Perhaps somebody should make a more prominent notification of this in a new discussion, but I thought I’d mention this somewhere as it’ll presumably rule AutoAid out for most people here.
As of new contracts/renewals from last month, AutoAid have a £25 excess for callouts to vehicles older than 10 years. The wording of the terms is;
Any costs which you incur relating to a breakdown which are not covered by this Plan or the AutoAid
Insurance Policy or which the insurer declines to pay will need to be paid by you direct to the Service
Provider. This includes, the first £25 of the cost of the providing the Recovery Agent to attend to you
and your vehicle if your vehicle is 10 years old and over at the time of the breakdown. This applies to
all policies incepted or renewed on or after the 1st March 2023.
I noticed this when I renewed and you also have to ‘declare’ that you want over 10year old cover which triggers an increase in the premium.
I looked round for similar cover and could not do any better. Older cars cover and recovery home are important to me. If you just want road side assistance then there are some lower cost alternatives around.
I was previously with AutoAid but went down a different route 18 months ago.
Opened a Coop Bank Everyday Extra Current Account. Don’t actually use the account, just got it for the packaged insurance benefits.
Costs me £15 per month so £180 per year. As a joint account I get cover for myself and my wife.
UK and European breakdown cover provided by RAC.
AXA worldwide travel insurance including UK coverage and no excess on claims. You have to declare pre-existing medical conditions which we both have but these were covered free of charge. Our previous travel insurer charged us extra. Importantly while some similar policies charge extra dependent on age this cover runs until 80th birthday with no additional cost.
LSG worldwide mobile phone insurance.
I looked at annual European travel insurance and the cheapest I could find was more expensive than the complete package on the Coop account.
Worth having a look and thinking of the bigger picture. I could have found slightly cheaper packages that would cover us for a few years, both of us mid 60s at the moment. This gives us the cover we need and we aren’t going to have to start shopping around in a few years time.
