Compare the AA vs RAC

Should I choose the AA or RAC?

Find the best breakdown cover provider for you

When deciding on breakdown cover, it’s important to do your research to work out the right provider and level of cover for you.

The AA is the biggest direct breakdown cover provider in the UK¹, followed by RAC. Below, we compare the breakdown cover options provided by the AA and RAC to help you decide which one is right for you.

The AA vs RAC – at a glance

When you compare breakdown cover providers, it's worth considering the price and flexibility of cover, as well as reviews and recommendations.

For example, the AA is the only major breakdown cover provider to be Which? Recommended in 2023 and for 6 years in a row.²

The table below provides a quick summary of some of the key differences between the AA and RAC.

Key points	The AA	RAC
Unlimited call-outs at all levels of cover³	✓ Yes	✗ No
Number of patrols⁴	2,700 – And all of our patrols have received training in electric vehicles (EVs)	1,750
Which? Recommended Breakdown Services Provider 2023	✓ Yes – Which? Recommended in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018	✗ No
Trustpilot score	4.2	3.9

Both the AA and RAC offer customers the option to upgrade their cover with different add-ons allowing you to access more services and benefits.

Get more details on how our breakdown products compare to RAC's below.

In this article

What's included in AA breakdown cover compared to RAC?
Why choose the AA?
What additional benefits do I get with an AA membership?

What's included in AA breakdown cover compared to RAC?

AA Patrol looking under hood of car

AA Roadside Assistance vs RAC

Use the table below to compare AA Roadside assistance vs RAC.

Features	The AA	RAC
Breakdown assistance at the roadside	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Unlimited call-outs	✓ Yes	✗ No – Only with Complete cover
Cover for any age of vehicle	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Tow to a nearby garage	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Free small replacement parts	✓ Yes – Up to £5 of replacement parts	✗ No
Member discounts	✓ Yes – Discounts on restaurants, car care, days out and travel	✓ Yes – Discounts on car care, days out and travel
Accident assistance	✓ Yes – Recovery of your car, and support through the insurance claim, including a hire car. Learn more about our Accident Assist service.	✓ Yes – Recovery of your car, and support through the insurance claim, including a hire car
Free advice on garage or repair bills	✓ Yes	✗ No

Get 24/7 cover from the UK's largest fleet of patrols.

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What cover does the AA offer?

AA Patrol replacing car tyre

We know that price can be an important factor when you’re choosing your breakdown cover. That’s why we’ll always offer the most flexible and best value for money option we can. Just our standard, reliable Roadside Assistance.

If you want more cover, you can always choose from our add-ons. Different providers might give their add-ons slightly different names, but ours include:

At Home – Cover if your vehicle breaks down on your driveway or close to home.

National Recovery – You and your vehicle will be take to any mainland UK destination if your vehicle can’t be fixed.

Onward Travel – Help with the cost of carrying on your journey if your vehicle can’t be fixed straightaway. It could be money towards public transport, a hire car or a hotel for the night.

Learn more about different types of cover in our breakdown cover guide.

Which? Recommended Breakdown Services Provider, 6 years running

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Our Trustpilot rating

What our members say
Reported breakdown on the app, was given an estimate of 45 minutes but the guy turned up within 15 minutes, diagnosed the fault and followed me to the nearest repair location. Excellent service all round!

Terry Faulkner

Read reviews

Why choose the AA?

We're the UK's biggest breakdown cover provider, with more expert patrols than anyone else

When you choose us, you’ll be joining millions of other customers who trust us in an emergency on the roadside.

We've been consistently rated the best major breakdown service provider by UK drivers – against all other major breakdown providers – according to the Brand and Market Tracker study⁵ from September 2021 to September 2023. Plus, a recent report showed consumers rated the AA as the most trusted and recommended brand out of the ones included in the survey.⁶

On Trustpilot, 70% of our customers gave us an “Excellent” rating after we helped them with a breakdown.

The AA is the biggest direct breakdown service provider in the UK. That means more customers directly choose us as their breakdown cover provider than any other major breakdown provider¹.

We also have more expert patrols than any other UK breakdown provider, and they've all received training in EVs.⁴ So whether you drive a petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric, we can help if you break down.

Plus, our patrols will typically get to you in less than an hour and can usually get you back on the road within 30 minutes of arrival.⁷

Which? Recommended Breakdown Services Provider 2023

We're the only major breakdown cover provider to be a Which? Recommended Provider in 2023 and for 6 years in a row. Which? also rated our expert patrols' knowledge and courtesy as 5-stars.⁸

You’ll also be choosing a provider with a Defaqto 5 star rating.⁹

Learn how Green Flag breakdown cover compares to the AA.

What additional benefits do I get with an AA membership?

If you choose breakdown cover with us, you’ll get access to great discounts through our member benefits. Our benefits include discounts and deals on:

Restaurants
Car care
Days out
Travel
Our car insurance
Our home insurance
Our personal loans

Can I use the AA online or on my mobile?

Yes - you can access your account online or through an app on your phone. With our app, you can:

Use tap and track to send us your exact location and request a mechanic when you break down.
See a map of nearby petrol stations, garages and parking.
Get reminders about your tax, service and MOT.

You can also report a breakdown online to send us your exact location and track your mechanic’s progress.

Our breakdown cover

We provide 24/7 roadside assistance and will try and fix your car on the spot. You can even track the mechanic right to your side. Just tap our free app and help's on the way.

Call us out as many times as you need to, as long as it's not a recurring problem with your vehicle.²
We cover vehicles of any age including cars, electric vehicles, vans, motorcycles, campervans and caravans.¹⁰
Get up to 20% off at over 1,500 restaurants and pubs with the app.
If you have an accident, we're here to support you with our Accident Assist service.

Build your cover with these options

At Home We come straight to your doorstep

National Recovery We’ll take you to any single UK location

Onward Travel We’ll help arrange alternative travel

Parts and Garage Cover

We'll help with repair bills after a breakdown

Buy AA breakdown cover

We have more dedicated patrols than any other UK breakdown service.

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Breakdown help and advice

Good to know

¹Biggest direct breakdown service provider

More consumer/personal members choose us than any other major UK breakdown service. Source: AA Intermediate Co Limited Interim Report 2023 (3.3m paid personal members) and RAC Bidco Limited Interim Report HY 2023 (2.7m consumer members). Verify at theAA.com/Best

²Which? Recommended

We're also the only major breakdown service to be Which? Recommended in 2023 and for 6 years in a row.

³ Unlimited call-outs

Repeat call-outs for the same fault, within 28 days, will not be covered. Your call-out levels may affect future renewals.

⁴ More patrols than anyone else

The AA uses a fleet of dedicated vehicles – which means we own and manage them, and they are driven by our own patrols. These include breakdown vans, recovery trucks and other specialist vehicles to support a wide range of breakdown situations our members find themselves in.

Sometimes we may use garages to reduce wait times, but only when necessary. We’ll always let you know in advance.

We have more expert patrols than any other major UK breakdown service. And they’ve all received training in electric vehicles. The AA is the largest UK breakdown provider, with 2,700 patrols compared to around 1,750 patrols for the second largest provider in the UK.

Sources: AA Annual Report 2023 (2,700 patrols) and RAC Class A Prospectus 2023 (1,750 patrols).

⁵Best major breakdown service provider

We’ve been consistently rated as the best breakdown service against all other major breakdown providers by UK drivers for the last 2 years according to the Brand and Market Tracker study.

The Brand and Market Tracker is a study conducted on behalf of the AA by an independent research provider (Old Street Data Science – trading name HGSR Ltd.) and the results are based on responses by participants who self-identify which provider they are with. Interviews are held with 1,500 respondents every quarter, who identify themselves as UK-based drivers, which is rolled up to 6,000 annually.

⁶ Most recommended and most trusted brand

The latest independent Mintel Vehicle Recovery report (September 2023) which showed that the consumers surveyed rated the AA as being the most trusted, most recommended, and the favourite brand of the brands covered in Mintel's survey.

Brands included in Mintel’s Vehicle Recovery report are the AA, Green Flag, RAC, Direct Line and Allianz Assistance.

⁷ Our patrols will usually get to you in less than an hour and back on the road within 30 minutes of arrival

This has been proven through our breakdown data about breakdowns that AA patrols respond to.

⁸ Our expert patrols’ knowledge and courtesy are rated 5-stars*

Which? rated our patrols' knowledge and courtesy as 5 stars in their 2023 Best Car Breakdown Providers (October 2023).

⁹ Defaqto 5-star rating

Source: Defaqto 2023, UK Motor Breakdown Cover

¹⁰ What vehicles do we cover?

Our breakdown cover includes most cars of any age (including classic cars), vans, motorbikes, caravans, and campervans. Your vehicle must be under 3.5 tonnes and 8ft 3in (2.55m) wide.

See theAA.com/Best for details on sources 1 to 2 and 4 to 8.