Thread: NRMA Roadside Assist vs Alliance Roadside Protection

I have NRMA Premuim Care Roadside Assist on my 101 and think it is a reasonable product for the price.

As my RRS is mainly used around town I have it on the basic NRMA Roadside Assist Package. When I go to remote areas in it this may change.

I just renewed my Allianz Comprehensive insurance on the RRS and have been sent the 'free' Allianz roadside assist package and have done a comparison of key aspects of the Allianz and NRMA products.

NRMA $86
Allianz free with car insurance.

NRMA Metro Tow 20km
Allianz Metro Tow 20km

NRMA Country Tow - back to base
Allianz Country Tow 50km

NRMA Max vehicle weight (GVM) 2.5t
Allianz Max vehicle weight (GVM) 3.5T (4.5t with prior approval).

For the average shoe box driver these seem pretty comparable - the NRMA would seem to have a bit better country tow range.

However if you are a D3/D4/RRS owner then even unloaded it is unlikely that you can legally get a tow with the NRMA - the 2.5T limit is just too light - I know my RRS with fuel and bit inside and the roof rack just comes in at 2.5T let alone with something inside. I think most D3/D4 owners would be over the limit for a start.

Now who is going to weigh the car at the time?? But you never know and may be an issue.

So if you are a D3/D4 or even a RRS owners and have NRMA basic roadside assistance be aware you may not be covered even though the NRMA has been happily taking your money. Their suggestion is to upgrade to the Premium Product which has a 3.5T tow limit and is about $160 but may not be needed if you stick to the black top.

Garry

My wife is a senior manager at NRMA Roadside Assistance. For that fact alone you should stick with NRMA to ensure my mortgage gets paid.

That aside, NRMA has agreements in place with the other motoring clubs, RAA, RACV, RACQ etc that if you breakdown interstate the service is provided and they work it out between the clubs.

As for your NRMA premium product, read the fine print. You get a healthy allowance to get you on your way if you break down. Certainly enough to fly you and the family to your intended destination with accommodation. Towing and other services are free or you get extended thresholds before the cost kicks in.

Not sure about the towing weights, but if you are that heavy NRMA has a heavy vehicle breakdown service. Targeted at commercial vehicle operators.

You are correct to say that Allianz use they own service vehicles in metro and sub-contractors in regional areas. They don't use the motoring clubs or NRMA as their subbies. In small towns more likely the local garage mechanic does it for some extra cash. In larger towns that would support it, likely to be a contractor that does only Allianz work. It shifts the expense from a fixed overhead to a variable cost. Nothing unusual about that model.

RAA, RACV, RACQ and the WA club are all subsidiaries of their respective insurance business thus run their breakdown service as a loss leader or heavily discounted. NRMA Roadside is a member based organisation and needs to be profitable to survive. Allianz is an insurer and is aggressively buying market share both in the breakdown service and its affiliated insurance product. Nothing wrong about cross selling or offering an affiliated product at a discount to operational cost. The other clubs do it and so did NRMA until the demutualisation about 14 years ago.

As for the OEM road service you get with a new car. That is likely to be Assist Australia which is a company owned by each of the motoring clubs (RAA, RACV, RACQ, NRMA etc). It's a business on its own and from what i understand do not use the club's resources. Some OEMs used Mondial which is now Allianz. Some use subcontractors.

Something to think about more than any other. NRMA has a 'get you going' policy. In the USA and it is the model adopted by Allianz is the 'tow model'. NRMA tries to get you on the road again so you get to your destination under your own steam. The tow model opts to tow you to a local depot as the first option, not the last option. It's all nice and good to be towed to a local depot, but what do you do in the humpty do at 11pm at night?

my rant over,, MLD