When it comes to traveling on the road, many times, we do get stuck in precarious situations. At that time we do think about getting help from anywhere we can get. The services which offer roadside assistance have become an important aspect of the American lifestyle. There are numerous services in the US that provide assistance for vehicle immobility situations like a lockout, running out of gas, flat tire, and even mechanical failure. These services can become an essential addition to any auto-insurance policy along with coverage plan which is offered by manufacturers of cars or even auto clubs.
For some cases of new cars, enrolling for such service can be offered by any auto club which may not be necessary as these vehicles are generally covered for major types of breakdowns for an extended period of over two to three years. However, once the car gets older, taking up such service might come useful as they charge an annual fee with numerous benefits. At present, there are many options for such services, and in this article, we present to you the top 7 best roadside assistance services.
Good Sam Roadside Assistance
This company offers all types of basic services that you look for when it comes to roadside assistance companies. Before we get into its details and features, let’s look at its plans. It provides three plan choices:
- Auto Platinum – It is the basic plan for automobiles.
- Auto & RV Standard – It covers automobiles, RVs along with boat trailers and motorcycles.
- Auto & RV Platinum – It covers multiple automobiles and RVs as well as boat trailers, sport utility trailers, and even motorcycles.
Benefits
The major benefit which makes this service the best in the market is that it tows your automobile to the service station which is nearest, without charging you extra. However, additional towing charges may still apply in case you request this roadside assistance service in places like the U.S. Virgin Islands along with Puerto Rico and Mexico.
The other major feature is that you also receive a lockout assistance service in case you end up locking your keys in your vehicle and also require tire change services. It also provides a jump-start for a dead battery along with fuel delivery. It delivers up to 5 gallons of fuels at no charge. However, in case you require more fuel, then you have to pay extra.
Each plan provides coverage for all street-legal vehicles which include SUVs, minivans, RV trailers, pickups and even leaser or rented vehicles. Good Sam Roadside Assistance provides essential cover to all of its members rather than specific vehicles. In case you go for basic or premium membership, it automatically covers you as well as your spouse along with your dependent children who are under 25 years of age.
Pros
This service tows your vehicle to the service station which is nearest. It doesn’t matter who much the distance is. And it doesn’t charge additional fees.
Cons
This service doesn’t provide any kind of legal fee reimbursements.
Verdict
This service is quite great especially for drivers who have many vehicles to cover which also includes RVs. It is particularly beneficial for those you like to travel long distances.
It offers three excellent packages for you to choose from. It provides a great option for every standard vehicle owners and specializes in RV service. It offers full family coverage and all over North America. It also provides emergency medical referral service to. It also tows your car to any nearest service station irrespective of the distance, without costing you an extra dime.
BP MotorClub
It can be quite a nightmare when you get stuck in nowhere if your vehicle breaks down. You will need immediate assistance and that at quickest pace as possible. In such scenario, you want best emergency services. Well, one such emergency roadside assistance service is BP MotoClub which is always available, 24/7. It comes with three plans for you to choose from and offers basic roadside assistance services which include, lockout services, towing, travel options and discounts. However, it does come with few restrictions on its services, and also miss few benefits of other roadside assistance companies.
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[accordion title=”BP MotorClub Features” load=”hide”]The available three plans are Silver, Premier and Premier Plus. The most basic one is the Silver plan. It provides up to 5 miles of towing without any type of additional charges. The Premier plan is the most comprehensive plan which you can receive from this service that offers up to 100 miles of towing without any additional charge. BP doesn’t provide a plan with unlimited towing. However, the major plans from Good Sam provide unlimited towing. Other services with all three plans come with fuel delivery, lockout assistance which means the company dispatches a locksmith in order to unlock your vehicle and jump-starting a dead battery. On the Silver plan, the company will pay up to $60 for locksmith services while for the premier plans, it pays up to $120 for the locksmith service.
On both of the premier plans, you get a dispatch guarantee. In case the company fails to locate service for you then it pays up to $240 in order to cover expenses that you incur for assistance. This is a guarantee which is an excellent addition to its services which many roadside assistance companies don’t offer.
To get enrolled in membership from BP MotorClub, you need to be a resident of United States. However, this company doesn’t enrol residents belonging to California. The other roadside assistance services provide coverage to residents of all states. In case you are a member of the club and also live in another state, you can still get the service in California in case you need assistance.
This service provides coverage to all four-wheel vehicles, light trucks, RVs and motorcycles. However, when it comes to RVs which have carrying capacity over 2000 pounds, it only provides fuel delivery and startup assistance. BP MotorClub doesn’t provide coverage to trailers too, like boat or utility trailers.
There are a plethora of discounts which are available to the members of this service. You can get discounts from major car rental services which include, Hertz, Budget and National. You also receive up to 40 percent off on many hotels.
You can also benefit from travel services with BP MotorClub. The Pathfinder Trip Routing service is also available to all of the plans and also helps you in finding the best route in case you are travelling in the United States, Canada or Mexico. It also offers you with detailed information which consists of maps, mileage and estimated driving times.
Also, there are some benefits which many similar roadside assistance services offer than BP MotorClub doesn’t. They don’t provide concierge service which is a representative that some companies offer to personally help you when it comes to your lodging plans. In case you require an attorney to defend for any moving violation, the company doesn’t reimburse for the legal fees which is a benefit that is available from other assistance companies. BP MotorClub also doesn’t provide any mobile app which would allow you to request for assistance quickly from your mobile device and also show the company your actual and exact GPS location. In case you want concierge service as well as a mobile app, you can go for AAA which offers the most features with its own premium plan.
When it comes to queries regarding the roadside assistance plans of the company, you can also speak with their representative through email or telephone. It also has a FAQs page on its company website that offers additional assistance that you may require.[/accordion]
[accordion title=”BP MotorClub Verdict” load=”hide”]Pros
The premier plan comes with dispatch guarantee for towing and also reimburse you in case service provider can’t be found.
Cons
It doesn’t come with a mobile app which would provide you with the means to quickly request the service and also know help will get to you by finding you.
Our Verdict for BP MotorClub
BP MotorClub’s three distinct plans offer a wide range of perks as well as safety nets for drivers. It offers coverage all over the United States as well as Canada, but in case you are resident of the state of California, you can’t enrol in this particular club’s services which is quite a disadvantage. The travel benefits of this service are excellent. However, it does lack some common premium features that can come quite handy which includes a mobile app and legal fee reimbursement.[/accordion]
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AAA
The American Automobile Association, also popularly knowns as AAA, is among the leaders in roadside assistance. It has great membership options along with wide coverage of all vehicle types along with numerous trip-planning benefits. It also offers bicycle coverage along with restoration services in case the member is victimized by identity theft. It also provides reimbursement options for legal fees. No age restrictions are there in this service. It provides three membership plans:
- Classic – It offers free towing up to 5 miles.
- Plus – It provides free towing up to 100 miles.
- Premier – It offers free towing for 200 miles.
In order to enroll for this service, you have to be a member of AAA. It is an additional $16 fee for each year. In case you want to add a second family member to your plan, you have to pay additional $34.
Rest of the plans’ features are duly discussed below.
Features
All three plans provide basic services for roadside assistance. It consists of jump-starting the dead battery along with flat tire changing. In the Classic plan, you can also have fuel delivery. However, you have to pay for the existing pump cost. In case of Plus and Premier plans, there are no additional charges when it comes to fuel delivery.
Its extra service includes lockout assistance which provides you help to get back into the vehicle in case you have left the keys locked inside. It also provides winching as well as extrication services which are limited and vary by the time it happens and also on the vehicle type. In its Classic plan, you are allowed to make four service calls annually without paying for any extra charges.
AAA allows the residents of all 50 states to become its members. After getting enrolled, you are provided with coverage across the entire United States as well as Canada. There are no types of age restrictions on the membership plans.
This service offers strong coverage not just for automobiles but also for trailers, RVs as well as utility trailers. Its Plus RV membership plan offers towing for additional vehicles up to 100 miles. In case of Premier RV plan, it offers towing service for up to 200 miles. All the plans include bicycle services.
This roadside assistance service also provides reimbursements for legal fees. In case you are wrongly charged with any sort of traffic violation, and you aren’t found guilty then the service will reimburse you for attorney fees, which depends on your plan level. You are also provided with varying discounts on car rentals and air travel with some plans.
Pros
This service offers identity theft restoration service to its premium plan members, in case you are a victim of identity theft.
Cons
It requires an enrolment fee of $16, in addition to regular membership plans costs whenever you come to join the first time.
Verdict
AAA has proven to be great service in offering quality service for roadside incidents for decades. It is the largest and most popular emergency service of its type. As a member, you can avail all the advantages of its extensive list of service. However, to get these full benefits, you need to get the Plus or Premium Plan. You also get discounts at various venues all across the country, and you can also take advantage of TripTiks service in order to plan your trip.
Better World Club
Better World Club is among the best environmentally conscious and committed motor club which covers cars, bicycles, RVs and motorcycles. This is an emergency roadside assistance provider which provides reliable road services along with eco-friendly tools as well as retail discounts. It markets itself as an only environmentally friendly auto club of America, and it has great eco-friendly options. Along with this, it provides coverage for bicycles which is quite a great benefit in case it is your main transportation mode.
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[tab title=”Better World Club Features” id=””]This service has two plans for the automobiles, the Basic Auto and the Premium Auto. It comes with a small one-time fee for new memberships, and it is then billed annually. Each of its plans provides coverage to its primary member, however, you can also add up to three more members of your households to membership by paying an additional annual fee. There is also a signup fee on the top of its annual membership fee. However, the signup fee of this service is waived in case you sign up with three other people or in case you are switching from AAA.
This company offers RV and motorcycle roadside assistance at a fixed additional cost. There is an annual membership for the bicycle-only roadside assistance, or you can also add a bicycle to the auto plan for an additional fee. All of these plans cover you as its member, not just specific to your bicycle or vehicle. This essentially means that you can get breakdown services no matter whether you are driving your own vehicle or a rental one.
Better World Club offers assistance for a wide range of potential roadside emergencies which includes battery jump-starts, towing, gasoline delivery, flat tire changes, extrication of stuck vehicles along with lockout services. Its basic plan comes with a towing service of mere 5 miles from the place your vehicle breaks down before any additional charges accrue. Its premium plan provides up to 100 miles of towing services before you pay an additional cost. This service should cover almost all emergencies that you may encounter. On the bicycle plan, the service of towing is extended up to 30 miles without any additional fee.
There are many travel perks which are included with Better World Club. Maps are free for its member which include bicycle maps. However, you require to allow up to two weeks for them to be delivered to your by mail. Along with this, you can also create a personalized trip route although this also takes a couple of weeks. One thing which this company doesn’t have is a mobile app. A mobile app can essentially make requesting the service quite simple in case it includes GPS that makes it convenient for the company to locate you when you are stranded on the road.
Along with all the roadside services as well as travel benefits that this company provides, you can also receive discounts on car rentals and hotels. You are provided with 10 to 30 percent off on hotels and motels which include eco-friendly lodgings ad you can also save up to 25 percent when you are renting a car from different companies. The customer support from this company is quite impressive. The representatives are quite pleasant, and you don’t have to fight or get frustrated on the phone. You will get answers quickly.
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[tab title=”Our Verdict” id=””]Pros
1. It provides Bicycle coverage
2. It offers discounts for hotels and motels.
3. It has superior customer support.
Cons
1. It has an additional signup fee for its new members.
Conclusion
Better World Club is one of its kind emergency roadside assistance service which aims to make eco-friendly choices. You can easily add a bicycle to your auto plan by paying an additional cost, or you can sign up for this service for bicycle-only. It does have extra fees that you won’t have to pay for other services yet its versatile coverage plans do make it a great choice for the environment conservationists.
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Allstate Motor Club
Allstate Motor Club is among the best roadside assistance company which offers standard lockout assistance along with fuel delivery as well as discounts. It comes with numerous premium benefits like arrest bond certificates for every plan along with coverage across the United States, Canada, and Guam. It also provides trip-interruption reimbursement.
Its standard service is quite great. You don’t need to be Allstate insurance policyholder in order to receive all the benefits that come with this roadside assistance program. It also provides three membership plans for automobiles.
- Standard
- Deluxe
- Platinum
Below, we will discuss all of their features and additional benefits.
Features
Depending on which plan you choose, you get $100 to $250 for services for roadside assistance like lockout assistance in case you left your keys in your vehicle along with fuel delivery, jump-starts as well as tire changes. There are no extra fees for all three plans. You also don’t have to pay extra for any adding your spouse to the plan. But, in case you add family member under the age of 23, you will be charged a small fee.
One of the major benefits of this service is its on-time arrival guarantee. It makes sure that you get the help within 30 minutes of the estimated time of arrival of the service or this service gives you a 25% discount off on your membership charge for next year. It is a qualified service provide which does its best to get you on the road. In case you are stranded on the road, then you don’t have to wait for hours to get a rescue service.
Its basic plan offers coverage for personal automobile along with light trucks, vans as well as SUVs. However, it doesn’t cover RVs, motorcycles or even trailers. In case of RV Roadhelp plan, you do get the service for RV vehicles, but it costs you almost double the amount you have to shell money out for the standard Roadside Advantage plan.
Its coverage is available across the entire United States along with Canada and Guam. It provides you the opportunity to travel extensive distances without even worrying about inaccessible assistance in case you face a breakdown. You can easily enroll in the program irrespective of which state you live in. However, its services are not available in all states. You have to look into a particular location to see if there are any sort of limitations before you start a trip.
Its Allstate’s Good Hands Rescue mobile app provides you the ability to request roadside assistance at any time. You can also see real-time updates of the assistance coming towards you, and you can look at how much time it would take the service to come to you. This app also has GPS capabilities for the service to easily and swiftly find you. The services which you can request from this app are towing, lockout assistance along with fuel delivery, tire changes as well as battery hump-starts.
All of its plans offer arrest bond certificates. In case you are detained for any violation, you can use the certificate to pay some of the fees included. The amount this certificate covers depends on the plan you choose with $2000 being the highest amount which is available on the Platinum Elite Plan.
Pros
It provides on-time 30-minute arrival guarantee. So you can be assured that help will come to you as quickly as possible.
Cons
When it comes to adding any family member who is under the age of 23 comes with a small fee.
Verdict
Allstate Motor Club is among the best roadside assistance services. It offers reliable as well as professional emergency roadside assistance, even providing you a guarantee to reach you quickly, as soon as possible. It does have some restrictions on the location of services. The customer service is dismal. However, its other features like an on-time guarantee, reimbursement options as well as a mobile app along with premium benefits make this the best emergency services that are available in the market.
AARP
AARP is a brilliant company for roadside assistance especially for people who are 50 years or older. This company offers comprehensive coverage along with various discounts as well as travel perks. It also provides coverage for entire US and Canada along with providing standard services which you require whenever you are travelling in your vehicle.
Features
In order to enroll in this service, you need to be a member of AARP. To become a member, you have to be 50 years or older and have to pay a membership fee of mere $16 per year. This amount is in addition to the roadside assistance plans that you select. You can also add another family member like your spouse to your plans by paying extra $10 per year. You can also add up to four dependent children of age between 16 and 25, who are residing in your home or away at a school, by paying an additional fee. However, the primary member needs to be at least of age 50 years and must be a member of AARP.
This service comes with four plans. The standard plan consists of towing for up to 5 miles without paying any additional fee. It also provides tire change services as well as fuel delivery and jump-start service. Its premier plan provides the most coverage which includes up to 100 miles of towing without any extra charge. These plans cover almost all automobile, and you can also add emergency roadside service in case you have an RV. You can do that by paying an additional fee each month. However, this option is available with the premier plan only.
It doesn’t provide you lockout assistance like other services which provide roadside assistance, but it does reimburse you a certain amount for the amount you pay for a locksmith. However, it does cause inconvenience. In case of lockout services to be included in your plan, you need to pay for the charges upfront, and then you have to wait for reimbursement which can be partial as well as full, all depending on the circumstance.
The best benefit of this service is access to Pathfinder Trip Routing. Using this service, you can just input your destination, and the Pathfinder will generate a route for you along with points of interest as well as hotels and driving directions. You can easily request maps of the states as well as countries that you wish to visit. You also get discounts on various hotels and car rentals from companies like Avis, Enterprise, Budget along with different retail stores.
You can also talk to their representative via email or phone, in case you have any query. The company duly respond within few days. However, the experience might not be pleasant for most of the service users.
Pros
On the premier plan, this service tows the vehicle up to 100 miles without any extra charges.
Cons
Instead of sending lockout assistance, it reimburses you for charges you pay to locksmith which can be inconvenient for many and there is no full guarantee.
Verdict
AARP provide quality benefits along with best roadside assistance to its members, 24/7. Its benefits include discounts as well as the Pathfinder Trip Routing service which makes it a good service for people who are over age 50 years and qualify for membership. The locksmith reimbursement is really inconvenient, but this service does provide great options and benefits.
Paragon Motor Club
Paragon Motor Club is another premium roadside assistance service. It offers two levels of emergency roadside assistance to its members along with extended warranty as well as tire and wheel services. Its Classic Roadside plan offers the essential features and does provide less than the basic plans which other companies provide. So, the Advantage plan is what we recommend to you.
Features
On joining the auto club, you are provided the option to pay annually or on a monthly basis. In case you pick to pay annually, you don’t have to pay any signup fee. In case you pick to pay monthly, then you have to incur a small one-time fee which is applied to your first bill. Each of these memberships provides you and one extra adult family member who is an upside when compared to other services which charge you extra for this feature. In case you wish to add a member who is under the age of 21, then there may be a small fee.
This service is applied to you, and it is not specific to vehicle type. So, this allows you to get roadside assistance for any car you drive. This is an excellent feature for people who own many vehicles or driving a borrowed or rented car.
This service provides two roadside service plans. The Classic Roadside plan is essentially a basic membership which offers core coverage for roadside emergencies. Its Advantage plan is the premium membership providing coverage for cars as well as motorcycles along with various bonus features.
If you live in US or Canada, and you face any trouble, then you can get this service without any hassle. In case you are a resident of California, you are not allowed to enroll in this service. However, you will receive services for any kind of roadside issues that you face in case you are in California.
Its Classic Roadside plan offers towing services for up to 15 miles from the place your vehicle is stranded, at all time. The Advantage plan provides towing coverage up to 100 miles. The Advantage plan also offers extrication in case your car is stuck, or it requires tire change. It provides service in case of lost key and lockout service along with jump-starts of the battery. On this plan, you can also have fuel or any other fluids delivered, but you have to bear the cost of the fluids. The plan also covers minor technical adjustment too, with reimbursement which ranges from $50 to $100.
However, this club doesn’t offer any on-time arrival guarantee. Travel-interruption expenses like lodging and alternative transportation costs in case your car breaks down far away from home costs you up to $1,000 which is only covered under the Advantage plan.
Another great feature is its stolen-vehicle reimbursement. It provides up to $1000 to cover emergency transportation costs in case your car gets stolen, and you are over 100 miles away from home. The company also offers you reimbursement for ambulance service as well as legal fees in case of traffic violation charges, only if you are proven not guilty. The Advantage plan also provides some VIP services like ATM location assistance as well as travel agency services.
Its customer service is excellent. There is a toll-free customer service number for both existing and prospective members to call in case of nonemergency queries. It also provides email support too.
Pros
When you have to add another individual to the roadside plans, it is free of charge.
Cons
In case of a basic plan, retail discounts, as well as travel-interruption reimbursement, aren’t duly available.
Verdict
Paragon Motor Club’s premium Advantage plan offers great roadside assistance along with nationwide coverage. Its Classic plan does lack some important features like travel-interruption as well as reimbursement. This is why we suggest the Advantage plan in case you want to sign up with this company. However, this service’s standard plan may not suit you are there are better options available in the market.
Conclusion
Roadside assistance has become an essential part of travelling especially when you are travelling long distance. You can get into any emergency situation such as flat tire, dead battery, the requirement of towing, etc. It is better to sign up for roadside assistance service than feel sorry when you get stuck in the middle of nowhere.