Car Breakdown service: best value option?

gaiscioch

I see on Pigsback a company named cartow.ie is offering a year's coverage for €25. This is substantially cheaper than what I'm currently paying to AA. As I never used AA once in the past year, I'm naturally trying to reduce that bill.

Breakdown Assistance and a whole years worth of peace of mind from Cartow.ie, for €25

Has anybody ever used Cartow? How does the €25 service differ from similar services by AA, FBD and the like? Is it big enough to not leave you stranded in, say, rural west Cork for hours waiting to be collected? Thanks.

jimgoose

AXA provide breakdown assist for €30. I used it once, last year, and I couldn't fault it. This year I effectively got it for €5 through fighting-and-tangling with them, but that's another tin a' beans. :pac:

CreepingDeath

Most car insurance policies (except the AA !) offer some form of breakdown assist as part of the policy.

iamtony

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Most car insurance policies (except the AA !) offer some form of breakdown assist as part of the policy.

Liberty will only tow you to a garage of your choice within a certain distance which sucks for DIY enthusiasts.

Patrick2010

I'm with 123 and can't fault their breakdown service. Last week when I had to call them a very nice AA man turned up in 20 minutes, they must subcontract to AA when necessary.

porsche boy

The AA will try to fix the car on the spot, Cartow is just a towing service.

FishOnABike

It depends on what you want it to cover. The breakdown cover I had through my insurance wouldn't have cost a whole lot more but the one time I needed it it more than paid for itself.

Broke down late Sunday afternoon half way up the country, no garages open so car was towed to the towing companies compound in the nearest large town and kept safe overnight. No hire car available locally until the morning so I was given the option of a taxi to Galway and picking one up there or staying in a local hotel overnight and picking up a hire car in the morning.

Next day my car was delivered to my local garage, about three hours away and I had the use of the hire car for two days to get me home and drop off at the hire companies nearest depot about half an hour from where I lived.

The insurance company managed all the towing, car hire booking and hotel booking. Handy when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I can't remember how much the breakdown assistance added to the car insurance cost but it wasn't a significant ammount and was more than worth it when needed.

Check what the offer covers and compare the cost and cover with other options. Mine didn't cost that much more.

Del2005

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Most car insurance policies (except the AA !) offer some form of breakdown assist as part of the policy.

Love ringing the AA for quotes when they say that they will match any offer, then asking is recovery included and pointing out that they aren't anywhere near matching if I have to buy their recovery separate.

granturismo

AA give a reduction on insurance to AA members. Last year my insurance premium plus AA membership equalled the next cheapest insurance quote. AA also give a reduction on house insurance.

magentis

FishOnABike wrote: »

It depends on what you want it to cover. The breakdown cover I had through my insurance wouldn't have cost a whole lot more but the one time I needed it it more than paid for itself.

Broke down late Sunday afternoon half way up the country, no garages open so car was towed to the towing companies compound in the nearest large town and kept safe overnight. No hire car available locally until the morning so I was given the option of a taxi to Galway and picking one up there or staying in a local hotel overnight and picking up a hire car in the morning.

Next day my car was delivered to my local garage, about three hours away and I had the use of the hire car for two days to get me home and drop off at the hire companies nearest depot about half an hour from where I lived.

The insurance company managed all the towing, car hire booking and hotel booking. Handy when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I can't remember how much the breakdown assistance added to the car insurance cost but it wasn't a significant ammount and was more than worth it when needed.

Check what the offer covers and compare the cost and cover with other options. Mine didn't cost that much more.

Jeez that was good service.
Who was that with?

scudzilla

Thanks OP, Car Insurance up this week, was going to stick with 123 who were coming in at 565, checked the AA online and coming in at 420, fully comp with full no claims protection, delighted with that

Extra 25 off for being an AA member

FishOnABike

magentis wrote: »

Jeez that was good service.
Who was that with?

25plus. It was five or six years ago. Either I was lucky or they seem to have since changed the recovery / towing to the nearest competent repairer but all the rest is the same (hotel, car hire...). Was handy at the time to have the car brought to my regular local garage rather than have to sort out repair and subsequent collection from half the length of the country away.

gaiscioch

FishOnABike wrote: »

25plus. It was five or six years ago. Either I was lucky or they seem to have since changed the recovery / towing to the nearest competent repairer but all the rest is the same (hotel, car hire...). Was handy at the time to have the car brought to my regular local garage rather than have to sort out repair and subsequent collection from half the length of the country away.

Yeah, Chill Insurance offered me car insurance today with that "we tow your car to your local garage from anywhere in Ireland" service for €9 per month as part of their ridiculously expensive insurance quote. €108 per year was too much given that I've a relatively new car which has not needed any assistance since I bought it last year. I think it would be bad value. As they were not willing to drop that €108 from the car insurance quote, they lost my business. The "we tow to the nearest garage" service works out considerably cheaper.

allaboutit

porsche boy wrote: »

The AA will try to fix the car on the spot, Cartow is just a towing service.

I've a membership with CarTow.ie and they cover everything, not just towing. They changed my tyre recently and were out in half an hour, the driver was very helpful and let me sit in the truck as it was raining. A year's membership is only around 40 euro, and they work all over the country so it's perfect if you travel home at weekends like me!