What You Should Know
- Most insurances companies have roadside assistance for a minimal annual fee
- Comprehensive, collision, and liability won’t cover towing except for special circumstances
- Comprehensive, collision, and liability auto insurance coverage do not cover roadside assistance insurance
Ending up on the side of the road with a flat tire or dead battery is an absolute nightmare. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about getting assistance when needed. But, does your auto insurance cover towing and roadside assistance?
This question is worth a little exploration as to what exactly your auto insurance will cover in the event of your vehicle suffering a failure. With some research, you should be able to find affordable roadside assistance coverage in your area with a company you trust.
Auto Insurance for Towing and Roadside Assistance
Your auto insurance coverage might not be up to the task regarding roadside assistance. Depending on the auto insurance company, there might not even be an option for roadside assistance.
However, if you’re looking for an extra safety net for you and your vehicle, it is worth getting some additional coverage. Several affordable roadside assistance companies are available to help provide the coverage you need.
Some insurance providers, like GEICO, USAA, and Travelers offer up roadside assistance coverage as an add-on to your current plan at an affordable rate. The average price you can expect to pay is $14, which is a drop in the hat for the ability to get a tow or battery jump when needed.
Compare over 200 auto insurance companies at once!
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What Roadside Assistance Covers
Roadside assistance auto insurance can be purchased as a separate plan or as an add-on to your current coverage. As to what it covers, you’ll find it takes care of everything that isn’t accident related.
This includes a wide variety of potential scenarios. For example, if you run low on gas and need just a little extra to get to the nearest station, then roadside assistance will have you covered.
Full coverage, just as an example, won’t provide this service. Most auto insurance included in a full coverage plan only covers incidents like accidents and bad weather.
Does auto insurance cover a dead battery? Comprehensive, liability, and collision auto insurance won’t give you a jump if needed, but roadside assistance will. Roadside assistance is there to help provide a valuable service in a time of need.
Needing a tow is dependent on the context of the incident itself. If your vehicle needs to go to a body shop following an accident, your collision or comprehensive auto insurance will cover that. If your transmission goes out in the parking lot of a grocery store, roadside assistance insurance will be your best bet.
Finding the Right Roadside Assistance Plan
You can get the roadside assistance coverage you need in several ways. Roadside assistance insurance is readily available from several companies. Some plans can be an add-on to your current auto insurance coverage.
Other plans might be completely separate from your current auto insurance coverage. As to which is the better choice, that is purely dependent on your needs.
Here are a few auto insurance companies that provide roadside assistance:
- Geico: Roadside assistance is available for $14 a year and helps cover things like flat tires, being locked out of your vehicle, and emergency jump starts.
- USAA: USAA offers roadside assistance, but the pricing differs, so you must request a quote. USAA covers towing, jumpstart, emergency fuel, lockouts, and flat tires.
- Progressive: Progressive coverage starts between $10 and $18 per policy period. A wide variety of incidents are covered here, such as providing a jumpstart, help with flat tires, tows to qualified mechanics within 15 miles, and fuel service.
There are far more roadside assistance plans out there for you to pick and choose from. The plans mentioned above are additions to current coverage. Pricing is affordable, and you get a fair variety of coverage in those worst-case scenarios.
The Bottom Line on Auto Insurance Coverage for Towing and Roadside Assistance
You might ask yourself, “How much auto insurance coverage do I need?” Roadside assistance is a worthy investment simply for the peace of mind it affords. You might be the safest driver on the planet, but there may come a day when you need that extra coverage.
You might not carry a full coverage plan with your day-to-day driving. However, a roadside assistance plan is vital when you need a tow to your mechanic. Roadside assistance isn’t a massive additional expense on an annual basis, so save yourself the hassle and get the extra help when you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need roadside assistance with auto insurance?
You don’t necessarily need to have roadside assistance coverage. However, in the event of a flat tire or dead battery, it certainly beats having to pay the expense necessary to get help. However, carrying the extra coverage certainly beats trying to get your battery jumped during a storm.
Is roadside assistance insurance affordable?
Roadside assistance coverage is not an expensive addition to your current coverage. Pricing can range from a super low $14 to a reasonable $74 a year, depending on where you’re getting coverage.
In most cases, this can be just rolled into the budget as part of the overall expense of carrying auto insurance coverage.
Do I have to get roadside assistance coverage from my current insurance company?
You can obtain roadside assistance insurance from other companies outside of your current auto insurance provider. For example, companies like AAA have roadside assistance as their entire business model and help cover various incidents.
Compare over 200 auto insurance companies at once!
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Leslie Kasperowicz
Farmers CSR for 4 Years
Leslie Kasperowicz holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Winnipeg. She spent several years as a Farmers Insurance CSR, gaining a solid understanding of insurance products including home, life, auto, and commercial and working directly with insurance customers to understand their needs. She has since used that knowledge in her more than ten years as a writer, largely in the insurance…
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
#auto #insurance #cover #towing #roadside #assistance