Simple saver

All the major comparison websites now offer breakdown cover price searches. But the results vary, and many fail to include services such as AutoAid's ultra-cheap pay-and-reclaim deal (see advanced saving tips).

A search on gocompare.com reveals covermybreakdown.co.uk as offering the lowest price for its basic roadside assistance, with its two-star policy priced at £22.95.

The company promises to arrange for a vehicle rescue operator to spend up to one hour to try to fix your car. If the vehicle cannot be fixed, Covermybreakdown will arrange for it to be taken to a local garage to be repaired at the driver's cost. The company says its costs are lower because it is a web-only service. But for only 5p more you can obtain cover from the ethical Environmental Transport Association (eta.co.uk).

Moneysavingexpert.com's Martin Lewis prefers Autonational Rescue (autonational.co.uk), which starts at £30 for the first car and £15 for the second. It is currently running a promotion of 15 months for the price of 12, which effectively cuts the price to £24.

Advanced saving tips

1. Pay and reclaim

A fully comprehensive home start and roadside assistance policy costs just over £100 at both the AA and the RAC, but switch to AutoAid and you can slash costs to just £36 for almost identical (or even better) cover. But there is a catch: although the AutoAid call centre will organise the recovery, you have to pay the breakdown company the full cost at the time and then reclaim the money later from AutoAid using receipts.

If you're a forgetful person or someone who is hopeless at paperwork, this deal is not for you. It's effectively an insurance service rather than a traditional breakdown service, although it has won the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of customers.

Emergency roadside repairs, relay and home start are all covered by the policy, although there's a £65 limit on the home start service to cover the cost of taking your vehicle to a local garage if it can't be repaired at home. Call 01277 235820 or try autoaidbreakdown.co.uk

2. Or get cheaper fully comprehensive cover

If pay-and-reclaim is not for you, and you'd prefer a no-hassle, full-service provider, then you'll almost certainly be veering towards the AA and the RAC. But there are plenty of other providers offering similar services at a reduced cost. If your annual mileage is relatively low and your car is fairly new, try rescuemycar.com. Unlike other breakdown service providers, it does not charge a flat rate. Instead, it takes into account individual circumstances, such as the make of the car, its age and the driver's age, and calculates a premium accordingly. For example, the premium for a fully-comp recovery service on a three-year-old car driven by a 45-year-old comes out at a very attractive £30.25. You can obtain quotes either directly from the company or via comparison websites.

If you're younger, and your car is older, then you might want to try First Call (firstcallmotorbreakdown.co.uk). Its full-service deal is priced at a flat rate of £42.50. ICBreakdown is another low-cost provider with fully-comp plans starting at £49.

3. Consider the European specialists

For budget-conscious drivers who travel to the continent at least once a year, two broker firms are vying to offer the cheapest breakdown recovery service in the market.

Vehicle Rescue Direct (vehicle-rescue.com, 0845 450 0620) and Quoteline Direct Quotelinedirect.com (0800 970 0990) are offering full UK breakdown cover for a year (including home start) plus European cover for up to 90 days a year. The Vehicle Rescue Direct policy, which is underwritten by AXA Assistance, is priced at £57.50 for cars up to 10 years old. The Quoteline Direct policy, which covers vehicles up to 20 years old, is offered by Europ Assistance.

At this sort of price, it is barely worth paying for single-premium top-ups for European cover, which can add £25-£50 with many other providers.

4. Know what's included on your car's insurance

In some cases, UK and European breakdown cover is included as standard with motor insurance policies, so you may not need to pay extra for it. For example, Marks & Spencer's car insurance includes cover for the individual in both the UK and Europe with their motor policies.

And other providers, such as More Th>n, offer deeply discounted breakdown cover when you take out their car insurance policies.

5. Bear in mind call-out times and limits

The most frequent complaint about recovery services is long wait times at the call centre, and even longer waits for a vehicle to come out. Most providers now give average times for call-out, but as they are nearly all bunched in the 35-40 minutes range, it is not especially helpful when selecting a provider.

Also, many providers cap the number of call-outs each year. For example, First Call's policy (see above) is limited to six a year.

Planet saver

The Environmental Transport Association (eta.co.uk) offers surprisingly cheap breakdown cover starting at just £23 - only 5p more than the cheapest cover in the marketplace. It is a not-for-profit campaigning organisation started in 1990 that aims to raise awareness of the impact of excessive car use and help individuals and organisations to make positive changes in their travel habits.

Quick stats

January 2 Busiest day of the year for car breakdowns, after many motors have been left in freezing, damp conditions for a week or more

Flat battery The most common reason for calling out a breakdown service

£22.95 Cheapest breakdown assistance policy on the market (source: gocompare) but not necessarily the best buy