RAC vs Green Flag breakdown cover
When choosing a breakdown cover provider, it’s a good idea to do your homework. Here at the RAC, we’re proud to be one of the biggest and most popular providers in the UK. But how do we compare with Green Flag breakdown cover?
Here’s a handy guide to help you compare the difference between RAC and Green Flag breakdown cover.
Let’s compare Green Flag and RAC Breakdown Cover
When comparing breakdown cover from Green Flag and the RAC, a good place to start is checking what they include with their entry-level breakdown cover.
For example: the RAC’s ‘Basic’ and ‘Extra’ cover includes Roadside Assistance and a 20-mile taxi1 from the garage. You’ll also get 5 callouts a year; with 1 additional callout for every person or vehicle added. If you need At Home cover or unlimited callouts, you can upgrade to ‘Complete’.
As for Green Flag breakdown cover, their entry-level ‘Rescue’ cover includes Roadside Assistance, local recovery and unlimited call outs. To get more cover, you can upgrade.
The table below shows a comparison of what Green Flag and the RAC include with their entry-level breakdown cover.
RAC | Green Flag | |
Roadside Assistance | ||
20-mile taxi from the garage1 | ||
Up to 10 miles recovery to the nearest garage | ||
Free vehicle health check | ||
Cover vehicles of all ages on all cover types |
Competitor comparison based on insured cover described in Green Flag policy documents. Excludes European cover. Information correct as of January 2024.
For more information about our levels of cover, visit our RAC Breakdown Cover page. You can also find out more about which promotions we're running by heading to our dedicated deals page.
Green Flag vs RAC repair time comparison
The RAC’s patrols fix 4/5 on the spot, with repairs done in just 30 minutes on average. Green Flag’s repairs take under 60 minutes on average, with their recovery rate unknown.
Fix rate | Repair time | |
RAC | Our patrols fix 4/5 on the spot | In just 30 minutes on average |
Green Flag | Unknown | In just 60 minutes on average |
Who can I get covered on my policy?
RAC Breakdown Cover | Green Flag Breakdown Cover | |
Personal cover | Up to 5 people | Up to 4 people |
Family cover | Up to 5 people living at the same address (including students studying away) | Up to 4 people at the same address |
What else is included with the RAC compared to Green Flag’s membership?
In addition to the entry-level cover, higher levels of cover are also available. Here’s a brief comparison of the options offered by Green Flag and the RAC.
RAC cover levels
If you need more cover, you can upgrade from ‘Basic’ to ‘Extra’ or ‘Complete’.
What’s included with ‘Extra’?
As well as Roadside Assistance, our ‘Extra’ cover also includes National Recovery – which means that if we can’t fix you on the spot, we’ll tow you to any garage or destination in the UK. In addition, you get 5 callouts, with 1 additional callout added for every person or vehicle added. All our members get a range of benefits such as up to £20 off RAC tyres and a free upgrade at renewal.
What’s included with 'Complete'?
As well as everything in ‘Extra’, our ‘Complete’ cover also includes At Home – which covers you at or within ¼ mile of your home address. With ‘Basic’ and ‘Extra’ you’re not covered for this. Plus you’ll get a FREE MOT at selected RAC garages. And with our family breakdown cover, you’ll get 2 Free MOTs. You’ll also get unlimited callouts.
Need more cover? You can add Onward Travel to get a hire car for up to 3 days if your car is in the garage for repair.
For even more reassurance, you can also choose from a selection of ‘add-ons’. These include Battery Replace, Key Replace and Tyre Replace. None of these are available with Green Flag car breakdown cover.
Green Flag breakdown cover levels
You can choose between five levels of cover. These levels of cover can include cover At Home, National Recovery, Onward Travel and European cover. You get unlimited callouts with every level of cover.
Green Flag's onward travel product offers a hire car for a maximum of 2 days (48 hours).
Join the RAC today
Other differences between Green Flag and RAC Breakdown Cover
As well as comparing levels of cover and reviews, you should also look in more detail at what Green Flag can offer compared to the RAC. For example, don’t forget to check things like vehicle age restrictions, hire car limits and the number of vehicles each provider typically fixes at the roadside.
RAC | Green Flag | |
Are there any vehicle age limits? | No | Yes |
What’s the hire car limit with onward travel? | 3 days | 2 days |
How many vehicles do they fix at the roadside? | Our patrols fix 4/5 on the spot | Unknown |
How many years’ experience? | 126 years | 39 years |
Join the RAC today
Frequently Asked Questions
Whatever level of cover you have, the RAC will offer you a taxi up to 20 miles to get home or somewhere else, if your car’s in the garage overnight. Green Flag don’t offer this as standard.
Finding the right provider for you depends on your needs, so it’s worth checking what each one includes in their cover levels before you buy. The RAC is the most experienced breakdown cover provider in the UK (founded in 1897), with a trained fleet of uniformed patrols. But Green Flag relies on a ‘smart network of rescue specialists’, rather than their own mechanics.
Green Flag cover doesn’t have a lot of the extra features that will make your breakdown experience as stress-free as possible. For example, the RAC offer a taxi home up to 20 miles, but with Green Flag you’ll have to pay extra or sort out your own transport if you get stranded far from home. We also have member benefits for those with our breakdown cover, whereas Green Flag don’t.
Green Flag’s basic package is often cheaper than the RAC’s entry-level cover. But with the RAC, our ‘Basic’ cover includes a FREE car health check. Green Flag’s doesn’t include this.
Green Flag doesn’t list the prices of its UK breakdown cover on its website – you have to input your details to get a quote. Which could mean you pay more or less depending on where you are and what car you drive. You can find prices for RAC Breakdown Cover on our home page.
Green Flag breakdown cover doesn’t include the cost of parts, so it’s likely you won’t be covered for replacing an ignition switch. And as Green Flag use a network of contractors, there’s no guarantee the person who comes out to help you will have one.
Both RAC and Green Flag don’t cover misfuelling as standard, but will help you get to a nearby garage if you've put the wrong fuel in your vehicle.
You can check out the RAC's dedicated wrong fuel recovery service. And, RAC members get a £50 discount on the full price.
Both the RAC and Green Flag offer breakdown cover in Europe. Take a look at our RAC vs Green Flag European breakdown comparison to see what level of cover you can get with each provider.
Page reviewed by: Andy Baker