The History of GEM

The story has it that on his way to meet friends at the Warnes Hotel in Worthing in 1932, our founder was involved in a 'near miss' with a young man in a sports car. In response, that group of friends formed a club to encourage Care, Courtesy and Concentration on the roads to reduce the growing accident toll...and so the Company of Veteran Motorists was born.

Pioneers of the Road

There have been many motoring changes in our 80 years and we have played our part. We have also moved with the times, but our aim is still the same: to give our members good service, sound advice and keep them safe on the road. In 1983 we reflected these ambitions by changing our name to the Guild of Experienced Motorists... or GEM, for short. We launched our breakdown recovery service in 1978 and have been a trusted provider ever since.

Keeping you Moving

We are a UK based organisation that holds true to our society-of-friends origins. We provide a friendly, reliable and responsive service just when you need us the most. One phone call to our 24 hour GEM Rescue Control Centre, and a trained operator quickly arranges assistance from one of our nationwide network of 6,000 recovery vehicles. We look after you.
We've been one of Auto Express's top three providers for the last three years.

Keeping you Safe

While most people know us for personal breakdown cover, we do so much more. GEM has championed a wide variety of Road Safety activities, including conferences, award schemes and research. We support national and local Road Safety campaigns; donate equipment for training, assessment and vision screening; and produce free motoring advice and road safety leaflets. Today, GEM Motoring Assist has around 75,000 members.
Our president is dedicated Road Safety campaigner, Viscount Simon. He's also a Trustee of the GEM Road Safety Charity.
GEM is a member of:

• The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS)
• The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

GEM Motoring Assist Annual Reports

A summary of the major activities and performance of GEM during recent years are provided in the Chairman’s Annual reports which are approved at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting held in May of each year.

GEM Membership

You're not just a Customer: you're a Member!

GEM started in 1932 as a motorists' safety association. Association membership is included when you take out our breakdown cover. Membership is also open to motorists who do not want breakdown cover, but want the member benefits.

So what are the benefits of membership?

All members enjoy the support and advice that comes from GEM's 80 years of experience.

• You can access the exclusive My GEM area of our website, which has a wealth of useful motoring information and includes our Route Planner
• You can claim discounts on other services such as insurance, vehicle inspections, airport parking... and lots more.
• You'll receive our lively quarterly magazine 'Good Motoring' and regular e-mail newsletters
• You also benefit from a free Accident Management Service, which helps you deal with any claims or legal process following a traffic accident. Even if you never have to use it, being covered by us means you can decline the expensive legal-cover options offered with your motor insurance policy. So it saves you money.
• There are regular special-offers and promotions for members... keep an eye on the website!

 Read the latest GEM Breakdown Reviews or read Start Rescue Reviews.