1,171 reviews
Went down south on a road trip and upgraded my cover level to the highest tier just in case. Sure enough my car completely broke down. Called RAC and they assesed I'd need a tow back to the metro area. I assumed it would be covered under my new entitlements which included free regional towing up to 300km however the RAC consultant informed that… Read more
since my breakdown had occurred 46 hours after my plan had changed instead of 48, I was not entitled to those changes and would have to pay the extortionate fee they quoted. Now whilst technically correct on their part, I believe this is a perfect example of corporate greed and using loopholes to screw your customer over. For a company that flaunts constantly that it 'cares about its members', that its 'not like other insurance companies', it is clearly apparent to me that RAC, like most insurance companies, will look for any legal way they can to rip off their customers.
The phone was answered quickly, even though I got a recorded message saying they,were very busy, and the lady was helpful and knowledgeable telling me I just needed a new battery. I think it was just about an hour to the mechanic arriving, he fitted a new battery, checked oil, water etc.,and left. Cheerful all the time and he left one very relieved lady.
I filled up my fuel tank at a servo and, after paying, discovered the engine would not start and the gear shift was stuck in P. Nothing I could do on the spot so rang Road Side Assist who organised a Nationwide tow truck to pick up the car to take it and me back to my home in Duncraig. Truck was there within 20 mins and I was impressed by the tow… Read more
driver who managed to load and unload the car despite the transmission being locked. Rang Road Side Assist again to organise a truck to take the car to Welshpool to Welshpool at 07.30 the next morning and Nationwide turned up on time. Very helpful and amicable driver who used a trick or two he knew to free up the transmission whereupon it became clear that the problem was a dead battery. Duly contacted Road Side Assist again and the operator organised a patrol vehicle to come and fit a new battery. Immediate resolution of my problem followed since when car has performed perfectly. The service from Road Side Assist and Nationwide (both drivers) was excellent and the whole experience deserved the NPS 9 given above. Definitely for the better...
Reviews with attachments
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I don’t usually leave reviews, but firmly belive surviving Christmas Eve, a heatwave, a dead battery, allergy testing, and an approaching bushfire earns you the right to write a short story. It started innocently enough. My car had recently been serviced at it's dealership and I was confidently told my battery had plenty of life left until it's… Read more
next service. Which was fascinating news, given I couldn’t even leave the boot open to unload groceries without the car threatening to shut down like it had had enough of my nonsense. Living rurally in a country farming/mining town, over an hour and a half from my brother’s mechanic workshop, I filed this under “lies I’ve been told before.”
The day before Christmas Eve, the battery died. Properly died. Not a warning. Not a gentle suggestion. Just nope. At the same time, a major bushfire was already threatening our region, so my stress levels were somewhere between “mildly concerned” and “googling how far a car can roll downhill in neutral.”
Christmas Eve arrives. Forty-degree heat. Car started fine, I travel to Perth for an allergy test. The plan was simple and efficient: get the allergy test done, then go straight to my brother’s workshop for a new battery. Two birds, one stone, minimal extra driving. Very organised. Very optimistic.
The allergy test itself went about as well as you’d expect. I left itchy, flaring, rashy, overheating, and questioning every life choice that led me to this point. I returned to my car, already dreaming of air-conditioning and antihistamines, only to discover the battery had chosen its 'Do not resuscitate'. Completely dead. No start. No hope. No Christmas spirit.
So I called RAC.
From the very first phone call, the staff were calm, kind, and reassuring. Which was impressive, considering I sounded like a melting human disaster.
About five minutes later, the roadside technician arrived. English accent. Impeccable manners. Knight in shining yellow hi-vis armour. Calm like he could talk a cyclone into sitting down and having a cup of tea.
He immediately opened the back of his vehicle so we could stand in the shade, because I was visibly cooked. He checked everything thoroughly and confirmed what we both already knew. The battery was absolutely, unquestionably dead. Deceased. Gone to the great recycling centre in the sky.
At some point during the process, he mentioned he was working Christmas Day and that he was a solo dad. Which honestly made me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Here he was, on Christmas Eve, in extreme heat, rescuing strangers with dead cars, with God only know what limited emotional intelligence left from Christmas chaos, while sacrificing his own family time. Legend behaviour.
Now, buying a battery on the spot was not part of the budget. Solo mum. Christmas. School holidays. Back-to-school supplies. Allergy appointment costs (ouch). But at this point, the fire alert at home was higher, I needed to get home quickly, and the thought of driving another 45 minutes across Perth traffic to my brother was a hard no. I chose speed, safety, and sanity.
What followed was genuinely one of the funniest fifteen minutes I’ve had in a crisis. There was my dramatic Marilyn Monroe-style dress moment in a very public place. There was me blaming the heat for saying things that should never be said out loud, An silly embarrassing moment on his end I dare not to share, There was laughter. Real, human laughter. The kind that makes a horrible day survivable. He remained polite, professional, and an absolute gentleman the entire time.
I truly wish I remembered his name so I could thank him personally. I understand professional boundaries, but I hope RAC knows exactly who he is. For him, it was probably just another job. He had no idea of the full scale unavoidable chaos unravelling in my life. For me, it became a new core memory in a truly awful situation.
I got home safely. And by the time I arrived, the fire situation had escalated significantly. Christmas Eve became a blur of the annual church service with my mum, cooking, activating the fire plan, and sitting on edge as the Emergency WA app lit up with a Prepare To Leave notification. I was available to be on call, ready to help if the evacuation centre needed opening. Plus being the calm for my children knowing the risk of the travelling fire. Christmas was not feeling very festive.
Christmas morning arrived. We opened gifts quickly, then immediately started preparing to leave town as the notification escalated to Leave Now. Full community evacuation. No hesitation. Because of RAC, my car was reliable, packed, and ready. I could get my children and myself out safely without the added fear of being stranded in a bushfire.
That peace of mind was priceless.
RAC does not just help individual members. Through roadside assistance and support of emergency rescue and hospital transfer services for rural communities, RAC helps keep entire regions safer. Experiencing this firsthand also led me to purchase RAC home and contents insurance, because trust like that is earned, not advertised.
RAC didn’t just help me get going. They helped keep my family safe during a large-scale community emergency.
To the technician who worked Christmas Day as a solo dad, and to everyone at RAC who sacrifice family time, rest, culture, and meaningful moments so others can be safe, thank you. The greatest gift you gave was your time, and time is the one gift you can never get back.
Forever grateful. Still laughing. Battery still working.
I had broken down on a busy road, close to the roundabout, and I calmly called RAC for assistance. RAC is helpful and knowledgeable. I waited about 30 minutes until the tow truck arrived. When I was waiting, there was a road safety assistance from the WA government who approached me and asked if I was okay and needed help. I confidently said I was… Read more · 1
with RAC, so they understood and wished me the best. I guess they are familiar with how RAC works in this situation, which is perfect. I didn’t need to explain everything from the start. It was a chaotic day but manageable. Thank you, RAC.
Quick response from call out to tow truck for less than 2 minutes, didn't wait too long
Shredded my back tyre doing an 8 point turn in the Atrium carpark ..apparently it was closed so had to attempt to turn around on a steep incline against a solid concrete wall . RAC came to my rescue within a very short timeframe. Super lovely , helpful RAC operator took my deets and next thing my ripped tyre was being changed out for my spacer by… Read more
a calm friendly Mechanic. Stress free and I was home before anyone in my family noticed I was missing!
I had a breakdown yesterday at around 6:15 p.m. called the service and followed their instructions. They informed me that the tow truck and servicemen would be on the way. 2 hours later, no show from any of them. Had to get help from others and get out of the mess myself.
I was going in for a cataract surgery when my EX phoned and said my clutch had gone in my car he had driven me to the Busselton Hospital in and you kindly allowed him to deal with it after I had phoned for assistance just before I was admitted to the ward. It happened outside of the hospital entrance. He was able to get back to Bunbury with the… Read more
tow-truck driver and my car was put into my carport. As my EX's car was sitting on my front lawn he was able to drive down to Busselton to pick me up later on. I was very happy with RAC as they allowed me to procede with the eye operation with no worries.
My car broke down unexpectedly and RAC saved the day. The roadside assistance guy was easygoing and knows his stuff. I didn't have to wait too long and he spotted the problem straight away. Ended up getting a tow truck thankfully covered by RAC. Show reply
Listen, I don’t make reviews on anything related to car insurance cuz I reckon they’re only good for nothing. HOWEVER, the experience with roadside assistance is amazing. Steven was a wonderful person to help jumpstart my car, had a smile on his face the whole time, taught me a thing or two about how my car works, and was done in less than 10… Read more · 1
minutes. Honestly made me happy that there’s actually good people working a job like this. 10/10. Good bloke
Latest follow-ups
Sorry Trevor, not able to make my appointment and am sitting on the side of an 80kph road in 30C on a busy Saturday morning. Update 18 minutes later am in air-conditioned cab of an RAC tow truck on way home via a nearby service atation to pick up a… Read more
cold drink and some fuel as the driver came straight to me instead of filling up first as it was a hot day. Am I happy? Yeah/no yes as the recovery has gone perfectly but no as that bloody utility will need an expensive repair. You would have to be a mug not to have RAC Roadside service I reckon.
Follow-up · To anyone interested the balance shaft timing belt in the diesel engine of my MN Triton failed. Parts of the failed belt then got under the main cam timing belt resulting in it jumping about 3 teeth which resulted in the valves hitting the pistons and getting bent. As for the repair the cost of replacing the valves and valve guides and remachining… Read more
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I needed a new battery as the old one wouldn't charge up. Service man came earlier than I expected with new battery, checked that this was the problem, fitted the new one and checked that everything was working. All fixed, paid and receipt issued very quickly. Car now running like a dream.
Follow-up · Old battery taken away by service man. Service advice discussed with my electrician husband. What a difference the new battery makes on starting!!! I had not realised how sluggish the starting was previously
When I went out to my car (I was at home) I discovered a tyre was flat and could see the head of a screw protruding from it. I rang the RAC as I am now a little too old to deal with such things as I once did. They were friendly on the phone and told… Read more
me assistance would be with me within the hour. About 40 minutes later I received a text telling me the tech was about 5 minutes away. He came; was a very pleasant chap and had my tyre changed in less than 10 minutes. Altogether, a stress-free experience, and well done. Thank you RAC
Follow-up · The RAC tech put my damaged tyre in the spare compartment and advised me to talk to a tyre dealer. I took his advice and eventually ended up with 4 new tyres (for the price of 3), with the best old tyre as spare. A very satisfactory outcome.
In-depth reviews
RAC is always so reliable. I rang them to say I needed a tow truck. The lady on the phone was kind and helpful, calm and professional. After a brief explanation of what happened to the car, she agreed. She asked me if I was going to ride with the tow truck, I said no, I'd probably get a taxi. She then reminded me that a taxi was included in my… Read more
cover. Fantastic! She said she would arrange for the taxi and the tow truck to arrive at the same time. To be honest I laughed to myself thinking, 'That would be nearly impossible, I doubt that will happen!' She said that it may take up to 90 mins for the tow truck. I said fine. About 15 mins later I received a text message saying my tow truck was on it's way and so was my taxi! Wonderful news! After a couple more txt messages with updates, I was floored by the fact that the tow truck and taxi pulled up at exactly the same time!! WOW! The tow truck driver was lovely,, professional and confirmed the mechanic's address he was taking the car to. The taxi driver took me home. He was polite & professional. I couldn't believe I was home within about 45mins of calling RAC. So thank you RAC team for your amazing service yet again!
Oh mate, I'd go with RAC! I phoned for help with what I thought was a clutch issue. I made it home and called RAC at a civilised hour. They sent someone out within a couple of hours who confirmed a clutch issue and that it should be safe to drive it to RAC Embleton. Tom from RAC Embleton organised the assessment and repair costs. I had it all… Read more
professionally fixed, ... new clutch, master cylinder and slave cylinder for about $1500 cheaper than what Honda quoted for the job 10 years or so ago. (At that time the guy from Auto Masters said, 'It could go in a week or 2, 2 years or 10 years, ... who knows? I'd replace it when it causes a problem.' The clutch lasted about 10 years.) I'd go back to RAC Embleton again, for sure! As my mechanic has now retired, I know where I'm going in the future! They even washed my car and vacuumed the driver's area. (It's my car I use for working around home, so it was full of stuff elsewhere.) I really appreciate the car wash and clean because I get out of breath when trying to wash my cars. Without doubt, I'd definitely go to RAC! (I don't give a better recommendation that that!)
I got caught short in that I am in the position of moving house when I went to start my car which was parked in my garage, only to find that it only just turned over but was basically dead. This was my first time with this type of computerised… Read more
vehicle and when I rang to receive Roadside Assistance I was not entirely sure if it was a dead battery as the lights and radio were still operating. I made the call and was advised that the operators in Pinjarra and Mandurah were unavailable at that time and that an operator from Harvey would attend. I advised the operator that I would not be going out that night and that the next day attendance would be OK by the Pinjarra operator but I would have to ring again on the Friday morning and make another booking as my existing call out would be cancelled. The Roadside Assistance from Pinjarra attended the next morning declared it a dead battery and went back to the workshop to pick up a new battery. This solved the problem and I was consequently a very happy Driver, when I checked the battery it was 3 years old so I should have been aware.
Follow-up · The time wait was overnight, but that was a judgement call on my part due to the fact I had no plans to be elsewhere until the next day and the RAV serviceman had to come a reasonable distance at night. Pricing on the new battery for my vehicle was cheaper than I had anticipated even taking into account the discounted price. No advice for anyone else other than I was more than happy dealing with the RAC.
Positive reviews
I was driving along the Brand hwy when I heard a noise, it started getting louder and I thought it was the truck in front but no I realised it was my car. So I pulled over as far off the highway as possible and got out to see I had a flat tyre that was completely shredded. I returned to the car and rang the RAC for help.
My experience with RAC roadside assistance has always been positive and this time was definitely that and more. From first phone call to the tow truck arriving was smoothly done. RAC mechanic was extremely knowledgeable and helpful…very grateful to RAC. I always feel secure having RAC roadside assistance cover…. Thank you.
The battery on my Citroen failed at approx 17:00 hrs in a bowling club car park about 15 klm from home. I conatcted RAC and the very competent person that answered the 'phone informed me of the expected wait time and that a replacement battery would be available with the technician if required. After an approximate 2hr wait the technician arrived… Read more
and under torch light by this time, knew of the slightly unusual configuration of the Citroen and he replaced the battery in a very quick time. Overall, I'm pleased with the service provided in a reasonable time at a busy time of the day. Well done RAC.
Negative reviews
I have had RAC Roadside since 1997. There was only 2 memberships.... metro and country. Country gave you further km for towing. You used to get 40km free towing, courtesy car, cheaper batteries and a free windscreen each year for $40 a year. Now no free windscreen, only 20km free towing (that doesnt get you far), batteries are cheaper at battery… Read more
places and no courtesy car and you pay about $130 a year. I called up to see about a courtesy car while mine gets repaired. Nope. Now their is different levels of membership. No one ever told me this. So much for being a loyal member for nearly 30 years! I dont know why I waste that money anymore. Not only that, you wait forever trying to get through to someone.
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Service was great -- however -- having my vehicle towed to an RAC centre may have compromised the cost of repairs (especially labour). The defect was the 'Alternator'. And whilst the towing and service was good, from online research, I may have been overcharged overall (especially labour costs) as I had my car towed to an RAC centre & would have had to have had my car re-towed to get a lower price.
Not happy with the new call out vans. Had a flat battery and the jump pack died trying to get me going so had to get a tow. Once upon a time they had jumper cables that would work all the time. Sorry but this is where new tech fails over the old.
Recent reviews
I needed roadside assistance twice in a week- once to see if a problem could be fixed and once to declare it a major incident. Both the mechanics that attended each time were fantastic- Manpreet in the early hours of Friday morning, and Brad on Sunday afternoon, one of your busiest times. They were both so helpful and professional, I trusted them… Read more
100%. As well as this, I spoke to multiple customer service representatives on Friday and Sunday, and every single person was helpful, caring, friendly and professional, as well as full of knowledge, going above and beyond for me. Honorary mention to Serin Towing and Ali who were the icing on the cake of making me feel supported and looked after in what was an awful time for me.
An engine light came up on the dash and I called for assistance. The patrolman was very professional and diagnosed the problem for me and advised me to get the car to out mechanics and a tow truck was arranged as part of my roadside assistance package. I am very appreciative about the the services offered.
Patience and support from the telephone representative (I jumbled the number plate of the vehicle I was driving), and excellent attention to vehicle pickup and drop-off by the attending tow truck driver. Could not have been better !!!!
Mark from RAC breakdown came out promptly..checked replaced battery it was under warranty, he was professional, and I will addultra clean, he explained everything was really great I so appreciate RAC for this service.
They were Very quick to respond, did a comprehensive check of vehicle as to why it wouldn’t start. Did not agree to sell me a new battery to keep me on the road explaining there was no guarantee I wouldn’t break down again in the near future, towed my car to the mechanic within hours of me booking it in. Thank you
I booked a visit the previous night. The RAC man turned up on time. He was able t diagnose the issue as being a failing battery. He installed a new battery, cleared all the error codes. At all times he was helpful, friendly and professional. I trusted his advice and was confident I was getting good value on the battery installed.
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