The car insurance provider, AA, which on many occasions, has been seen as the number one provider for road side assistance came out seventh in a pole, despite the company's longevity and advertisement exposure.

The survey was conducted for the magazine Auto Express and involved colleting information from around 32,000 respondents. The information they provided was then used to categorised 11 assistance firms in accordance with their reliability, customer service, friendliness and service overall.

The firm that topped the poll was GEM Motoring Assist, while Churchill took the eleventh spot the bottom position. RAC, came out third favourite and Green Flag was positioned sixth.

An official from Auto Express said: "Biggest isn't always best. The lesser-known and smaller recovery firms generally outshone the big boys."

In defence of the AA, An official from the company said: "Regular independent polling among our 15 million members consistently shows that 95 per cent would recommend the AA to family and friends."