It’s 15 years since I left the AA, and drivers’ hours regs have apparently changed since then for recovery drivers, but back then you’d not want a driver a long way from home having run out of hours/shift. We used to deploy from multiple deployment sites - I was in Cheadle, Stockport - and anything going long distance north would maybe go to Gretna to be handed over to an Erskine truck. Hilton Park would be handover point for anything going into Halesowen’s area. So far as diagnosing on a phone call, the system would prompt the call handler to ask relevant questions to determine whether to turn out a patrol or truck. Equally, if something with a K Series engine popped up on your screen showing a fault of overheating, you’d just send a truck… Sometimes you’d have to send what was obviously the wrong resource to get someone to safety on a tow pole. So, no, it wasn’t always perfect, but not for lack of trying.

I had an accident while out for the day during a caravan holiday in Central Scotland - as part of my Caravan Club Mayday cover, Green Flag sent a contractor out who towed us back to the camp site with a spectacle lift - my car insurers would cover the car recovery but not the caravan so I invoked the double journey cover and got Green Flag to arrange recovery of both car and caravan back to our home in the Midlands, they sent a flat-bed out from Glasgow and took us all the way home, 400 miles - it would have been purgatory doing that with AA Relay.

I subsequently changed my car to a 4wd automatic and had issues with the RAC warranty cover when the immobiliser kicked in (a known fault that needed the immobiliser replacing by the dealer) - RAC quoted me 6 hours wait for a patrol who would confirm my diagnosis and arrange recovery for which there was another 2-3 hours wait.

I'm interested to hear of recent free-wheeling hubs and slave wheels which at least avoids the double wait.

so am I right in thinking because the AA and RAC have their own fleet they will try and fix it roadsire where as the others will just take you to the nearest garage (and then do you have to pay for it yourself)

Thanks for sharing your experience , that's really helpful .

The Which report certainly confirms that AXA offer the best service followed by Start which cover I chose as they offer a better price for multiple vehicles.

But Nationwide Flex at £14 a month still looks good if you need phone cover and travel insurance and multiple vehicles including vans. They use LV Brittania.