National General Motor Club review

National General Motor Club provides a value-for-money roadside assistance service.

National General Motor Club review
(Image: © National General)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

National General Motor Club is the affordable roadside assistance service that won't let you down, with motoring peace of mind available for under $5 a month.

Pros

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    Great value-for-money cover

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    Lockout reimbursements

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    Hospitality discounts of up to 50%

Cons

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    Limit on service calls

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    Greater coverage elsewhere

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National General Motor Club has been helping stranded motorists for many years, with its excellent reputation first being established under its former name, GM Motor Club. Right now, it is the outstanding value-for-money that National General Motor Club provides its members that sees it rank among the best roadside assistance services available today. 

Three different plan options are available - Basic, Standard, and Elite - and no matter which you choose, you can be reassured that you’re signing up for a truly cost-effective service. If you’re on the lookout for more motoring reassurance, the wider National General company offers auto insurance among its other services.   

National General Motor Club review: Plan options

As you might expect, the Basic plan is the cheapest, coming in at $59 a year, which is less than $5 a month. It’s hugely competitive, and if you want to add someone else to the plan, you can do so for an extra $10 a year. All of the standard roadside services you’d expect are available, including jump start, flat tire change, fuel delivery, winching and lockout services - you’ll be reimbursed $60 for lock replacement as well. The 5 miles of free towing is a little less than the 7 miles available at AAA under its similarly affordable Classic plan, but is pretty much on a par with elsewhere and should prove sufficient if you don’t often travel far. 

Key Info

Plan options: Basic - $59; Standard - $79; Elite - $89
Free towing: Basic - 5 miles; Standard - 20 miles; Elite - 100 miles
24/7 recovery: Yes
An app for that: No, you must call for help

National General’s Standard plan represents the next step up in coverage, and under which towing extends to 20 miles, and the maximum lock replacement reimbursement rises to $90. Trip interruption costs of up to $750 will be covered too if you’re involved in a collision, and yet the cost of the plan remains a very reasonable $79 a year for single cover, and $94 for couples. With this plan, you also have the option to add dependents under the age of 21, for $15 each. 

As its name suggests, the Elite plan has the highest service limits, but still only costs $89 a year, or just over $7 a month, making it among the most affordable comprehensive cover around. A second person can be added to the plan for an extra $10, or you can add your entire family for an additional $30. Obviously all of the standard roadside assistance features included in the other plans are available here, but this time there’s up to 100 miles of free towing, and $130 worth of locksmith reimbursement. Furthermore, the trip interruption cover of $750 will kick in for breakdowns as well as accidents with the Elite plan. Admittedly, this limit is lower than it is with other companies, but for $1,500 trip interruption coverage through Allstate, your policy will cost $119. 

National General Motor Club review: Finer details

One thing to be conscious of are the limits that National General Motor Club imposes on the number of times you can use roadside assistance each year. You get three service calls on the Basic plan, regardless of the number of people covered on your subscription. Under the Standard plan, you’re allowed four claims overall, and with the Elite plan you’re limited to four claims per year if you are the only person on the plan, five claims for a couple and seven claims for a family. 

This should still be plenty for all but the most unfortunate of motorists, but if you’re in possession of a car that regularly lets you down, perhaps Good Sam would be a better alternative, given it has no limit on the number of times you can call on their services.

National General Motor Club review

(Image credit: National General Motor Club)

National General Motor Club review: Additional benefits

National General Motor Club members can enjoy savings of up to 50% on a number of dining, shopping and entertainment options nationwide, just by showing their card. When on the road, discounts are available on restaurants, hotels, car rentals, theme parks, cruises, and more. 

And even if you haven’t left home, you get free online access to PerksConnect, allowing you to search its database for participating stores and to print partner coupons for your area. A free trip routing service is available to members too, offering unlimited maps, printed and delivered to your home prior to your trip. 

National General Motor Club review: Service

As you would expect, National General Motor Club operates a 24/7 service, and you’re guaranteed to speak to an "actual human being" at any hour of the day. The club has a network of 35,000 roadside service providers that it can call on to hasten your rescue, so you shouldn’t be kept waiting long. The overarching National Insurance name under which the service operates has an A+ accreditation at the Better Business Bureau, and an average rating of 2.85 out of 5 among customers, although this encompasses far more than just roadside assistance.   

Should you use National General Motor Club?

National General Motor Club is a good roadside assistance service to consider if you want breakdown cover at an affordable price. For less than $5 a month, you'll get all the cover you would expect, National General will be happy to jump start your car, change your tire, deliver fuel, and winch you out of your predicament. You'll be towed 5 miles too, if you need it. Pay a little more for the Standard or Elite plan, and the cover will expand too. Yes, there are rescue services out there that will tow you further and reimburse you more if your trip is interrupted, but few will deliver what National General Motor Club can for the price you pay. 

Tim Leonard

With over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry, Tim has spent most of his career working for a financial data firm, where he was Online Editor of the consumer-facing Moneyfacts site, and regularly penned articles for the financial advice publication Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts. As a result, he has an excellent knowledge of almost areas of personal finance and, in particular, the retirement, investment, protection, mortgage and savings sectors.