Roadside assistance coverage
Cheap to add, and worth checking you're not paying for it three times.
Roadside assistance covers the unglamorous failures — a flat tyre, a dead battery, running out of fuel, locking your keys in the car, needing a tow.
Added to an auto policy it's usually inexpensive. The questions worth asking are about duplication and about how a call is recorded.
What's typically included
- Towing, usually up to a stated distance
- Jump starts
- Flat tyre changes, using your spare
- Lockout assistance
- Fuel delivery, though usually you pay for the fuel
- Winching or extraction, sometimes with limits
The duplication problem
Roadside assistance arrives from several directions. A motoring club membership, a credit card benefit, a new-vehicle manufacturer programme, and your auto policy can all provide it simultaneously.
Each is individually small, which is exactly why the overlap persists for years. Worth checking what you already have before adding it again.
Does using it count as a claim?
This is the question people don't think to ask. Practices differ between insurers — some treat roadside calls as a service, others record them in a way that can factor into rating over time.
Ask directly how your insurer treats it, particularly if you'd expect to use it more than occasionally.
Check the tow distance
Towing limits are usually capped by distance or cost. If you drive in rural areas, the nearest approved garage may be further than the covered distance — which is the moment to have known the number.
Common questions
It depends on the insurer. Some treat it purely as a service; others record it in ways that can factor into rating. It's worth asking your carrier directly.
Coverage is similar. Clubs are membership-based and follow you across vehicles; policy coverage attaches to the insured vehicles. Many people unknowingly hold both.
Limits are usually set by distance or cost and vary considerably. Check the number, especially if you drive where garages are far apart.
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This page is general information, not advice about your specific circumstances. A licensed insurance professional can tell you what’s actually available to you.
General information only, not insurance advice. Coverage, availability, and terms vary by insurer and by state, and are subject to underwriting. Quote My Policy LLC is a licensed insurance producer. Nothing here binds coverage.