Roadside assistance is a type of coverage you can choose to add to your auto insurance policy. It covers the cost of help if you’re stranded on the side of the road and need towing, gas fill ups, lockout services, or a jumpstart.
While you can add roadside assistance to your policy through your car insurance company, you can also get roadside assistance through a third-party group, like AAA, your credit card, and your car manufacturer.
What is roadside assistance?
Roadside assistance is a type of insurance add-on that covers the cost of help if your car is broken down and you’re stranded. It can cover things like:
Battery jumpstarts
Flat tires
Fuel deliveries
Lockouts
Towing
Stuck vehicles (called winching)
If your car breaks down and you can’t drive it, you can typically use your roadside assistance coverage by calling, texting, or contacting your insurance company through your mobile app. Roadside assistance service is usually available for use 24/7.
Most of the time you’ll pay a little more to add roadside assistance to your policy , but some auto insurance companies automatically include roadside assistance as a part of a full-coverage policy.
Third-party membership clubs — like AAA — and some credit cards also offer roadside assistance that’s similar to what’s offered by car insurance companies.
What does roadside assistance cover?
Roadside assistance covers the cost of the labor for a handful of common emergency services. Roadside assistance does not cover the cost of new gas, tires, or batteries. While you won’t have to install your tire or replace your battery yourself (or pay for the service), you’ll have to pay for the new materials.
Roadside assistance also covers the cost of services that you already paid for. For example, you can get reimbursed after you pay for a tow if you make a claim (as long as you had roadside assistance coverage when you paid for the tow).
If you have roadside assistance coverage but you need to pay out of pocket for any services, be sure to save your receipts so you can make a claim and get reimbursed later.
Some companies offer multiple tiers of roadside assistance, with more coverage at an extra cost. For example, some companies offer roadside assistance with trip interruption coverage. This typically covers the cost of your transportation, lodging, and meals if you were stranded far from your home.
How much does roadside assistance cost?
It's cheaper to get roadside assistance than other types of auto insurance coverage. Drivers can usually add roadside assistance to an existing policy for $15 to $25 per vehicle, depending on the company. If costs are too high with your company, compare insurance rates to find the most affordable option.
Roadside assistance may cost more if you get covered through an auto club instead of through your insurance — we found that it can cost $52 to $110 per year to get roadside assistance with AAA. But even though it costs more, roadside assistance from an auto club comes with other benefits not offered by your insurance company.
How to get roadside assistance
It’s usually easy to get roadside assistance. Most car insurance companies — and all of the biggest insurance providers in the country — offer roadside assistance as an add-on to a standard policy.
You can choose roadside assistance when you’re buying car insurance and picking the rest of your coverage, or you can add it to an existing car insurance policy. Your company will update your rate, so there’s no need to wait till the end of your policy to get roadside assistance coverage.
You can make sure that you get the best roadside assistance for the price by checking the services that are included in your insurance company’s coverage. Most of the services covered by the top insurance companies are similar, but smaller companies may have less complete coverage.
Companies | What's included | Get a quote |
Allstate | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, towing | |
American Family | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, mechanical labor, towing | |
Farmers | Flat tire, jumpstart, lockouts, stuck vehicle, towing | |
GEICO | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, stuck vehicle, towing | |
Liberty Mutual | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, towing | |
Nationwide | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, stuck vehicle, towing | |
Progressive | Battery change, flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart lockouts, on-scene labor, stuck vehicle, towing | |
State Farm | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, towing | |
Travelers | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, stuck vehicle, towing | |
USAA | Flat tire, fuel delivery, jumpstart, lockouts, stuck vehicle, towing |
Largest car insurance companies, sorted alphabetically.
Allstate is the only one of the biggest car insurance companies that offers a standalone roadside assistance membership to drivers who don’t have auto insurance with Allstate.
This roadside assistance option costs $89 per year and comes with an additional $1,500 of trip interruption coverage and repairs for damaged tires.
Other ways to get roadside assistance
There are a few other ways to get roadside assistance coverage without going through your car insurance company. If you already have roadside assistance with an auto club like AAA, your credit card, or through your new vehicle, you don’t need to get coverage from your insurance carrier.
Roadside assistance through an auto club membership
Roadside assistance is sometimes a perk of being a member of an auto club like AAA. When you sign up for a membership to an auto club, you typically receive roadside assistance along with some retailer discounts.
The most well-known auto club is AAA (which also offers car insurance), but it’s not the only auto club group that offers roadside assistance. Better World Club, a green-conscious auto club alternative, offers roadside assistance to both car and bicycle riders.
Roadside assistance through your credit card
Some credit cards include roadside assistance coverage as a perk for signing up. You can usually use your credit card’s roadside assistance by calling a number on the back of your card.
Roadside assistance from credit card companies usually includes under $100 of coverage for a fixed number of towing, fuel deliveries, jumpstarts, and lockouts per year. Since roadside assistance can be available with many popular cards, it’s an easy way to get covered.
Roadside assistance through your new car
Your car’s manufacturer may offer roadside assistance for free depending on the age of your vehicle and its mileage. Many popular automakers — including Ford, GM, Honda, and others — offer complimentary roadside assistance for new vehicles.