How Far Will GEICO Tow My Car?
Last Updated on November 8, 2023
Like most insurers, GEICO offers towing as a standard part of its roadside assistance package.
If you have roadside assistance with GEICO, then GEICO will tow your car to the nearest repair facility – or up to 20 miles. Beyond that 20-mile limit, you may need to pay an additional per-mile fee out of pocket.
Keep reading to find out everything about GEICO’s towing limit and how far GEICO will tow your car.
Key Takeaways:
- GEICO’s roadside assistance includes towing to the nearest repair facility or up to 20 miles at no extra charge.
- If towing exceeds 20 miles, GEICO will charge an additional per-mile fee.
- Roadside assistance from GEICO costs as little as $14 per year and covers a range of services including towing, battery jumpstarts, and lockout services.
- For longer tows beyond the 20-mile limit, customers can opt for third-party providers offering unlimited towing.
GEICO Covers Up to 20 Miles of Towing Via Roadside Assistance
GEICO offers roadside assistance to policyholders for a few extra dollars per month.
Your GEICO roadside assistance covers a standard range of roadside emergencies – including towing, winching, flat tire changes, locksmith services, and dead battery jumpstarts, among other incidents.
If your vehicle is disabled and needs to be towed, then GEICO will tow your vehicle to the nearest qualified repair facility or up to 20 miles (whichever is shorter).
Here’s how GEICO explains its towing policy at GEICO.com:
“We’ll tow your disabled vehicle to the nearest qualified repair facility within 20 miles of your breakdown location.”
If the nearest repair facility is over 20 miles away, then GEICO will still tow your car to that facility. However, you may need to pay an extra fee per mile. If the nearest repair facility is 10 miles away, then GEICO will tow your vehicle to that facility at no additional charge.
How GEICO Towing Works
GEICO offers towing in a similar way to other major insurers.
You add roadside assistance to your policy upfront. Then, when you encounter a roadside emergency, you contact GEICO’s roadside assistance hotline. GEICO dispatches a technician to your location, and that technician can tow your vehicle to the nearest repair facility.
Here’s how it works:
- You sign up for GEICO roadside assistance, which starts at around $14 per year.
- When you experience a roadside emergency, you contact GEICO’s roadside assistance hotline, which is available 24/7. Alternatively, you can use the GEICO app or website.
- You tell GEICO basic details of the incident, and GEICO dispatches the appropriate technician – like a tow truck – to your location.
- The technician arrives, resolves your issue, and bills GEICO directly. The technician may tow your vehicle to the nearest repair facility, for example, at no extra charge to you.
That’s it! Once service is complete, you pay nothing out of pocket. As long as the nearest repair facility is fewer than 20 miles away, you’ll pay nothing additional out of pocket.
A standard roadside assistance package covers 3 to 5 service calls per year.
What’s Included with GEICO Roadside Assistance?
GEICO’s roadside assistance covers a standard selection of items, including:
- Towing to the nearest repair facility where repairs can be made (including complimentary towing up to 20 miles)
- Battery jumpstarts
- Flat tire changes (assuming you have a functioning spare)
- Vehicle lockout services if you lock your keys in your vehicle (including up to $100 in complimentary coverage)
- Vehicle winching
- Fuel delivery
Some roadside assistance providers offer premium coverage or different roadside assistance tiers with longer towing limits – including unlimited towing. However, GEICO has the same 20-mile towing limit across all roadside assistance policies.
How Much Does GEICO Roadside Assistance Cost?
GEICO’s roadside assistance is one of the most affordable options in the industry. You can pay as little as $14 per year to add roadside assistance to your GEICO policy.
Once you add roadside assistance to your policy, all of the above incidents are free. You’ll pay nothing out of pocket for a standard battery jumpstart, a tow up to 20 miles, or vehicle lockout services, for example. GEICO dispatches a technician to your location, fixes the problem, and gets you back on the road.
Your roadside assistance price varies based on location, vehicle type, and other factors. Generally, however, you’ll spend just a few extra dollars per month to add roadside assistance to your existing GEICO policy.
GEICO Basic Roadside Assistance: $14 and up per year
GEICO’s basic roadside assistance packages includes up to 20 miles of towing.
What Happens After 20 Miles of Towing?
If GEICO needs to tow your car more than 20 miles to reach the nearest repair facility, then GEICO sends you an additional invoice with a per-mile rate and any additional fees.
You might pay an extra $5 per mile for towing beyond the complimentary 20-mile limit, for example. If your vehicle breaks down in the middle of the desert and needs to be towed 100 miles total to reach the nearest city, then you might pay $400 in additional per-mile fees (80 miles beyond the 20-mile limit x $5 per mile rate).
If you anticipate needing more than 20 miles of towing, or if you frequently drive in remote areas of the country, then consider an expanded roadside assistance policy with a third-party provider offering unlimited towing. Premium AAA tiers, for example, include unlimited towing.
How to Get Reimbursed for Towing
If you recently towed your disabled vehicle to a repair facility, then you could receive reimbursement from GEICO.
As long as you have roadside assistance, GEICO reimburses you for standard roadside emergencies – like towing or flat tire changes – even if you didn’t contact GEICO after the incident.
Submit a claim via GEICO.com with an original copy of the road service bill to receive a reimbursement from GEICO.
Final Word
GEICO will tow your car to the nearest service facility or up to 20 miles at no additional cost to you, assuming you already have roadside assistance.
If your car needs to be towed further than 20 miles, then GEICO sends an invoice with an additional rate per mile and any other associated fees. In most cases, however, you pay nothing out of pocket for GEICO to tow your vehicle fewer than 20 miles, as it’s a standard part of GEICO’s roadside assistance.
Consider adding roadside assistance to your GEICO policy to add 20 miles of complimentary towing to your car insurance plan.
