Cheap Breakdown Cover Roadside assistance from £10/year

Important update: Forumers have reported problems with AA cashback not tracking correctly via Quidco. We've contacted Quidco and will post any updates here. Don't forget, cashback is never 100% guaranteed, see the Cashback Safety Rules.

What's the deal?

Get £19.19 cashback when you sign up for AA breakdown cover under £75 via a special cashback website, effectively making it £10.81 for its £30 basic policy.

How do I get it?

Rather than signing up to the AA direct, sign up for its £30 policy via Topcashback*. Assuming the cashback tracks successfully, it'll then be credited to your cashback account for you to withdraw, though be patient as this can take a while. The offer's only valid if you pay for the full policy upfront (rather than by monthly payments).

It's important to note cashback's never guaranteed - see below for a full explanation. Alternatively, Quidco* pays £19 when you sign up for AA breakdown cover that's up to £75.99. Do note that Quidco takes the first £5 earned each year.

New to cashback sites - read this. Cashback sites list retailers and product providers, and get paid if you click through them. Importantly, they then give some or all of this cash to you.

If you've never done it before, its important you read the Top Cashback Sites guide before continuing. While there shouldn't be a problem with these deals, you need to understand the payout's never 100% guaranteed - if there's a dispute with the retailer and the cashback site doesn't get paid, you usually don't either, so you may end up paying full price; always bear this in mind. Though with breakdown cover, usually problems are rare.

What's the deal?

Sign up to the RAC's £29.99 basic breakdown cover via a specialist cashback website and you can get £5.05 cashback when you sign up for cover that's up to £50, effectively making its basic policy £24.94.

How do I get it?

Register with cashback site Topcashback*, then sign up for the RAC's basic vehicle cover via the Topcashback site. The cashback offer's only valid if you sign up and pay for the full policy upfront (rather than by monthly payments).

If the cashback tracks successfully, it'll then be credited to your Topcashback account for you to withdraw, though be patient as this can take a while. It's important to note cashback's never guaranteed - see below for a full explanation.

Alternatively, Quidco* pays £5. Do note Quidco takes the first £5 earned each year.

New to cashback sites - read this. Cashback sites list retailers and product providers, and get paid if you click through them. Importantly, they then give some or all of this cash to you.

If you've never done it before, its important you read the Top Cashback Sites guide before continuing. While there shouldn't be a problem with these deals, you need to understand the payout's never 100% guaranteed - if there's a dispute with the retailer and the cashback site doesn't get paid, you usually don't either, so you may end up paying full price; always bear this in mind. Though with breakdown cover, usually problems are rare.

What's the deal? If you're a Tesco shopper, hoard your Clubcard points and you can get ultra cheap breakdown cover.

How does it work? Spend Tesco Clubcard vouchers on goods or services listed in its Deals brochure and you get back up to four times their face value.

One of the deals offered is an RAC roadside recovery policy, meaning you can sometimes get it at about a third of the cost.

Which policies can I get? Not all the usual packages are available, so see the table below for the range on offer. For more info read Loyalty Points Boosting.

Eco friendly provider Green Insurance* offers basic roadside cover for £17.80. However, use the code 'EXPERT' to get a further 10% off when you buy online, taking this down to £16.02 (you'll need to enter the code via the link above to get it). The offer's scheduled to end on 1 February 2012.

It's for cars that are five years and younger and breakdowns further than a mile from your house. It includes an hour's roadside labour, after which your car will be towed to the nearest garage.

Green Insurance is a relative newcomer in comparison to the big breakdown providers so we have limited feedback on this - please let us know how you've got on in the forum discussion.

If you want a company with more of a long-standing reputation, the next cheapest is likely to be the RAC*'s basic cover, £28 at full price (see deals above).

Little-known company AutoAid is our overall top pick. This is a pay and reclaim policy, meaning it works very differently to the more traditional AA and RAC cover (see full ' Pay and reclaim' info).

This UK-only provider's a subsidiary of large insurer Boncaster, which also runs AutoNational's breakdown recovery.

Considering what's included, nothing really comes close for price unless you've a stockpile of Tesco Clubcard vouchers (see above):

• It insures the person, not the car. This means vehicle age, mileage and reliability are irrelevant, plus caravans and trailers are included.

• Free cover for a spouse. You'll also get free cover for a spouse or certificated civil partner. Sadly, this doesn't apply if you're just co-habiting.

• Onward transport. Most budget policies only fix the car at the roadside or tow to a garage. With AutoAid you'll get transport to your destination for up to six people in total, including the driver.

• Home breakdown cover, limited to £65. It pays for labour and recovery, but not parts.

AutoAid's stated average call out time is 40 minutes, so it's roughly on a par with others. What's more, it pays back claims within 14 days. It's now been our top pick for a few years and MoneySavers who use it almost universally report good feedback - add your experiences. One forumer reports:

A couple wanting roadside assistance, cover at home and national recovery from the AA would normally pay over £100 - yet AutoAid provides the same for just £38 a year.

While cheaper than AutoAid, this full service policy only covers a specific car that's five years and younger, and AutoAid provides cover for two people.

It's usually £28.80, but you can use the code 'EXPERT' to get a further 10% off when you buy online, taking this down to £25.92 (you'll need to enter the code via this Green Insurance* link to get it). It's scheduled to end on 1 February 2012.

We also have less feedback on it, so we can't vouch for its reliability - let us know your experiences in the forum discussion.

Green Insurance's Green Assist Recovery policy is only for cars five years or less. Its policy is vehicle-based, so it'll cover any driver. It includes home start and roadside repairs, plus onward recovery for you and passengers.

Next is First Call's £32 policy, including roadside assistance and repairs, home start, and onward travel. It's also valid for cars of any age, though it may ask for proof of service history.

Watch out though - its £40 home start excess means you pay the first £40 of any repairs within a mile of home.

For cover without the excess, it also has a UK Breakdown policy for £42.50. First Call's cover is vehicle-specific, so it covers anyone driving the vehicle that's named on the policy. It's worth noting First Call's feedback is patchy, please let us know how you get on in the forum discussion.

Usually £58.85, Green Insurance*'s Euro Recovery policy includes roadside repair, onward recovery, home start, and up to 60 days of cover in Europe over the policy (max 31 days cover per trip).

However, you can use the code 'EXPERT' to get a further 10% off when you buy online, taking this down to £52.97 (you'll need to enter the code via the link above to get it). It's scheduled to end on 1 Feb 2012.

It covers cars aged up to 10 years old at this price, though watch out as it jumps to £99.85 at full price if your car is 11 years old or more. If this applies to you, see below for a cheaper alternative.

Unlike the above deal, Quoteline Direct*'s £59 policy is particularly good if you've got a car that's over 10 years old (though it only covers cars under 16).

It includes roadside repairs, home start, onward recovery, and more. Its vehicle-based policy covers any insured driver of the car, and allows up to 60 days abroad per year, for up to 31 days per trip.