1,221 reviews
AI reviews summary
RAC Roadside Assistance generally receives high praise for its professional, friendly, and efficient service. Customers frequently highlight the competence of both call centre staff and roadside technicians, noting that help often arrives faster than the estimated wait times. While the majority of experiences are positive, there are isolated reports of technical incompetence and disputes regarding warranty and membership entitlements.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
RAC Roadside Assistance is a highly reliable service that provides significant peace of mind through its professional staff and efficient response network. It is particularly well-suited for drivers who value high-quality customer interactions and a "total solution" approach to breakdowns. However, users should be aware of strict policy terms regarding cover upgrades and may need to proactively negotiate on the price of replacement parts.
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.
It was a difficult situation but knowing I had RAC in my corner made all the difference. I wasn’t alone. I just wish the phone operator better explained my options to make informed decision-making less overwhelming.
I bought a car on Saturday and set off on Sunday for the drive back to Broome with my Son. I transferred insurance and bought RAC Roadside Assistance on the Saturday afternoon. The car didn't even make it 80km out of Perth when it went into Limp Mode. I called RAC and within an hour I had my car on the back of a tow truck and back to a friend's… Read more
house in Perth. The Roadside Assistance came out an hour later and had a look at the car. The car was then towed back to the Dealership on Monday. Things could definitely have been a lot worse and am grateful to have piece of mind having RAC, would have been a very costly experience without it. The car is being fixed as we speak and I am returning home.
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
Latest follow-ups
When you remember you have help! – I had an issue with one of my cars that made it undrivable - wouldn't start at all. Getting it to an auto electrician was going to be almost impossible, until I remembered that I had Roadside Assistance. I called to ask for help and the lovely… Read more
receptionist transferred me to another lady who assured me I was entitled to the assistance and arranged for my car to be towed within the hour. Worth every cent!
Follow-up · The tow to the nearest auto electrician was only 6km but I was not charged for it. And it turned out to be faulty battery connections.
Extremely disappointed with the service provided by RAC Roadside Assistance. I called for help with a flat tyre and the RAC staff member damaged the spare wheel by over-tightening the wheel nuts, stripping the threads and leaving the vehicle unsafe… Read more
and undriveable.
What was even more concerning was being told I could still drive the car home despite the wheel nuts not properly securing the wheel. This created a serious safety risk for myself and my family.
After relying on RAC for assistance, I expected qualified and careful workmanship, not further damage to my vehicle and additional stress. To make matters worse, RAC are now refusing to cover the cost of the damage caused by their own roadside assistance staff member.
I also requested to speak with a manager regarding the situation, however Linky from RAC refused this request, which only added to the frustration and lack of accountability shown throughout the process.
My family has been loyal RAC members for over 10 years, which makes this experience even more disappointing. Due to the way this matter has been handled, I will now be cancelling my RAC membership and I would absolutely not recommend RAC Roadside Assistance to anyone based on my experience.
UPDATE: It gets even worse. I have now had the spare tyre inspected by a tyre shop and they have advised the spare tyre itself is not even damaged. This raises serious concerns about the competence of the roadside assistance technician and whether they even knew how to correctly change a tyre in the first place.
This means after leaving me stranded on the side of the freeway for almost 3 hours with my 10-year-old son, while we were already trying to get home from the hospital after he suffered a broken arm, the RAC technician could have simply fitted the spare tyre properly so we could safely drive home.
Follow-up · I cancelled my RAC membership after this experience. I was paying RAC every month for roadside assistance because I expected to be able to rely on them when I needed help most. Instead, I was left worried about being stranded on the side of the road again. That is simply unacceptable. What made the experience even more disappointing was that WA… Read more
I told my family and close friends of how Sebastian arrived very quickly and explained the issue I had with starting my car. He showed me and explained what to do in the future and the cause of this problem. I told my family and friends that never has RAC let me down and to my friends to join RAC if they were not members. Show 2 replies
Follow-up · Sebastian explained the issue and carefully explained what to do in future. The issue was to do with the 'start up' of my car as had a new battery so I knew it was not that.
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In-depth reviews
Our roadside assistance experience was mixed. We broke down at Cottesloe Beach, and the response time was reasonable. The technician arrived and began checking the battery and electrical system, which was appreciated. Unfortunately, the service itself was disappointing. The technician seemed rushed and a bit annoyed rather than friendly or… Read more
reassuring. While accessing the battery, he forced off the plastic battery cover and broke one of the retaining clips. He didn't mention that he had broken it or apologise.
When he was about to leave, we noticed the battery cover hadn't been put back on and reminded him. He then tried to refit it but couldn't because it had been broken. Again, there was no acknowledgement or apology for the damage.
The breakdown was resolved, but I was left frustrated because I now have a damaged battery cover that I'll likely have to replace at my own expense. A simple apology and a bit more care when working on the vehicle would have made a big difference to the overall experience.
I'm not really in the habit of telling friends about my interaction with services and sales representatives. However if the topic came up, I would say in this case, my only interaction with RAC ever, I found the response amazingly fast. I was warned it might take up to an hour, but help was there in about 5 minutes. I was in a safe parking lot,… Read more
with a flat tyre and someone had not replaced my jack after using it for something else, otherwise I would have done it myself. However being 2 months short of 80, I decided to call RAC even though it was peak traffic hour, rather than try to borrow a jack from another shopper. I was also shown that the "new" tyres I had fitted when I bought the car 1000 km ago were actually 13 years old, although not used. Also the one tyre the previous fitter had left as the spare was illegal and unsafe. The RAC man escorted me home and told me not to drive until I got the "spare" replaced. The flat tyre had been driven a short distance flat so could not be repaired, and would not have been because it was 13 years old. Very impressed.
When I first rang I was told it would be a long time to be able to speak with someone, but it was only about 15min. The gentleman I spoke to on the phone asked questions to make sure that I was safe as it was night and dark when I went to try my car to start. He also said it would rake about 1hr for a technician to come and that he would make sure… Read more
he had a battery on board for me. When my technician came, he was hilarious and funny. My mum had come to wait with me so I wasnt alone, but literally 5min after Mum arrived, the technician arrived. He included Mum in the conversation and joked with her. I was told the technician would be about an hour to get to me, but he was only 20min and it was all sorted. I think people are silly if they don't have RAC roadside assistance. Its not a 'want' sort of thing, its a necessity, especial if you are a single female who is 99% of the time driving by herself. I couldn't have been more than happier with the service. It is an investment to not only your car but for your safety on the road if you need help.
Positive reviews
The communication to get assistance was amazing, with both the customer service officer on the phone and the actual tow truck driver. I hadn’t seen my car since it was dropped off at Westcoast BMW in Wanneroo to make comment regarding if there was any issues since leaving me but I can only assume it was perfect.
I was extremely happy with my recent experience with Roadside assistance. I know that that day RAC were extremely busy, and even though my car had not officially broken down or been in an accident, it was my windscreen wipers that broke off and blew away in the storm. Given that I was on the Roe Highway, it would have been irresponsible and unsafe… Read more
for me to keep driving. After ringing RAC, they sent a tow truck to take me and my car home safely. And surprisingly, even though they were extremely busy, the wait was less than half an hour. I don't know what I would have done without their assistance that day.
Be a member of RAC you are free of worries at any problem on the road as RAC is the best road side assistance, quick respond and quick organise with your safety first
Negative reviews
Failed to diagnose a simple 10amp brake fuse fault after being instructed what the issue was over the phone. The technician instead pulled a fuse from the central locking BM2 location and used that fuse to assist with his fuse diagnosing and then left that fuse out and told us the battery in the car key was faulty. The technician never found the… Read more
blown brake/stop fuse so instead he tried to jump start a fully charged battery that read 13.8 volts After his failed diagnostics and additional issues caused he suggest the car be towed to an auto electricians.
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.
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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Recent reviews
Great personality, felt at ease with him. He explained how things worked, why they didn't work in another way etc. Very knowledgeable, very efficient. Very impressed with him. May I also say how impressed with the new way of taking our information when making the initial call for help. Fantastic improvement.
I was on my way out to sort out some very important paperwork for a new job when my car began making a loud metal grinding noise not far from home. The noise was so bad I was sure something major was wrong so I pulled over and called my mechanic, unsure what to do. After deciding it was probably best not to drive it any further I called RAC,… Read more
initially for a roadside assist but then decided it would be better to just have my car towed to my mechanic. I was told a tow truck would be with me in around an hour which I was okay with (albeit somewhat stressed about how I was going to get everything done without my car!). I was therefore extremely relieved when I received a text to say the tow truck was about 10mins away. The tow truck driver was great. Picked up my car and gave me a lift down to the mechanic as well. Thank you RAC for saving the day!
My Hilux broke down 20km out of Leonora the other day. I was coming back to Perth from Wiluna. Every person I spoke with from the initial call to follow calls helped me greatly. They Godfrey out . He was in Kalgoorlie but the mechanic in Leonora. Brought me some food aswell as getting my car started. I made it back to Perth. He diagnosed the issue… Read more
quickly and helped catch my plane to Manila today. A really big thank you to the RAC staff and Godfrey. Thanks heaps. Leon Pitsikas .
We were stuck in a carpark with a time expired battery. A call to RAC R.A. gave a response time of 90 mins. A passing motorist noticed the hood up and stopped to enquire. Luckily he was equipped with an electronic jump starter that got us going. 5 mins later at home we called R.A. to advise and requested R.A. to bring new battery to home address.… Read more
Within the hour we had new unit installed. Old battery was fitted by RAC R.A. under similar conditions when stuck in Geraldton 5 years ago. It gives testimony to the quality of the batteries supplied by RAC that they last so long. The only negative was that at the previous RAC service it was recommended that the battery needed a recharge rather than a replacement! Could have saved us old septogenarians some anxious moments were it done at the time. Perhaps a reminder to the service departments, RAC?
Recently I needed a punctured tyre changed. I called the RAC. I got a very helpful person taking my call and we talked through what I needed and how long I might have to wait. With in a 30 to 40 min wait I had my spare tyre on my car and was able to make arrangements for a repair to the original tyre the next day. No fuss, no bother. Professional and helpful
My RAC Ultimate cover was a great option for my multiple cars. When my toy car broke down during recent storms, RAC were quick to get both the car and myself home.
Whilst it was a (temporarily) flattened battery, entirely my fault, the RAC tech was super efficient, friendly, gentle, & also helped to move us away from blocking the driveway for the middle house before completing the work. Perfect service, much appreciated!
The electronic parking brake seized while we were visiting friends, meaning the car couldn't move. The RAC attended within the hour. While the technician couldn't sort the problem, he organised a tow to another garage. RAC covered the cost of the tow, the taxi for us to get home, and a further tow to get the car back to another garage for specialist repair. Everyone was very pleasant and I was kept informed during the whole process.
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