Best Car Insurance Companies for Roadside Assistance
Find out which insurance company has the best roadside assistance on the market.
- Brandon Canonica
- Updated May 2, 2023
Just about every auto insurance company offers some form of roadside assistance. But how do you know which one’s the best? Our research shows that Travelers has the best roadside assistance program of any insurance company.
Roadside assistance provides a helping hand when your car breaks down. It typically includes services such as towing, battery jump-starts, fuel delivery, and flat tire changes. You can get it from:
- Auto insurance companies
- Auto clubs, like AAA or Good Sam
- Car manufacturers
- Credit card companies
- Phone companies
In this article, we’ll go over the top options on the market for roadside assistance, including which company is the best and why. For a complete breakdown on which car insurance company is the highest quality overall, be sure to visit our article on the best auto insurers in the country.
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Best Roadside Assistance: Travelers
Travelers has the best roadside assistance program among other leading auto insurance companies. It includes several types of 24/7 services, plus chances to get extra types of coverage and benefits.
Unlike most other insurers, Travelers has two packages: Roadside Assistance Coverage and Premier Roadside Assistance. Both packages include the following:
- Towing up to 15 miles away from the incident (up to 100 miles away for the Premier package)
- Battery jump-start
- Fuel delivery
- Flat tire change
- Locksmith services
- Winching
The extra benefits in the Premier package make Travelers’ roadside assistance the best. If you decide to spring for Travelers’ Premier plan, you’ll get:
- Trip interruption coverage. This reimburses you if your car breaks down 100 miles away from your residence. You’ll get $200 per day up to a total of $600 for temporary housing, food, and other means of transportation like rental cars or buses.
- Personal property coverage. This gives you $500 of coverage if your belongings get damaged or stolen in collision, comprehensive, or glass claims.
Be aware that Travelers’ plan doesn’t cover the costs for supplies, such as fuel, parts, or replacement items, or work done on your car at repair shops.
Final Word on Travelers
Travelers offers the best help for stranded motorists, with the choice of adding extra coverage. This is something you can’t often get with any other auto insurer. Because of this, we place Travelers as the top car insurance company for roadside assistance coverage.
As an insurance provider overall, Travelers ranks very highly. It’s the tenth-largest auto insurance company in the US, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). Travelers also scores well for customer satisfaction and financial strength, garnering above-average scores from J.D. Power, A.M. Best, and S&P Global.
Second-Best Roadside Assistance: Nationwide
Nationwide offers the second-best roadside assistance from an insurance company. It includes:
- 24/7 service
- Towing up to 15 miles (more for the Plus plan)
- Winching
- Battery jump-start
- Fuel delivery
- Flat tire change
- Locksmith services (up to $100):
- You lose your key or fob
- Your key breaks off in your car’s ignition, door, or trunk
- You lock your keys in your vehicle
Like Travelers, Nationwide offers two roadside assistance plans, Basic and Plus. Both include the above. However, Nationwide’s Roadside Assistance Plus includes:
- Towing up to 100 miles
- Trip interruption coverage is up to $500 if you’re stranded 100 or more miles away from your residence. This includes lodging, meals, and other modes of transportation.
You can access roadside coverage on the Nationwide mobile app or online.
Final Word on Nationwide
Nationwide offers two very good packages. On par with Travelers, Nationwide’s premium plan has services like trip reimbursement, which you often can’t get with other insurers. Offering roadside assistance through a company called Agero, Nationwide offers additional coverages such as towing, tire changes, and more.
All in all, you really can’t go wrong if you choose Nationwide for both roadside coverage and auto insurance. Nationwide offers many coverages and discounts and is a well-rounded company. For this reason, we recommend the company as the second-best car insurance carrier for roadside assistance.
Third-Best Roadside Assistance: Progressive
Progressive offers the third-best roadside assistance plan. It includes what you’d expect, plus some extras. Like Nationwide, Progressive provides this service through Agero, which has over 80 million customers. The program is available for cars, RVs, and motorcycles.
Here’s what the Progressive plan includes:
- 24/7 service
- Towing up to 15 miles
- Winching
- Battery jump-start
- Fuel delivery
- Electric car battery charge
- Locksmith assistance
- Flat tire change
- One hour of on-scene labor to help fix your car. However, you may need to take it somewhere else if they can’t fix it within an hour.
Note: Progressive imposes a yearly limit on roadside coverage. This means you must pay extra for calls exceeding the annual maximum. Progressive also says coverage can be subject to policy limits in some states.
Final Word on Progressive
Progressive offers great help for motorists with lots of helpful services. Its electric car battery charge and on-scene labor guarantee are two features you don’t often see with other companies. You’ll also get winching, towing, and fuel delivery services.
Overall, Progressive is a great company. It offers many coverage types and discounts. It also ranks highly for customer satisfaction in studies from A.M. Best, J.D. Power, and more. Due to the strength of its plan and excellent ratings, Progressive is our pick for the third-best roadside assistance insurer.
Compare Quotes From the Best Roadside Assistance Companies
Now that you know which companies have the best roadside assistance, the final step is to get a quote and find out which has the lowest rate.
Honorable Mentions for Roadside Assistance
Travelers, Nationwide, and Progressive may top our list of insurance companies with roadside services, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other good options. Several of the largest insurers offer great plans that’ll ensure you’re covered when the worst happens.
Here are the insurers that earned honorable mentions:
GEICO
GEICO offers a wide range of services you’d want and expect if you were stuck on the side of the road. It’s also easy to access online, on the GEICO Mobile app, or over the phone.
Here is what you get with GEICO’s Emergency Roadside Assistance:
- 24/7 service
- Towing to a nearby repair shop or facility
- Fuel delivery
- Winching
- Battery jump-start
- Locksmith services (up to $100)
- Tire changes if you have a spare
With GEICO, you get a helping hand when you need it at an affordable price. Per the company’s website, its plan can cost as little as $14 a year per car. It’s a good value for this many services, including towing, tire changes, and battery jump-starts.
Allstate
Allstate has a unique set-up for roadside assistance. You can get it as:
- An individual membership plan
- Pay-per-use
- An add-on to your car insurance policy
The membership plan gives you access to exclusive benefits and family plans. It and pay-per-use don’t require you to have an auto policy with Allstate. You can buy them as standalone products.
Every Allstate roadside assistance plan features 24/7 coverage, can be accessed on a mobile device or phone, and includes towing and various roadside services.
Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual didn’t quite make our top three, but it still has plenty to offer. Here is what its plan includes:
- 24/7 service
- Towing to a nearby repair shop or facility
- Battery jump-start
- Fuel delivery (with fees for the cost of fuel)
- Flat tire change
- Locksmith services
If Liberty Mutual’s already your carrier, it may be a good idea to check out its roadside assistance. You can add it to your policy if you have “Towing & Labor Coverage” on your auto insurance. You can access Liberty Mutual roadside assistance on your phone or the insurer’s website.
State Farm
The nation’s largest insurance company, State Farm has a good program. You can access the following services on the mobile app, over the phone, or on State Farm’s website:
- Towing
- Fuel delivery
- Locksmith services for one hour
- One hour of labor for:
- Battery replacement
- Electrical problems
- Transmission issues
- Fluid leaks (excluding fuel)
- Other mechanical issues
Note: you may have to pay fees for tires, fuel, batteries, etc.
State Farm didn’t make the top three because it didn’t go above and beyond to provide extra coverage types. Even so, you still get a good number of services. State Farm roadside assistance is worth a try if you already buy car insurance from the company.
USAA
USAA provides fewer services than other insurers. But its assistance plan still includes many of the core features you’d expect. You can also handily access it on your phone with the carrier’s mobile app.
Below is a list of USAA’s services:
- Towing
- Flat tire changes
- Fuel delivery (with fees)
- Battery jump-start
- Locksmith services
- Winching
To learn more about the cost of USAA roadside assistance, visit their website. It’s important to note that USAA only serves military members and their families. The company is off the table if this doesn’t describe you.
Final Ranking
According to our research and thorough comparison of each of the above companies, this is our final ranking of the top five best auto insurers providing roadside assistance:
How We Made Our Decision for Best Roadside Assistance
We made our selection for the best insurance company for roadside assistance by looking at a variety of factors. We studied all of the leading auto insurers and compared their programs. Some things we looked at included:
- Service offerings
- Extra coverage
- Ease of use
- Limitations
Besides looking at each program, our study took a holistic approach. We wanted to ensure that the top companies not only had the best roadside assistance but were also strong in other areas like financial strength and customer satisfaction.