How Can You Get Free Roadside Assistance?

Last Updated on December 15, 2025

Roadside assistance pays for help when your car can’t (or shouldn’t) keep going—think towing, fuel delivery, jump-starts, flat tire changes, lockouts, and winching.

Cost depends on where you buy it. As a rough guide, an add-on through your auto insurer is often the cheapest option, while auto club memberships (like AAA) and wireless add-ons typically cost more. Paying out of pocket can be the most expensive route, especially if you need a tow that goes beyond a few miles.

But here’s the good news: you may already have roadside help for free (or close to it) through your car’s warranty, your insurance policy, a wireless perk, or even a benefits program.

How can you get free roadside assistance? Below are the best free (or cheap) ways to get roadside assistance—and what to watch for before you rely on it.

Key Takeaways

Before you pay for a roadside plan, check for “free” coverage through your car’s warranty, dealership/CPO program, employer benefits, wireless plan, or credit card guide.
Auto insurance roadside add-ons are often the cheapest option, but frequent use may still be recorded on your policy—ask your insurer how they treat roadside calls.
Not all credit card “roadside assistance” is free—many cards only dispatch help and you pay the bill, while some premium cards reimburse up to a set amount per event.
Always confirm the limits that matter most: towing miles, dollar caps per event, number of service calls per year, and restrictions for off-road/private roads and RVs/trailers.

Table Of Contents

Best Free Roadside Assistance Options
What Does Roadside Assistance Cover?
What’s the Catch with Free Roadside Assistance?
FAQs on Free Roadside Assistance
Final Word – Free Roadside Assistance

Best Free Roadside Assistance Options

You may already have roadside assistance. Some of the best ways to get free roadside assistance include:

Car manufacturers
Car dealerships
Banks and credit cards
Auto insurance provider
Cell phone companies
Employer

We’ll cover each option below, plus the most common limitations (like towing miles, service caps, and dollar limits per event).

Car Manufacturers

Many vehicles include complimentary roadside assistance during the basic warranty period. In other words, you might already have help available if you get a flat tire, lock yourself out, need a jump-start, or need a tow.

The “catch” is usually where they tow you (often to the nearest authorized dealer or a nearby repair facility) and how far they tow (miles can be limited). Coverage can also end when the warranty ends.

Check your owner’s manual, your manufacturer’s app/connected-services account, or your warranty booklet for details on your make and model.

Car Dealerships

Some dealerships include roadside assistance with a new-car purchase, a certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle, or a service/maintenance package. Sometimes it’s provided through the manufacturer; other times it’s a third-party plan.

If you bought your car from a dealership, check your purchase documents or call the dealership and ask whether roadside assistance is included—and if it applies only while you’re under warranty, only while you service there, or for a specific number of years.

Banks and Credit Cards

Some banks and credit cards provide roadside help, but it’s important to read the fine print. Many cards offer a roadside dispatch service (they send help, but you pay for it), while a smaller number of premium cards offer limited reimbursement up to a set amount per event.

For example, some premium Chase Sapphire cards come with roadside assistance benefits. Other cards may advertise roadside help but charge a flat fee or require you to pay the provider directly.

Cards that may include some form of roadside help (benefits vary by issuer and can change) include:

Chase Sapphire Reserve: Often includes limited roadside assistance reimbursement per event, up to a certain number of events per year.

Chase Freedom Unlimited ($0 Annual Fee): Chase Freedom Unlimited may offer roadside-related services depending on the network/benefits guide for your card.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 Annual Fee): Capital One benefits vary by product and can change over time—review your guide to confirm what’s included.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card ($95 Annual Fee): Review your benefits guide to confirm whether you get roadside dispatch, reimbursement, or neither. It also offers free rental car coverage and other perks.

If you’re not sure what you have, look up your card’s “Guide to Benefits” (or call the number on the back of your card) and ask: Is this free coverage, reimbursement coverage, or paid dispatch?

Auto Insurance Provider

Most insurers sell roadside assistance as an inexpensive add-on. It’s often one of the cheapest ways to get coverage, especially if you primarily want local towing, jump-starts, lockouts, and tire changes.

However, there’s a tradeoff: because it’s tied to your insurance policy, roadside calls can be recorded on your account. Some insurers treat frequent roadside use like claims activity, while others don’t penalize it the same way. If you think you’ll use roadside help often, compare an insurer add-on with an auto club plan.

Some carriers may include roadside assistance in certain packages, or bundle it with specific coverages. Farm Bureau and other regional insurers sometimes include it depending on the plan and state.

These providers offer roadside plans (details vary by state and policy):

Review your policy declarations page or call your insurer to confirm whether you already have roadside assistance—and what the towing miles/dollar limits are.

Cell Phone Company

You may get free or discounted roadside assistance through your cell phone provider, usually as an optional add-on. These programs often follow your phone/line (not a specific vehicle), which can be helpful if you drive multiple vehicles or ride with other drivers.

Major providers that offer (or have offered) roadside add-ons include:

AT&T: Typically offered as a monthly add-on.

Verizon: Typically offered as a monthly add-on.

Sprint: Sprint no longer operates as a standalone carrier, but some customers may still have legacy plan benefits or migrated add-ons—check your account details.

Before you rely on a wireless roadside plan, confirm the per-event coverage limit (some plans cap what they pay per incident) and how many service calls you can use each year.

Employer

Your employer may offer roadside assistance as part of a voluntary benefits package, employee discount program, or membership network.

Review your benefits package to determine if you have roadside assistance. If your employer works with MetLife for benefits, for example, then you may have roadside assistance through MetLife.

What Does Roadside Assistance Cover?

Whether you’re getting free roadside assistance or a paid subscription, plans tend to cover similar services, including:

Towing up to a certain limit
Flat tire service, including dispatching a technician to help you install your spare
Car battery service, including battery jumpstarts
Emergency fuel delivery (often the delivery is covered, while you may pay for the fuel itself)
Locksmith services, including vehicle lockouts
Winching, including winching out of a ditch near a public roadway

Most plans cover you anywhere in the U.S. (and sometimes Canada), but limits vary. Some plans cap towing by miles (for example, 5–15 miles), while others cap by dollar amount per event or number of service calls per year.

What’s the Catch with Free Roadside Assistance?

Free roadside assistance can be genuinely useful—just don’t assume “free” means “unlimited.” Check the plan details for restrictions like:

Towing limits: Many plans only tow to the nearest repair facility or cover a short mileage limit. Past that, you may pay per mile.

Coverage limits per event: Some plans only cover up to a certain dollar amount per service call. If the tow is expensive, you may pay the difference.

Service-call limits: Plans often limit how many calls you can use per year.

Where you’re covered: Coverage may exclude off-road use, private roads, gated areas, or certain parking structures.

Winching restrictions: Many plans only cover winching if the vehicle is close to a public road (for example, within 10–20 feet).

Vehicle restrictions: Standard plans typically cover passenger vehicles. RVs, trailers, moving trucks, and motorcycles may require extra coverage.

What isn’t included: Roadside assistance usually covers labor/dispatch—not major repairs. You may still pay for fuel, a new battery, tires, or parts.

If you understand the limits, “free” or low-cost roadside assistance can be a great safety net—especially for drivers who don’t need long-distance towing.

FAQs on Free Roadside Assistance

Is “roadside assistance” the same as towing coverage?

Roadside assistance usually includes towing, but it’s broader than towing alone. Most plans also include jump-starts, flat tire help, lockouts, fuel delivery, and sometimes winching. The biggest difference between plans is the towing limit—some cap miles, others cap dollars per event.

Does using roadside assistance through my auto insurer count as a claim?

It depends on the company. Some insurers record roadside calls on your policy history, while others treat them differently than collision or comprehensive claims. If you’re comparing an insurance add-on to an auto club plan, ask your insurer whether roadside calls are tracked as claims activity and whether frequent use can affect pricing or renewal.

How far will roadside assistance tow my car?

Towing limits vary widely. Some basic plans only tow a few miles (like to the nearest repair shop), while higher-tier memberships can include long-distance tows. Always check your plan’s towing mileage (or dollar cap) before you rely on it—especially if you drive long distances or in rural areas.

Is credit card roadside assistance actually free?

Sometimes—but not always. Many cards offer roadside dispatch, meaning they’ll send help but you pay the provider. A smaller number of premium cards offer limited reimbursement per event, up to a set dollar amount and a set number of events per year. The only way to know for sure is to check your card’s Guide to Benefits.

Will roadside assistance cover EV charging if my battery dies?

Some plans now offer EV help, but coverage varies. A few plans provide towing to a charging location, and some offer mobile charging in certain areas. If you drive an EV, confirm whether your plan covers EV-specific service (and whether it’s towing-only or includes mobile charging) before you need it.

What information should I have ready when I call for roadside assistance?

Have your exact location (or nearby cross streets), vehicle make/model/color, license plate number, a contact phone number, and a brief description of the issue (flat tire, dead battery, locked out, etc.). If it’s a towing request, know where you want the vehicle to go and ask if your plan’s towing limit will cover that distance.

Final Word – Free Roadside Assistance

Many drivers are surprised to discover they already have roadside assistance through their car’s warranty, a dealership program, a wireless add-on, a credit card perk, or their auto insurance policy.

Check your owner’s manual, review your policy documents, and scan your credit card and wireless benefits to see what you already have—and confirm towing miles, service-call limits, and per-event caps before you rely on it.