RAC Reviews

Name: RAC
Rating: 1.43

1.4 Rating 3,131 Reviews

10 %

of reviewers recommend RAC

Company Reviews

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1.4

Based on 3,131 reviews

Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email
Queries Resolved In	2 - 3 Hours

Phone:

801 82 82 82

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105

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“I had an absolutely disgraceful experience with RAC. My husband and I were on our way to London to celebrate my birthday and fulfil a religious obligation when, at around 4:00 PM, my front tyre suddenly blew out on the motorway. The blowout caused significant damage to my car, including the side skirts, bumper, and driver's side mirror. We immediately called RAC and gave them a full, accurate description of the incident so they could send the correct recovery vehicle. Instead, they completely failed to record the incident correctly. After waiting 4 hours on the hard shoulder, a recovery driver finally arrived at 8:00 PM – only to tell us that RAC had logged the incident as a simple puncture. Because of their mistake, he wasn't authorised to recover our vehicle. We had already explained the extent of the damage when we first called, yet RAC's incompetence meant we were left stranded for even longer. They then told us we'd have to wait for another recovery vehicle, with an estimated arrival between 11:30 PM and 2:30 AM. The only people who actually cared were the National Highways Traffic Officers – and Kudos to them. One officer checked on us multiple times throughout the evening, was shocked that we were still stranded hours later, and escalated our situation himself. Without his intervention, I genuinely question how much longer we'd have been left there. Even then, the next recovery driver who turned up at 9:50 PM (we were just shy of 6 hours by then!) could only take us 12 miles to a service station because his shift had ended. From 10:00 PM onwards, we were effectively abandoned. Every hour we called RAC for an update, often waiting over 30 minutes just to speak to someone, only to hear the same response: "We can't guarantee when someone will be with you." For a company whose entire business revolves around roadside recovery, that answer is quite outrageous. At 3:00 AM we desperately tried to book a room at a Travelodge, only to discover there were no vacancies. We were left with no choice but to spend the night sleeping in a damaged car with all our luggage. We barely slept. By 5:00 AM, exhausted, cold and completely defeated, RAC suggested sending us an Uber into London while leaving our damaged vehicle behind. Their solution was for us to leave the keys with a stranger or hidden under a tyre. Unsurprisingly, we refused. At 6:20 AM we eventually accepted an Uber into London, having no realistic alternative. In total, RAC left us stranded for around 19 hours because they failed to log our breakdown correctly from the very beginning. Throughout the ordeal we received poor communication, repeated delays, empty apologies and no meaningful support. Even speaking to a manager achieved nothing beyond being told there was "nothing we can do." 28 hours later, and our car still hasn’t been recovered! This isn’t simply an inconvenience – it’s a complete failure of the service we pay for. We trusted RAC to help us in an emergency, and they’ve let us down at every stage.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 weeks ago

“100/10 service from our RAC patrol and one of the nicest people i've ever met. Breakdown Reference Code: I618PG416 Our MINI broke down while we were on holiday in North Wales after visiting Chester Zoo. The car suddenly displayed a "Battery Not Charging" warning and we feared we could be stranded hundreds of miles from home. The RAC patrol arrived promptly, immediately put us at ease, and took the time to properly investigate the fault rather than rushing the job. He quickly diagnosed a failed crankshaft pulley and explained everything clearly, giving us confidence in what was happening and what our options were. What really stood out was his professionalism, kindness, and genuine care. He arranged recovery to a local garage, spoke directly with the mechanic, explained the situation in detail, and made sure we were looked after. The diagnosis proved to be 100% correct, with the garage confirming the fault and repairing the vehicle the following day. Despite what was a stressful situation, he kept us calm throughout and went above and beyond what we expected. He is a real credit to the RAC and exactly the sort of person you hope turns up when you're stuck far from home. A huge thank you for getting us safely on the right path and helping turn a potential holiday disaster into a manageable situation. Absolute gentleman and an asset to the RAC.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 weeks ago

“The RAC caused £1,500 OF DAMAGE to my car and refused to accept any liability. DO NOT TRUST THEM WITH YOUR VEHICLE. I had suffered a blow out on the motorway and called the RAC to swap the wheel for the spare - which they did. With my hazards left on for the duration my battery died and they jump started my car. I have jump started the car several times myself without a problem - but after the RAC jump started the car the passenger side indicator was blown. I had to pay c.£200 for a garage to investigate - my car has a progressive LED indicator which can't be replaced individually and there is no single bulb to replace so the entire light cluster had to be replaced for c.£1400! The RAC seem to think this was all a massive coincidence and nothing to do with them!!! Just a fault that happened to develop at exactly the same time! Obviously it's impossible to prove so they've just stuck a middle finger up at me. No surprises there!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 weeks ago

“We broke down on the motorway at 1:45pm. First call told me to ring my insurer. My insurer transferred me back to RAC, then I spent 45 minutes talking to an automated machine. When I finally got through, I told them there were three of us, including my 8-year-old son who has ADHD. The rescue van arrived around 5pm – over 3 hours later. The guy said the car wasn't safe to drive, but he only had space for 2 people. Didn't seem unbothered.He told us they'd need to arrange a flatbed or transport for the third person after adding oil in the car and patronising me about the car and making sure we pay for the oil engine as that was more important than the fact that he wasn't helpful Then he said transport had been denied and we had to wait for the flatbed hopefully it won't be long. We were all scared. My son especially. We were cold, tired, and couldn't even stay in the car while waiting on the side of the motorway. We didn't get off the motorway until 8pm. I would not recommend RAC at all.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“IF YOU VALUE YOUR TIME AND YOURSELF, YOU SHOULD AVOID THIS COMPANY! MY VEHICLE WAS BROKEN DOWN ON THE 25TH AND RAC RECOVERED MY VEHICLE AND PROMISED TO TAKE IT TO A GARAGE THE FOLLOWING DAY MORNING! IT HAS BEEN 4 DAYS AND THEY ARE STILL HOLDING MY VEHICLE AT THEIR STORAGE. THEY TOLD ME THAT "I AM NOT A PRIORITY BECASUE I AM NOT WITH THE VEHICLE ANYMORE". I HAVE SPENT MORE THAN 11 HOURS CALLING THEM IN THE PAST 4 DAYS AND EVERY PERSON I SPOKE TO, GAVE ME A DIFFERENT STORY! VALUE YOUR TIME AND AVOID THIS RUTHLESS, UNPROFESSIONAL COMPANY!!!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Today my car broke down in the very hot weather we are being given. Troy the RAC mechanic who came to me qas very professional and efficient. He towed my car home and diagnosed my car fault and I am now booked in for a car repair alot sooner than I expected thanks to Troy. The communication from Troy was first class and everything was explained to me. Thanks to Troy and the RAC I am back home and able to return to work duties from tomorrow.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“On Friday 22nd of May I contacted they RAC and Scott came out. He explained everything, clear communication, professional and clean and tidy when fixing my car. I would definitely be happy for Scott to come back again. He's a credit to your company.”

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Posted 1 month ago

“I would like to express my disappointment regarding my recent experience with RAC on May 18. At around 1:00 am, my car would not start while I was at a petrol station. I reported the problem immediately and received a text message from RAC. I was parked at the back of the petrol station near the laundry machine/launderette area because I was washing my clothes at the time. I was very worried about leaving my car there because I was afraid it might get towed. After waiting for about three hours, I finally received a phone call from RAC. I was told that no mechanic was available at that time and that it would be better for me to go home. Because of this, I had to pay for a cab to get home while feeling very stressed and worried about my car. During the call, I was informed that a mechanic would arrive around 6:15 am to 6:45 am, and that I would be given enough notice so I could travel back to the petrol station. I woke up early and waited for updates, but nobody called me. The text message updates were very confusing and unreliable because the estimated arrival time kept changing from 9:00 am, then 10:00 am, then 11:00 am. Because I was worried my car would be towed, I decided to go back to the petrol station myself at around 6:30 am. When I arrived, someone from RAC finally called and told me the mechanic would arrive in about one hour. However, I still waited another two hours before the mechanic arrived. I want to say that the mechanic himself was very professional, kind, and helpful. He explained everything clearly, and I appreciate his excellent service. My car was eventually fixed around 8:50 am by replacing the battery, which I had to pay for upfront. Overall, I waited almost eight hours to receive help from RAC. The long waiting time, poor communication, confusing updates, and stress caused by the situation were extremely disappointing and unacceptable. I expected much better support and reliability from RAC during an emergency situation.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“RAC auto-renewed my policy with no straightforward way to disable auto-renewal in the app, then charged me £25 to cancel on the same day. Feels designed to trap customers into unwanted renewals and penalise them for opting out. Very poor customer experience and not what I’d expect from a trusted brand.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Called RAC for Enterprise hire car. Took 2.5 hours to give me an arrival time. The estimated arrival time was 6 hours after I broke down. Hopeless. Their telephone service does all it can to force you onto an app. Shame I couldn’t give them zero…”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“A lone, vulnerable female told the waiting time for a response would be five hours, absolutely shocking and appalling service or lack of it. I will never use this company again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“DO NOT USE RAC FOR BREAKDOWN COVER!!!! I’d changed over from The AA to RAC following multiple emails and a more reasonable price, however, what a mistake that was! I’ve never really used breakdown cover, however, always had cover for piece of mind. The only time I really needed it was following a breakdown whereby my clutch had given up away from home. Contacted the RAC and was informed that it would take 5 hours to attend. Even tho I thought this was significant, it was only me in the car so I understood their priorities. After 2 hours though, the response time changed a number of time to the point where it was now going to be the next day! I ended up cancelling the recovery as they couldn’t confirm a time window. The mechanic ended up attending 3 days later after lots of negotiation. After that, I tght that this was a breach of contract and therefore cancelled my policy and made a complaint. The complaint was closed far far sooner than my response time funnily enough and I was basically told to bugger off. I then get a letter within 3 days to say I hadn’t paid the cancellation admin fee and I had been reported to a credit reference agency and if I didn’t reply asap, this would be escalated. After many phone calls and attempt to reach common ground, I was again told if was not their problem. Therefore, not only is their response shocking, but the customer service is just as bad! AVOID AVOID AVOID!”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“Absolutely shocking service!!! Was paying over £30 per month for breakdown cover. Our car broke down once and was recovered to a garage after a 3 and a half hour wait. The problem was found to be a faulty oil pressure switch, so we had this fixed and collected the car. Unfortunately, a few days later the car broke down again for a different reason (nightmare, right?) and of course, this time it was a busy road in Exeter city. My partner (a woman on her own who suffers from Generalised Anxiety Disorder) was panicking and called me and I told her not to panic, we were covered, and to go on the app as before and report the break down. This time, the app rejected her report and gave her a number to call instead. She called the number and was told that because we had broken down within 7 days we had to get the mechanic to email to confirm what work had been completed. The only problem was, the mechanic was not available, was not at work, and we couldn’t get hold of him. We had no choice but to pay for her car to be privately recovered back to a garage and have now fixed the second problem. So, we were paid policy holders but had to pay to have our car recovered. I wrote a complaint and the case handler responded that there was “no record of our second breakdown” presumably because she couldn’t see it on the app. So essentially, despite a 3-minute call to the RAC recorded on her Iphone during which they outlined the reasons they wouldn’t come out, and this being evident on her call log and presumably on their system, my partner is a liar and must have imagined the whole thing? They refused to refund the money I had paid for private recovery so understandlably, I chose to cancel my membership moving forward. Fast forward a few days and the RAC have written me a threatening letter saying they have been unable to take a new payment (naturally I cancelled my direct debit) and have threatened me with referals to credit agencies if I don’t pay THEM a cancellation charge of £130!!! I have called several times only to be told my “case handler” will “get back to me” via email. She hasn’t. The letter says if I don’t hand them £130 by 26/05/26 for a cancellation fee I am at risk of damage to my credit. I have just submitted a second complaint. AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS they will charge you through the nose, fail to recover you and then harass and threaten you when you (understandably) choose to take your custom elsewhere. APPALLING.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Despite opting out of my fathers autorenewal online in April 26. I find that the settings have changed 4x weeks later and he has now been charged £168 for the renewal. This is an unauthorised charge and very dirty behaviour. We will never use RAC again.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Thank to Richard my mechanic for today. I booked a service for my car. Brilliant chap, explained everything clearly, was thorough in his work. Very impressed with his professionalism, and proficiency.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Zero stars. Unreliable, unreachable, and potentially dangerous. I paid a premium for family cover to ensure peace of mind, but the RAC has provided nothing but extreme stress. If zero stars were an option, I’d use it. Here is the reality of their "service": The Tech Gap: The app is broken. It constantly forces you to call, where you then sit on hold for 30–60 minutes. Furthermore, the "family" login doesn't work for other members. Incident 1 (Safety Issue): After an hour on the phone while in a dangerous position, we gave up. It was literally faster and safer to get our own tow ropes and recover the car ourselves. Incident 2 (The 10-Hour Wait): My daughter was stranded on a main road. It took 10 hours for a rescue to arrive. Completely unacceptable for a major breakdown provider. Incident 3 (Financial Loss): Despite having repair cover for a flat tire, a 40-minute phone wait meant nearby garages closed before they arrived. They then couldn't fix it, forcing me to pay an extra £200 for a mobile repair. The RAC is easily the worst company I have ever dealt with. They take your money and disappear when you are at your most vulnerable. Avoid at all costs.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“It takes them 5 days to email you a receipt ?! 5 Days OMG it takes 2 secs in the real world. And they cannot automate or send out a receipt automatatically I work in AI thats bad in this day and age the guy in customer service tells me its a spreadsheet thats updated. Workflows - Automations lol so if they don't invest in this side of the biz begs the question what else are they not investing in? Do you trust them with fixing or repairing your car???”

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Posted 2 months ago

“The RAC guy turned up, didn't bother to investigate the problem properly and left without even writing a report of getting me to sign anything. I felt he had little or no appetite to help. I was quite shocked at the poor and unprofessional service.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“The RAC is a total waste of money. I’ve paid nearly the cost of a full year's membership just for one taxi home because they failed to show up. They might 'agree' they messed up when you complain, but they refuse to pay back the costs their failure caused or leave the service. Don't waste your money—they won't bail you out when it counts. Home start does not exist for those in rural locations they will always make an excuse and attend follong day. Ive now gone back to AA and wish I never strayed. Its been an utter nightmare”

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Posted 3 months ago

“As with the very many reviews being negative of RAC mine is also a moan. My new Kia Sportage after filling up at the fuel station showed warning lights and an alarm whilst I was leaving the pump. I drove the car to a safe pull in and called the recovery number at 4.30 which bounced me back and forth to email, AI and a human operator. At 10pm with two elderly ladies needing the loo and something to drink and eat I had a local garage come and get us on our way again. RAC should be ashamed to call them selves an emergency service and I would never recommend them to anyone”

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Posted 3 months ago

RAC is rated 1.4 based on 3,131 reviews