Summary: Best Roadside Assistance Plans Ratings 2024
The Best Roadside Assistance Plans in More Detail
Roadside Assistance Plans Side by Side
| Company | AnnualPrice | Tow mileage limit | Service call limit | Minor mechanical | Winching | Family coverage | Trip interruption | Forbes Advisor rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | 20 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | No | No |  5.0 stars | |
| $14 | 20 | Unlimited | No | Yes | No | No |  4.5 stars | |
| Good Sam | $50 | Unlimited | Unlimited | No | Yes | Yes | No | 4.5 stars |
| $22 | 15 | Unlimited | No | Yes | Yes | No | 4.5 stars | |
| $59 | 3 | 4 | Yes | Yes | No | No |  3.0 stars | |
| Better World Club | $63 | 5 | 4 | No | Yes | No | Yes | 3.0 stars |
| $79 | 10 | 3 | No | No | Yes | Yes | 3.0 stars | |
| $66 | 10 | 2 | No | No | Yes | No |  2.5 stars |
How to Choose the Best Roadside Assistance Plan
Penny Gusner
Insurance Senior Writer
Jason Metz
Insurance Lead Editor
Michelle Megna
Insurance Lead Editor
Ashlee Valentine
Insurance Editor
Les Masterson
Insurance Editor
Amy Danise
Insurance Managing Editor
Towing Limits and Roadside Assistance Plans
Most roadside assistance plans specify the distance they will tow from where your car breaks down, such as 5, 10 or 20 miles. If having a greater area of applicable tow coverage is priority, I suggest you be sure the service you choose has an acceptable tow mileage limit that suits your needs.
Insurance Senior Writer
Roadside Assistance Service Calls per Plan Year
When researching roadside assistance plans, be sure to check the number of calls or tows you can have per plan year. Some roadside help plans limit the number of rescues to three or four a year. You want to be sure you’re comfortable with the service call limit in the plan.
Insurance Lead Editor
Onsite Repairs for Mechanical Help and Winching
Some roadside assistance plans provide help if you break down and need a mechanic to do some minor repairs—something that won’t last more than an hour or so. I think it’s a good idea to consider plans that include this service. Also, your car might get stuck in mud, snow, ice or in a ditch. In that case, you need a winch to pull your vehicle out and back onto the road. Look for a plan that includes winching if you’re worried about this problem.
Insurance Lead Editor
Extension of Coverage for Roadside Assistance
Not all roadside assistance plans cover you when you’re a passenger or extend to your household members. If you want to be sure coverage extends to your family, or to you if you’re a passenger in someone else’s car, check the plan details.
Insurance Editor
Roadside Assistance and Trip Interruption Benefits
I recommend looking for trip interruption benefits if you take a lot of road trips or frequently drive long distances. If an emergency listed in your plan means you need to unexpectedly stay in a hotel overnight while your car is being fixed, trip interruption benefits can help pay for meals, transportation and accommodations.
Insurance Editor
Price of Roadside Assistance vs. the Benefits
If the cheapest price is most important to you, I suggest you start with your current auto insurance company. If its roadside assistance benefits don’t include everything you want—for example, a high towing mileage limit—you might decide to pay a bit more for but be happier with a plan from an auto club.
Insurance Managing Editor
Other Car Insurance Companies That Offer Roadside Assistance Plans
Many car insurance companies offer roadside assistance as add-on coverage. Here are some that provide the five core services of towing, lockout service, fuel delivery, battery charge and flat tire change. Auto-Owners, Progressive, Travelers, USAA and Westfield are also on our list of best car insurance companies.
Allstate Roadside Assistance
Allstate’s basic roadside assistance program, available to customers with and without Allstate car insurance policies, offers $150 worth of roadside services a year. This coverage can be extended to a second household member at no additional cost. Coverage is free for your 16- to 18-year-old drivers.
Two other benefits stand out:
- Trip interruption coverage. This kicks in if you’re more than 100 miles from home and your car can’t be driven. It pays for meals, lodging and transportation, a benefit that Allstate values at $1,500.
- Reimbursement for damage to tires and wheels. For a basic member, this is touted as a $100 benefit.
Allstate’s plan is pricey ($79) compared to other companies we evaluated, and Allstate limits service calls to just three, which is low compared to many competitors.
Auto-Owners Roadside Assistance
Auto-Owners provides minor mechanical repairs in addition to core services.
Progressive Roadside Assistance
Drivers with Progressive car insurance can add roadside assistance, which has a towing limit of 15 miles or to the nearest repair shop. Service includes an hour of onsite repair or mechanical labor, winching and charges for electric cars.
State Farm Roadside Assistance
State Farm roadside service includes one hour of mechanical assistance for problems such as fluid leaks or transmission issues, an hour of locksmith service if you lose your key and towing to the nearest repair garage if you are on a public road.
Travelers Roadside Assistance
Travelers car insurance basic roadside assistance plan has a towing mileage limit of 15 miles and includes winching.
USAA Roadside Assistance
USAA car insurance offers roadside assistance with a 50-mile towing limit. It also includes winching. (Note that you must be a military member, veteran or immediate family member to qualify for USAA coverage).
Westfield Roadside Assistance
Westfield provides on-site mechanic service and roadside winching in addition to the standard benefits. Note that Westfield is only available in 10 states.
Motor Clubs That Offer Roadside Assistance
If an insurance company’s roadside assistance plan isn’t quite right for you, here are some motor club options.
AAA Roadside Assistance Plans
Roadside assistance for AAA members includes the five core services plus minor auto repairs and winching. You are also covered if you’re a passenger in someone else’s car.
Note that AAA service details may vary by state. For example, in Massachusetts the towing mileage limit is 7 miles, but in California it is 5 miles.
A basic AAA roadside assistance plan is $50, which is more than plans from other companies we reviewed, but you get travel-related discounts. Still, AAA roadside assistance limits service calls to four a year and generally has lower towing mileage limits than competitors.
Better World Club
This eco-friendly motor club emphasizes that it’s not a AAA copycat. “Our roadside services are 100% carbon neutral, we donate to environmental causes, and advocate for sustainable transportation policy,” the website states. It costs $15 to join the club, and the basic service plan costs $63.
In addition to the core five services, Better World Club coverage includes:
- Winching.
- 10 free maps per year.
- Trip routing.
Other benefits include:
- Bicycle bundle: You can bundle a roadside assistance plan with a bike plan for $18. (A bicycle-only plan is $41.95.)
- Trip interruption: The basic plan provides up to $1,000 ($750 per incident) if you’re unable to drive your car and need meals and lodging.
- Enrollment fee waived if switching from AAA: If you switch from AAA, your $15 sign-up fee to join the club is waived.
- Discounts: You get a discount if you drive a hybrid or electric car.
Specialty Companies That Offer Roadside Assistance Plans
Even more options are available from providers you may not have thought of.
AARP
AARP sells roadside assistance plans through a partnership with Allstate. You must be an AARP member to purchase roadside assistance, but you can add household members who don’t belong to AARP to your coverage.
The Roadside Assist plan is $66, but you can get a 10% discount your first year. It provides five service calls a year and has a 10-mile towing limit. It covers two people. The Roadside Elite plan costs $131 but you can get a 20% discount your first year. It has a 100-mile tow limit, provides seven service calls per year and includes trip interruption and tire and wheel replacement benefits.
You can pay more to make either plan a household plan that covers five additional people you live with.
CarChex
CarChex, a provider of car warranties, offers standalone roadside assistance (or includes roadside assistance in its warranties). The plan has a 25-mile tow limit and includes five tows a year, starting at an annual price of $59.95. Benefits in addition the five standard services include:
- Minor repairs.
- Lost key service.
- Trip interruption coverage.
- Trip routing.
- $500 reward for information leading to arrest or conviction for auto theft.
OnStar
Three of OnStar’s safety and security plans (which start at $29.99 a month) include roadside assistance. Other than roadside assistance, features of those plans include automatic response to crashes and assistance with stolen vehicles. OnStar is available with most new cars made by GM.
Credit Cards With Roadside Assistance Benefits
Some credit cards provide roadside assistance services.
- All Visa cards offer Roadside Dispatch.
- Some Mastercards provide Master Roadside Assist, depending on whether the issuing bank has decided to provide the service.
- Many Capital One cards offer roadside assistance through Visa or Mastercard, including the Capital One QuickSilver Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
Who is Covered by Roadside Assistance Plans?
Roadside assistance plans generally cover you or your vehicle and may also expand to household members. The specifics vary by plan, but here are some common examples:
You’re covered. You can get roadside assistance if you’re driving your car or someone else’s or if you are a passenger in someone else’s vehicle. AAA’s roadside assistance plan is one example.
Your vehicle is covered. Some plans are tied to your vehicle. That means you and anyone driving your car with your permission can use your roadside assistance benefits if the covered vehicle needs service. Geico is an example.
You and family members are covered. Some plans extend to household family members. For example, Nationwide covers you and your family members who are household residents when they are driving your car or someone else’s or are a passenger in a vehicle.
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Methodology
To identify the best roadside assistance plans, we analyzed cost, tow mileage limits, service call limits and the availability of mechanical services, winch service, family coverage and interruption benefits. All plans include the five core services of towing, fuel delivery, flat-tire fixes, lock out help and battery charges.
- Price (20% of score): We assessed the cost of each company’s least expensive roadside assistance plan.
- Service call limit (20% of score): We evaluated the number of service calls allowed in a year for each plan, and if there was no cap on the number of service calls.
- Tow mileage limit (20% of score): We evaluated the service area for towing, meaning each plan’s maximum distance it will tow from the breakdown location.
- Mechanical services (10% of score): We reviewed each plan to see if minor mechanical repair services were included.
- Family member coverage (10% of score): We reviewed each plan to see if coverage for family members was included.
- Trip interruption benefits (10% of score): We reviewed each plan to see if trip interruption benefits were included.
- Winch service (10% of score): We reviewed each plan to see if winching was included.
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Best Roadside Assistance Plans Frequently Asked Questions
What does roadside assistance cover?
Roadside assistance generally covers towing, battery jumps, tire fixes, refueling and lockouts. Depending on the plan, it may also cover winching, minor mechanical repairs and help pay for costs like accommodations and food if your trip is interrupted by an unforeseen event.
What company is best for roadside assistance?
Erie is the best company for roadside assistance, based on our analysis of service features and price. Geico, Good Sam and Nationwide are also worth considering.
Does roadside assistance require full-coverage?
You usually must have full coverage car insurance to be eligible to buy roadside assistance from your car insurance company. Full coverage car insurance is a policy that includes comprehensive and collision insurance, which are optional coverage types that pay for damage to your car.
What are other ways to get roadside assistance?
You can buy roadside assistance plans from affiliate groups, such as AARP; motor clubs, such as Good Sam or AAA; and from companies that sell in-vehicle navigation, safety and emergency services, such as OnStar. Some cell phone companies also sell roadside assistance plans, and some credit card companies offer it.
Is roadside assistance worth it?
Roadside assistance is worth it if you want peace of mind that you can get help if you’re stranded on the road. It may be especially beneficial if you drive a lot, are taking a road trip or have an older car. Many car insurance companies offer it as add-on coverage if you have comprehensive and collision insurance.
