Is Roadside Assistance Worth Adding to Your Policy?

You lock your keys in the car. Your battery dies in a parking lot at 10 PM. You get a flat on the highway. These are the moments that roadside assistance exists for — and the question every driver should ask is whether to get it through their auto insurance, through a standalone membership like AAA, or not at all.

What Roadside Assistance Covers

Standard roadside assistance programs include towing (to the nearest qualified repair facility, up to a mileage limit), lockout service (a locksmith dispatched to your location), flat tire change (spare mounted on-site, or towing if no spare), battery jump-start, emergency fuel delivery (typically enough to reach the nearest station), and winching/extraction from mud or a ditch.

Coverage limits vary by program. Basic insurance add-ons may have towing limits of 15–25 miles. Premium programs or standalone memberships often offer 100+ mile towing and additional services.

Insurance Roadside vs. AAA: The Cost Comparison

AAA Classic membership runs approximately $60–$80 per year for one vehicle. AAA Plus (with longer towing and more services) costs $100–$130. AAA Premier can reach $170+. These cover one primary member and have service limits per year.

Adding roadside assistance to an existing auto insurance policy typically costs $5–$15 per vehicle per year — often $20–$40 for a household with multiple vehicles. The services are comparable for most common roadside events (towing to nearest shop, lockout, battery, tire).

For the majority of drivers, insurance roadside provides adequate coverage at a fraction of the cost. AAA makes more financial sense for drivers who travel extensively in remote areas, need longer tow distances frequently, or value AAA's travel benefits and member discounts.

Does Using Roadside Assistance Affect Your Premium?

Generally no. Roadside assistance dispatches are typically not processed as insurance claims and do not appear on your claims history. They do not affect your premium at renewal. Some carriers have soft limits on the number of roadside calls per policy period (typically 3–4 per year) before a small service fee applies.

Our Recommendation: Add It to Every Policy

At $5–$15 per vehicle per year, roadside assistance is one of the most cost-effective add-ons available in auto insurance. The peace of mind of knowing help is available 24/7 — at essentially zero marginal annual cost — makes it worth including on almost every policy.

VKOVR recommends roadside assistance as a standard add-on for all auto insurance policies. It is easy to add at quote time and far more expensive to purchase retroactively after an incident. Learn more on our roadside assistance coverage page.