Is It Worth Paying for Roadside Assistance
It's worth paying for only if no other coverage you already have includes it, which is worth checking before you add it.
Why the answer depends on what you already have
Roadside assistance covers towing, jump starts, flat tires and lockouts, the small breakdowns that aren't accidents but still leave you stranded. Insurers offer it as an add-on because it's cheap for them to provide and reassuring for you to have. But it's rarely the only place this coverage exists.
Many credit cards include roadside assistance as a cardholder benefit. Some auto manufacturers include it for a period after purchase, especially with newer cars. If you belong to an auto club, that membership likely already covers towing and the rest. Paying your insurer for the same thing means paying twice.
The car itself matters too. An older car that's more likely to break down benefits more from having this coverage in place. A newer car still under warranty may already have it included, which makes adding it through your insurer redundant. A car nobody drives much lowers the odds you'll ever need it at all.
Where this varies is in what counts as a qualifying event and how many uses are allowed before you pay out of pocket. Some insurers cap the number of service calls per year. Check your policy's terms directly rather than assuming it works like a membership with unlimited use.
Checking before adding it back onto a policy
Someone updating a policy after a spouse's death notices roadside assistance listed as a coverage and isn't sure whether to keep it. The car in question is older, driven occasionally, and nobody remembers if it's ever broken down on the road. Before deciding, they check two things, whether their credit card offers roadside benefits and whether they belong to any auto club through work or a membership organization.
It turns out the credit card used for most purchases does include towing and lockout service, with no extra cost. Knowing that, they drop the roadside assistance line from the policy and save that small amount each month. If they hadn't checked, they would have paid for coverage that duplicated something they already had, without realizing it until they needed to use it and found two places to call instead of one clear answer.
Whether to keep roadside assistance on the policy
If you do
You pay a small amount added to your premium, and in exchange you get one phone number to call for towing, jump starts, flat tires or lockouts. It's simple and it's there when you need it, with no guessing about which service to use or whether a membership covers the situation.
If you don't
You rely on whatever other coverage you already have, a credit card benefit, an auto club, or a manufacturer plan. If none of those exist, you pay out of pocket for a tow when it happens, which costs more in that moment but saves money every month you don't need it.
Once you know whether you need roadside assistance added, compare quotes with that coverage decision already settled.
What to check before you decide
- Credit card benefits Many cards include roadside assistance at no extra cost. Call the number on the back of the card you use most and ask directly.
- Auto club membership If you belong to one, towing and lockout service are likely already covered. Check before paying your insurer for the same thing.
- Manufacturer coverage Newer cars often include roadside assistance for a set period after purchase. Check the car's paperwork or call the dealer to confirm if it's still active.
- How often the car is driven A car that sits most of the time is less likely to need this coverage. Weigh the small monthly cost against how rarely you'd use it.
- Service call limits Some policies cap how many times you can use roadside assistance in a year. Read your policy's terms so you know what happens after that limit.
The coverage itself is simple. The only real question is whether you're already paying for it somewhere else.
What happens if I need a tow and don't have roadside assistance at all?
You call a towing company directly and pay for it yourself, usually at the time of service. The cost depends on distance and the type of vehicle, and it's paid upfront rather than billed later, which is the main thing people aren't prepared for.
If this happens once, it's an inconvenience and an unexpected cost. If you suspect it could happen more than once, because the car is older or has known issues, that's a sign roadside assistance through some source, your insurer, a card, or a club, is worth having in place before you need it rather than after.
