Roadside Assistance Comparison
I’ve never really given thought about buying roadside assistance protection before as I considered it just another unnecessary cost. However, with an alternator failure the other day in our 8 year old car, it made me think about what it would cost to get a tow truck should I ever need one. Along the same line of thought, the idea of roadside assistance started to appeal to me. Being the comparison shopper that I am, I started to do some digging around on the available roadside assistance options out there.
From my research, there seems to be quite a few players in the Canadian roadside assistance industry. They all seem to price their packages in the same range,with similar offerings as well.
| CIBC Auto Club | Costco | CAA Plus | Deluxe TD Auto Club | PC Financial | Canadian Tire Gold Plan | |
| Cost | $99.95 | $134.95 | $117 | $79 | $69.97 | $99.95 |
| Towing KM | 250km | 200km | 160km | $200km | 40km | 250km |
| Traffic Accident Coverage | $600 | $500 (more than 250km from home) | $500 | Covers towing, accomm, car rental, meals | $700 (more than 250km from home) | $200 (more than 100km from home) |
| Calls Per Year | 8 | 4 | 5 | Unlimited | ? | 5 |
| Battery Boost | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Flat Tire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gas Delivery | Yes, Free | Yes, Free | Yes, Free | Yes, Free | Yes, Pay for Gas | Yes, Free |
| Lockout Service | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trip Accident Insurance | $0 | $0 | $500k | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Extrication | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extras | Trip planning services | 20% ($27 off) discount for Executive members | Trip planning services, CAA discounts at various establishments | Free with TD Gold Visa, trip planning services. | Only for PC M/C customers, trip planning services, | 1 free oil change, trip planning services |
As you can see from the table, most of the offerings are very similar with a bit of variation in price. The beauty of a table like this is that every option can be compared side by side. At first glance, it seems that the TD Deluxe Auto Club provides the most value. For $80 per year, it’s among the lowest cost, but with the most benefits.
Roadside assistance is just like purchasing insurance. You buy it in the hopes that you’ll never use it. However, is the $100/year worth the peace of mind and convenience? Or could you call a tow truck yourself and pay as you go? Locked out of a car? Perhaps keep an extra set at home or with a family member. Battery dead? Keep a pair of cables in your trunk and call family/friends for a boost.
How many of you have roadside assistance? Which company do you recommend?
46 Comments, Comment or Ping
1. alvanson
I had Costco’s roadside assistance when my car broke down on Vancouver Island just outside Sidney. The call centre kept calling tow trucks out of Vancouver, because according to them, “Vancouver is on Vancouver Island, Victoria is on Victoria Island.”
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 10:12 am
2. Canadian Couch Potato
We have used CAA for years and I’ve always felt that the $100 was well worth it. If you get a tow once every two years or so, it pays for itself. We’ve had a couple of breakdowns where they’ve been a huge help. Remember also that CAA gets you discounts at hotels, gives you free maps and guidebooks when you travel, and some other side benefits that make it well worth $100 a year.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:08 am
3. oneadvice
I guess it all depends on which roadside assistance cover is right for you, some companies offr more benegits but you don’t want to be paying for something that you don’t even need.
I think online comparison sites are a great way to be sure you are getting the best deal but as the says goes, always read the small print!
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:12 am
4. Ramona
Up till 2 years ago, I never considered there to be a need at all for roadside assistance. But then I learned that I could get movie passes cheaper at CAA, which are used just like cash, always accepted. This was enough of a benefit on it’s own to swing me over. The yearly premium for CAA isn’t that great – I only have the minimum coverage, not the CAA Plus, I have the piece of mind that I’m covered (to date has not been used), and I get discounted movie tickets. I also was able to get reasonable health insurance coverage for a trip for my dad (senior, and you know how insurance can cost), and he’s not even a member. I strongly urge all MDJ fans to check it out. It’s one of few things I wish I had done years earlier.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:19 am
5. cannon_fodder
Good, useful article FT. Now, are extrication services if your car is stuck or is it for you if you’ve eaten too much drive through and can’t get out of your car?
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:34 am
6. FrugalTrader
lol @ cf. I would say both. ;)
Relating to the article, do you subscribe to a roadside assistance plan for your older vehicle?
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:45 am
7. Michael
I have had CAA for a few years. The price is worth the peace of mind plus if something were to happen and it was my wife and kids in the car without me she would not have to deal with changing a flat, getting a boost, etc. Just make a quick call and wait for help to arrive.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:51 am
8. Shawn S.
One additional metric for comparison is whether the coverage is on a “per driver” or “per automobile” basis. For example, I remember going with Canadian Tire years back because they covered the car regardless of the driver, whereas CAA required an additional “associate membership” (or something to that effect) for a secondary driver.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
9. J
My wife and I use Mastercard’s Roadside Assistance Plan whenever the situation arises. It is included as part of your benefits on the standard no fee Mastercard. Basically there is a fixed fee of around $80.00 for a tow anywhere within 100 km or so….
I am sorry I don’t have the specifics with respect to the exact fee and distance, but the numbers are in the “ball park”….. we used the service a couple years ago with no issues. Unless you have more than one breakdown a year, I think the MC deal is a good one
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
10. No Debt Guy
We have roadside assistance. I wouldn’t want my spouse to be stranded anywhere. We have a Husky right buy our house and always file up there. They have some type of program where we swipe our card and get points towards our membership costs.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 1:14 pm
11. Andrey
FYI: there’s also http://www.hbc.com/hbcfinancial/membership-services/en/auto.shtml. We are members, even though I cannot tell you how good it is because my car never broke in 3 years.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
12. Ray @ Financial Highway
I currently have it through my phone provider about $60/yr gives 5 calls/yr. towing $50 limit and battery boost, gas deliver (pay for gas), lockout service……not very comprehensive but in the past 10 years only 1 time did I have to pay extra for towing services. It doesnt have to be my car to use the service, I have often used it for friends and family members.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 1:36 pm
13. Nabeel Jafferali
How does the Roadside Assistance included in the $50/yr BMO Shell MasterCard compare?
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 1:51 pm
14. GTK
I’m a big fan of my TD Gold Elite Visa card because of the included TD Auto Club Membership, car rental insurance, and 1% cash back with no spending tiers or limits.
I’ve used the Auto Club at least twice, and had the car rental insurance cover $2500 in damage caused by my father on a car I rented. I’ve never had any issues with the service.
I find that the $99 annual fee more than makes up for these benefits.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 2:29 pm
15. Jerry Hung
Sorry, another sell for TD Select Services ;-p
Adding that
$5000 minimum balance leads to (–>) TD Select Service –> free TD Gold Elite or TD Travel Infinite VISA cards –> free auto club
Not to mention below “freebies” with TD Select Service
- Free USD account –> free TD USD VISA
- Free safety deposit box
- unlimited transaction
I have used the battery boost a few times, very courteous and quick service, tow truck distance is limited but anything longer, my insurance covered it (hint: insurance is involved = not good)
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 2:45 pm
16. locke
Personally I’ve found only one situation in 12 years of driving did I need service and that tow driver charged me $60 for extrication from an idiot manouvre on my part.
But I agree with others if I had loved ones, then I would get it. On my own can’t justify the cost unless I did a lot of out of town driving.
If I did want it, I’d get TD select service. That’s like 1.6% yield on the based on the $80 value of the service if you kept $5000 in the account. Otherwise I’d hate to have $5k idle
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 3:25 pm
17. Melissa
Over the years I have had to use roadside assistance many times, however I now have a new car and it comes with roadside assistance for 5 years. I considered cancelling my roadside assistance that I have through BCAA but had to consider the other benefits that come with the membership.
I live in a smallish city in BC and moved here from Toronto, I chose to keep my CAA coverage which I had in Toronto. The basic coverage is the best for me because I get my car & home insurance through them also and the cost of the membership is covered by the discount I get on the insurance. And in BC if you fill up at a Mohawk gas station you get a discount on your membership.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 3:38 pm
18. McGoo
I have had CAA for about 10YRS now, used them 2 times over that span. By looking through my Auto insurance I found out it actually includes roadside assistance with my premium. Its nothing comprehensive but covers all the basics (flat tire, min. tow, boost, lock out ect) so I have since canceled CAA. I figured its not worth the cost of a separate membership unless you have an older car that you are putting a lot of miles on or you are taking advantage of the travel benefits that come with these memberships. (Which I was not doing a whole lot of.)
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 3:50 pm
19. Brian
I have had CAA for years and still have it. When they use to be partnered with Sunoco, I would get CAA dollars every time I get gas and swipe my CAA card. Long story short, all the dollars I accumulated from going to Sunoco went directly to my renewal. One year it cost me 11 dollars. They are no longer associated with Sunoco. I have not considered getting another coverage as I use to have two cars. Now only down to one, the newer one still has road side 24 assistance with Nissan. But the other thing I like about CAA is the various discounts you get not just here but in the states as well. Great table and didn’t realize that some of the places listed even carried road side assistance.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 3:50 pm
20. Rocky
I really have gotten my money’s worth out of my CAA membership. I don’t think there has been a year in which I haven’t used at least something on my CAA since we purchased it about 3 years ago.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
21. Jatinder
I got CAA when my car battery died and I had to call my brother for a boost. Towing in upto 200KM
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 4:23 pm
22. Stan
Check with you car insurance company to see if they offer a roadside assistance add-on. For $5/year (yes, $5/year!) my company will reimburse me for towing and locksmith services. I have to pay up front and submit a mini-claim, but for the savings it is well worth it.
I don’t get any of the other fancy bits (trip planning, free maps, etc.) but I also don’t need all of those other fancy bits.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 4:57 pm
23. UpTooLate
I have been happy with TD Visa Gold Elite as well. Used a couple of times by wife with good, prompt service. 1% cash back on everything and no annual fee if one asks fee to be waived.
Also have been driving Acura’s and their roadside is also very good with no extra charge as far as I know. Came quickly for flats on 2 occasions. Cheers.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
24. Tony C.
CAA has been an excellent choice for me and now my family. We have two cars, but one is over 15 years old. Over the past 5 years I’ve had the battery die, needed a boost a few times, had two flat tires, 2 lockouts and the car needed towing twice.
Every time the service from CAA has been ridiculously fast and friendly. In fact, I bought a battery from them. Shortly after, I was on vacation for two weeks and accidentally left an interior light on, which drained the new battery. They replaced the battery on the spot, no questions, no charge (I kept the receipt in the glove box).
There honestly just aren’t enough good things I can say about my CAA plus membership. Especially given my ancient car.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 5:54 pm
25. Peter B
I use CAA here in British Columbia. It’s not just roadside assistance that you get with this as other posters have mentioned. Ever want to buy a map of that city you are going to visit? Free at CAA, which has come in handy plenty of times at no additional cost. I also get line item discount for buying car and apartment insurance through them as well which helps with the cost not covered in this summary.
I have used CAA plus a couple of times because it includes motorcycle coverage which I have had to use with a flat tire. Used it once on our car when it was pouring rain to change a tire and have used it three times for other family members for towing.
I probably have other coverage with TD Select service and with my car insurance, and our newer car warranty but there is a different level of service you get from CAA and the maps are good too.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 6:20 pm
26. Monty Loree
Offtopic:
Hey FrugalTrader.. I just published my podcast interview with Jon Chevreau – author of Findependence Day. During our discussion he mentioned that your blog was one that he visits !! MDJ seems to be popular with the other bloggers I’ve interviewed as well! Nicely done!
Check out this interesting discussion with Jon Chevreau!
I’m inviting all Canadian PF bloggers to participate in my Personal Finance Podcasts for Canadians Series… Let me know if you’re interested.
Cheers!
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 6:22 pm
27. Greg
Have had BCAA (CAA) for about 17 years and in the early days, use them often (had old cars) and even used them when I locked keys in a friends trunk. In the last 10 years have only had to use them one. I try to buy my gas at Mohawk or Husky which give a small percentage of purchase price towards renewal of membership.
I’m considering cancelling the membership as I figure with one call out in 10 years, it would just be cheaper to pay for the service directly. I’m also going to look into the Mastercard $5 option that someone mentioned above.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 6:28 pm
28. AK
I had the TD Gold Elite card for some time (no fee with the chequing account we have), and thankfully never had the opportunity to try their services. Then I got the wise idea to switch it to the TD Travel Infinity Visa (also no fee with our account) thinking we could go on a holiday. Promptly after making the switch, our alternator seized about 20 minutes outside of Calgary’s city limits. One Humpty’s breakfast (we broke down right outside the only restaurant for miles)and an expensive tow into downtown Calgary (the only garage willing to sneak in the out-of-towners and save the day) I was feeling pretty sheepish!
I wonder how many travel points I earned on the tow and repair bill?! ;-)
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 7:46 pm
29. Financial Uproar
When I went searching for cheap auto insurance a couple of years ago, it turns out that the insurance offered to CAA members from Alberta Motor Association was $500 per year lower than my insurance broker quoted. So that makes it much easier to swallow the cost of membership.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 7:51 pm
30. FrugalGreenie
It’s all a matter of perspective…and everybody’s different. We no longer make really long car trips (ie NS to Ontario, via the States, etc) so I think that for us we no longer require the extra ‘piece of mind’ roadside assistance for the “loved ones”. Most of our trips are within a 300km radius of home. We keep a short list of tow operators that we have used (2 in the three years.) At $80/tow (cash) I think that means I’m ahead $140 bucks on the average $100/year CAA membership over three years. We had CAA before and GMC roadside assistance before that on a previous vehicle. Keep your money and keep an independant tow operator’s number in your cell phone. And get a great mechanic and keep him (or her on your cell phone too! :) Should we return to the annual need to drive across this great land of ours we might revisit our needs.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
31. cannon_fodder
FT
Our two cars are 5 and 9 years old now. We got rid of the 14 year old car last spring to upgrade to the “new” one.
I just received an offer in the mail for a CAA basic membership affiliated with Petro Canada.
You get the membership for $54 ($64 if you don’t use sign up for automatic renewal) plus 10,000 Petro Points plus a North American atlas. In addition if you want another family member covered their fee is $31. The membership covers any car the member is in even if it is just a friend or coworker.
Plus you have 8 months to decide if you like it or cancel for a full refund.
No where in the mailer do they try to upwelling to a Plus membership. They don’t even explain the differences.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 8:51 pm
32. Kathryn
Shawn S. Good point. We went with Canadian Tire for a while for the same reason. We only have one car and it was much cheaper to get the car covered for whoever was driving it than to get protection for two people which we would have had to get if we went with CAA.
In the end we cancelled because we never used it. Their plans have changes since then and have gone up in price. I like the idea of their ‘roadside on request’ plan but hate that they’ll only take you to a Canadian Tire for car repairs.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 9:57 pm
33. Wil
Cancelled my spouse’ lame, over-priced BCAA coverage and continued with my TD Deluxe Auto Club – which also covers her as my spouse.
The decision was easy and satisfying.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 10:01 pm
34. Wil
PS Have also had several occasions on which to utilize the TD Club and was never disappointed.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 10:02 pm
35. paul s
Had CAA plus for years. Used it a few times. It’s great peace of mind, and a relief when they come to help. A no brainer IMO. used to always get the triptics (sp?) when going on a trip, but GPS made that serviece obsolete. Save money on hotels all over NA. Makes my cost basically free by doing that.
I’ve never done a comparison with others. Thanks for doing it. Won’t switch for a few dollars as CAA service has been fast everytime, and travel discounts are good.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
36. Financial Cents
We use CAA, their basic package. No complaints. With older vehicles, every few years the membership pays for itself. We pay about $85 for both memberships. Given the extras, triptiks, maps and other services, you can’t beat it for pennies a day piece of mind.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:01 pm
37. Ms Save Money
I have AAA roadside assistance and it only costs $50 a year – real cheap and great service. You can call them any hour of the day and they’ll also help you out if u lock yourself out of the car.
This is especially good for those with older cars. I don’t know if they have AAA in Canada though.
Feb 8th, 2010 @ 11:01 pm
38. Arjun Rudra
Hey Frugal
I’ve been with the Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance program for close to 3 years now. I’ve used them a grand total of 6 times in 3 years and was I glad that I had their number each time. They were generally quick to respond and did a good job each time. Have no complaints and will continue to use them going forward.
Feb 9th, 2010 @ 1:14 am
39. Christina
Easy trick:
Don’t buy road side assistance. The first time you need it, buy it. You can purchase CAA over the phone with a credit card and they will help you out immediately. At this point the CAA membership is an alternative for paying for a tow, and the overall cost is probably pretty comparable, but you get the protection for the rest of the year.
I’ve done this myself, it works!
Feb 9th, 2010 @ 5:08 pm
40. FrugalTrader
Christina, I thought these programs all had “deductibles” of a couple days before the account can be activated. I read that on the Costco promo material, and I assumed it is the same for the rest. However, if CAA is different, it’s a great idea to wait until you need it.
Feb 9th, 2010 @ 5:39 pm
41. cannon_fodder
Do any of these services cover driving in the US? I haven’t had my vehicle need such a service except once when I was driving to our Corporate HQ in the US.
Feb 10th, 2010 @ 12:46 pm
42. used tires
You’re right oneadvice, online comparision sites are the best way to get the best deal for me too.
Jean
Feb 10th, 2010 @ 2:27 pm
43. Kelly
I agree that, in normal city driving in an average vehicle, road-side assistance isn’t necessary, for the price. However, I have a CAA membership, which also gives me discounts on my home insurance. As the discounts are more than the cost of the annual membership, I am basically receiving road-side assistance coverage for free.
Feb 12th, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
44. JC
I had been with CAA for years until about a year & a half ago. After I got a renewal notice/invoice, I switched to “PC Financial Roadside Assistance”. The reason being, they say there are 3 ‘Free” calls per year but on the renewal, they said they were increasing my fee because I’d used 3 calls the previous year!!! I’d called for things like unlocking the door & a short tow (5 kms). D’oh! Free eh?! Not! I said ‘ADIOS!’ to CAA & switched to PC. I’ve had to call for a tow once since & had good service. No regrets.
Mar 30th, 2010 @ 1:16 pm
45. Carol
We have two vehicles as well as a motorcycle and three children that drive so either need coverage on all three vehicles or on all five of us – any suggestions?
Jun 8th, 2010 @ 9:43 am
46. J.P.
@Kathryn- Canadian tire will actually tow you to any location of your choice within the limits of your plan, it does not have to be Canadian Tire. HOWEVER, if you do go to Canadian Tire it does not count as one of your service calls for the year. I was hesitant about purchasing a plan from them for the same reasons but when I called their customer service number the gentleman explained how there plans actually work. Hopefully I wont actually ever have to use it.
Jun 15th, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
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