PERSONAL BREAKDOWN COVER

Cover for you in any car

Personal cover as a driver or passenger in any vehicle

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Roadside assistance

We fix 8/10 cars at the roadside

Mechanic

More mobile mechanics than any other UK breakdown service1

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Members rate us 4.1/5
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Personal breakdown cover

We'll rescue you if any vehicle you're in breaks down, whether you're a driver or a passenger.
  • Breakdown cover that covers you, instead of a particular car
  • If the car you’re in breaks down, we’ll come out — even if it’s not yours and you weren’t driving
  • Add up to 3 other people to your cover, so they’ll be covered in any vehicle
  • Call us out as many times as you need to, as long as it's not a recurring problem with your vehicle
Build your personal cover with these options
At home

At Home We come straight to your doorstep

Icon national recovery

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

Aa icon simplified onward travel

Onward Travel We’ll help arrange alternative travel

Aa icon simplified breakdown repair cover

Parts and Garage Cover

We'll help with repair bills after a breakdown

What is personal breakdown cover?

Personal cover means you'll get help if you're in any car that breaks down. It's different to vehicle cover, which covers your car.

    • Call us out if any vehicle you’re travelling in breaks down.
    • We'll cover you whether you’re driving or a passenger.
    • We’ll still come even if the car isn’t yours.

    Build your cover
Personal cover 360px

What are the benefits of personal cover?

With AA personal cover, we'll rescue you as a driver or passenger if any car you're in breaks down. It includes Roadside Assistance:

  • 24/7 roadside assistance if you’re more than 1/4 mile from home.
  • We’ll try to fix your vehicle on the spot (we fix 4 out of 5 cars at the roadside).
  • If your vehicle needs more repairs, we’ll tow you to a nearby garage.
  • Unlimited call outs as long as it’s not a recurring problem.

    Personal cover costs a little more than our cheapest level of vehicle cover but it gives you more flexibility to drive other cars. It also covers you as a passenger in someone else’s car.

Should I choose personal cover?

We have 2 levels of breakdown cover to choose from — personal cover and vehicle cover. Which level you choose might depend on the cars you drive and whether or not you'd like to cover anyone else.

Personal breakdown cover may suit you if:

  • You sometimes drive different cars.
  • Your household has more than 1 car.
  • You want to add up to 3 people to your cover.
  • You want to cover your children as passengers in other cars.


Will other people be covered if they drive my car?

No — personal cover is different to vehicle cover, which covers a particular vehicle, no matter who’s driving it. If you take out personal breakdown cover, it won’t automatically cover friends or family members who drive your car.

But you can add people you live with — like a partner, family members or housemates — to your personal cover. It then becomes Family Cover or Joint Cover. That way, they’ll be covered in any car, just like you.


Can I add more people to my personal cover?

Yes. With our personal-based policies, you can add up to 3 other people to your policy. You’ll all be covered in multiple cars.


Cover for two

Joint cover for you and someone you live with, as drivers or passengers in any vehicle.

You can add someone else to your personal cover as long as you both live at the same address. We'll rescue either of you if any car you're in breaks down.

Joint breakdown cover 

Family cover

Family cover covers you, and up to 3 other people you live with, as drivers or passengers in any vehicle.

You can add people to your personal cover as long as you all live at the same address. You can even add students who are temporarily living away from home.

Family breakdown cover 

What our members say

Reported breakdown on the app

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

Exclam 800black 3 Broken down now?

Don't buy online – call us 24/7 for instant cover: 03330 046 046

Don't buy online – call us 24/7 for instant cover: 03330 046 046

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Good to know
1 More mobile mechanics

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 highly skilled mobile mechanics than anyone else. And they’re all absolutely lovely. The AA is the largest UK breakdown provider, with over 2,500 patrols compared to around 1,600 patrols for the second-largest provider in the UK.

Source: AA Staff List (2,550, October 2021) and RAC website (1,600, October 2021).

2 Unlimited call-outs

Repeat call-outs for the same fault, within 28 days, will not be covered.

3 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.

About the price

Prices shown include insurance premiums payable to the insurer(s) and a fee payable under a separate contract between you and Automobile Association Insurance Services Limited (AAIS) for arranging and administering your cover. Please see the terms and conditions for more information.

AA Breakdown Cover is arranged by Automobile Association Insurance Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can check their register online. Registered office: Fanum House, Basing View, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 4EA. Registered in England and Wales number 2414212.

Policy documents

Our breakdown cover policy documents give you the terms and conditions of the contracts that make up AA Breakdown Membership and AA Breakdown Repair Cover (Parts and Garage Cover).

They are split into two parts:

  1. the policy
  2. the membership arrangement and administration contract
AA Breakdown Membership

AA Breakdown Membership Terms and Conditions Booklet – August 2023

AA Breakdown Repair Cover (Parts and Garage Cover)

AA Breakdown Repair Cover Terms and Conditions Booklet – November 2021

Member Extras

Member Extras Terms and Conditions Booklet – November 2021

Paying for your cover
How can I pay?

There are 3 ways to do this – annually by card or direct debit, or monthly by direct debit.

If you pay annually, you’ll pay up front for a fixed 12-month policy and the overall price for a year will be lower than 12 monthly payments. There’s no refund if you cancel after your 14-day cooling-off period though. You can choose how your policy renews when you set up your cover.

If you pay monthly, your account will be debited every month until your policy is cancelled. This gives you the convenience of paying per month, together with the flexibility of being able to cancel your cover at any time. After the 14-day cooling-off period, you'll just need to give us 30 days' notice.
 

Is my online payment secure?

Yes – we use the highest form of encryption available, to make sure your payment is safe.

Our secure-server software scrambles all the details you enter before they’re sent, so that only we can understand them.

Can I change my level of cover after I've bought it?

We'll write to you well in advance of your renewal, but if you'd like to talk to someone about renewing or changing your cover now, call us on 0343 316 4444.

Lines are open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday; 9am to 5pm, Saturday.

Can I buy breakdown cover for someone else?

If you want to arrange personal cover for someone else, call us on 0330 053 1100. However, if you want to cover a specific vehicle you can buy vehicle cover online.

Am I covered in someone else’s car?

Yes. With personal breakdown cover, you’re covered in any car you drive. You’re also covered if you’re a passenger in any car.

So whether you’re travelling in your own car, a friend or family member’s or someone else’s, you can call us out if you break down.

Should I choose vehicle or personal cover?

When you buy cheap breakdown cover with us, you can choose from 2 cover levels. One covers the person and the other covers the vehicle:


Personal cover will cover you as a driver or passenger in any vehicle. You don’t need to pick a car to cover or give us your number plate. But it won’t cover other people who drive your car. And you have to be in the broken-down car to call us out.

Vehicle cover lets you choose 1 vehicle to cover on your breakdown policy. Anyone who breaks down while driving that car will be covered, even if the policyholder isn’t there.

Find out more about vehicle cover.

How do I choose the right cover?

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you’re choosing your level of breakdown cover:


  • Does my household have more than 1 car?
  • Do different family members share the same car?
  • Do I usually drive the same car or different cars?
  • Do I have children I'd like to cover as passengers?

Personal cover might be the best choice if you have more than 1 car in your household. It could also suit you if you often drive different cars or you'd like to cover your kids when they travel with other people.

If you always drive the same car, or if you share your car with other people, then vehicle cover might suit you better.

To help you choose, read our advice on how to compare breakdown cover.

What are the different types of breakdown cover?

Personal cover works if you’d like cover in multiple vehicles:

You can add more people to your personal cover as long as they live with you:

You can choose to cover 1 vehicle for anyone who drives it:

For more information about the different levels of cover, read our breakdown cover guide.

How do I find out what type of cover I have?

If you already have cover with us but can’t remember if it’s personal or vehicle, don’t worry. You can log in to your account to check your cover.

Call now to buy breakdown cover

0330 053 1100

We're open 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday; 9am to 5pm, Saturday.

Call now

Call now to change or discuss your cover

0343 316 4444

We're open 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday; 9am to 5pm, Saturday.

Call now