Does Sprint Offer Roadside Assistance Coverage?
Last Updated on June 17, 2022
Since its merger with T-Mobile, Sprint has become the second-largest wireless carrier in the United States. Today, Sprint offers a roadside assistance-like service called Sprint Drive to customers.
With Sprint Drive, you can request roadside assistance, track the location of a vehicle, and access emergency services, among other perks.
Yes, Sprint offers roadside assistance in the form of Sprint Drive. Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about Sprint Drive and Sprint’s roadside assistance program.
Table of Contents:
- What Is Sprint Drive?
- Sprint Drive Features & Benefits
- Who Should Use Sprint Drive?
- Sprint Drive Pricing
- What Makes Sprint’s Roadside Assistance Unique?
What Is Sprint Drive?
Sprint Drive is a service available to customers of Sprint and T-Mobile.
By downloading the Sprint Drive app, you can make your vehicle smarter and safer instantly. Sprint Drive comes with perks like:
- Real-time vehicle tracking and diagnostics
- Impact detection with automatic alerts
- 24/7 emergency roadside assistance
- In-car 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot
Sprint Drive is available with certain Sprint Unlimited plans. If you have a Sprint Unlimited plan, then you may be able to download the Sprint Drive app and get coverage today.
Sprint Drive is priced at $15 to $30 per month (or $10 to $25 per month with an auto-pay discount).
To use Sprint Drive, you must also buy the Sprint Drive unit for $120. It plugs into your vehicle’s OBD-II port (which is standard on all cars sold after 1996). Then, you download the Sprint Drive app.
Not all cars support Sprint Drive. Sprint Drive is not compatible with hybrids, electric cars, or cars older than 1996. You can check your car’s compatibility here.
Sprint Drive’s roadside assistance services are provided by AAA. Sprint partners with AAA to provide roadside assistance to customers.
Sprint Drive Features & Benefits
Sprint Drive comes with all of the following features and benefits:
Location Monitoring: Sprint Drive provides real-time and historical vehicle location information and monitoring. Some use Sprint Drive to track teen drivers or elderly drivers, for example, while others use Sprint Drive for peace of mind on their own vehicle.
Roadside Assistance: Sprint Drive comes with roadside assistance through AAA. You receive up to 4 complimentary service events per year. Use the Sprint Drive app to request service for vehicle lockouts, emergency fuel deliveries, dead battery jumpstarts, spare tire changes, emergency towing for disabled vehicles, and other emergency events. Your Sprint Drive membership includes AAA roadside assistance, although it does not include AAA membership.
Mechanic Hotline: Sprint Drive comes with a mechanic hotline. That hotline is staffed by experienced, ASE-certified mechanics. You can call the hotline for repair opinions, cost estimates, and repair shop locations. Service is available during normal weekday business hours and on Saturday mornings.
Vehicle Awareness & Vehicle Diagnostic Information: Because the Sprint Drive device plugs into your vehicle’s OBD-II port, it can reveal crucial insight into your vehicle and how it works. Your vehicle’s OBD-II port delivers diagnostic information, helping you determine what’s wrong with your vehicle. By connecting to your OBD-II port, Sprint Drive can provide alerts for fuel level, battery status, coolant temperature, and more. Specific health alerts vary according to the make, model, and year of the vehicle.
Trip Analysis and Driver Behavior: You can use Sprint Drive to know how often and where certain driving actions occur. Sprint Drive tracks driving actions like hard braking, sudden acceleration, sharp turns, long idling times, and more.
Geofencing Notifications: You can set up Sprint Drive with geofencing and curfew notifications, which means you receive alerts when a vehicle enters or leaves a certain boundary. You can also get an alert if a vehicle is operated outside of curfew hours.
Entertainment, Productivity, and In-Vehicle Hotspot: Your Sprint Drive device functions as an in-vehicle LTE hotspot and supports up to 8 connected devices. You can stream, connect to Wi-Fi, and make your car smarter.
RepairPal: Sprint Drive comes with RepairPal, which identifies vehicle problems, offers solutions and price estimates, and provides a list of reputable repair centers nearby.
Impact Notification: If the Sprint Drive detects an impact, then you can immediately send a notification to certain contacts for added peace of mind.
Track Up to 25 Vehicles: Sprint Drive is available to families and small business owners, and you can use Sprint Drove to track up to 25 vehicles. You can monitor real-time location, mileage, trip history, idle team, vehicle health, and more for up to 25 cars.
Who Should Use Sprint Drive?
Sprint Drive is available for anyone who wants to monitor their vehicle, track driving habits, and access emergency roadside assistance services any time they need it.
However, Sprint also advertises Sprint Drive to people like:
- Family members tracking younger drivers or elderly drivers
- Car owners who want greater confidence in maintaining and repairing their vehicle
- Drivers who want Wi-Fi in a vehicle that does not normally support Wi-Fi
- Small business owners who need to track a fleet of vehicles (Sprint Drive works on up to 25 vehicles)
Sprint Drive Pricing
Sprint Drive is priced at $120 (a one-time fee for the device) and then $15 to $30 per month, depending on your subscription option.
Here’s how pricing breaks down:
Sprint Drive OBD-II Device (Required): $120 (or $5 per month for 24 months)
Monthly Subscription Fee: $15 per month for a 2GB hotspot ($10 per month with auto-pay discount); or $30 per month for an unlimited hotspot ($25 per month with autopay discount)
You can transfer Sprint Drive between vehicles. Just swap the Sprint Drive device from one vehicle’s OBD-II port to the other. There’s no need to reactivate the device.
What Makes Sprint’s Roadside Assistance Unique?
Drivers have plenty of options for roadside assistance – including major providers like AAA and smaller companies. Why pick Sprint Drive?
Sprint has several features that make its Sprint Drive roadside assistance unique, including:
Roadside Assistance Through AAA: Sprint partners with AAA to provide roadside assistance. Although you don’t get AAA membership, you get all of the perks of AAA roadside assistance, including 24/7 coverage for battery jumpstarts, fuel delivery, AAA towing, and more. AAA is one of America’s largest roadside assistance providers, giving you strong coverage anywhere you drive.
4 Complimentary Roadside Service Calls Per Year: Sprint gives you up to 4 complimentary roadside service events per year. You can make a claim for fuel delivery, battery jumpstarts, vehicle lockouts, and other emergency roadside situations as needed. Most roadside assistance plans come with 2 to 4 service calls per year.
Available to Sprint Customers: Sprint customers can sign up for Sprint Drive. It’s exclusively available to Sprint customers.
Vehicle Maintenance & Tracking: Sprint Drive comes with vehicle maintenance and tracking, giving you greater insight into your vehicle and how it works. You can also call Sprint Drive’s mechanic hotline to request information about vehicle repairs. Most roadside assistance services do not include vehicle diagnostic information or vehicle tracking.
Transfer Between Vehicles: You can easily transfer Sprint Drive between vehicles just by moving the dongle from one OBD-II port to another.
Final Word on Sprint Roadside Assistance
Yes, Sprint offers roadside assistance through Sprint Drive.
You plug a small device into your vehicle’s OBD-II port, and you get roadside assistance, vehicle diagnostic data, and other perks.
Sprint has merged with T-Mobile, although you can continue to use Sprint Drive to monitor vehicles and access roadside assistance services.