2.2	1.4	2.8

*Scores correct as of 07/09/26

https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/startrescuecouk
https://www.reviews.io/company-reviews/store/greenflag-com
https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/RAC
https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/the-aa

Based on 4706 reviews

Showing our 4 & 5 star reviews

Very good service even on a bank holiday. Both the roadside repair technician and the vehicle recovery driver were polite, reassuring and helpful.

kirsty 2 Hours Ago

VERY GOOD NEVER LET US DOWN 10/10

Andrea Sims 1 Days Ago

Breakdown service works like a treat , bit longer than expected but I was in the middle of nowhere, recovered professionally and transported to the ga...

Martin Saville 3 Days Ago

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