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Compare car insurance policies with roadside assistance cover built in
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What does roadside assistance cover?
Roadside assistance is a type of car insurance that protects you if you get stranded because of an issue with your car. It is sometimes called breakdown cover, and it generally covers the following situations:
Dead battery
Getting locked out of your car
Running out of fuel
Failure to start
Flat tyres
Towing
How to get roadside assistance
With your car insurance policy
Youi and Huddle are the only 2 insurers to include roadside assistance for free if you take out car insurance with them. However, only your first 2 callouts are free per year with Youi. After that, you're still covered but you'll pay for additional callouts as you use them.
Many other insurers offer them as an optional extra that you can pay for on top of your standard car insurance policy. It's usually only offered with comprehensive cover. You can find it for as little as $6 per month so it shouldn't bump up the cost of your cover that much.
As a standalone policy
A small handful of insurers will let you buy roadside assistance insurance on its own, for example NRMA and Budget Direct. That means you can have your standard insurance with someone else. If you buy it with one of these insurers, you don't have to have comprehensive insurance or even any other insurance at all.
Our Finder Customer Satisfaction Award winner is one of the only car insurers on the market to automatically include roadside assistance with its comprehensive car and motorcycle cover.
As you can see, the joining requirements, cost and benefit limits can vary a lot between insurers. Here's what we found when comparing roadside assistance policies:
None of the following policies require a joining fee, although only a few will let you purchase roadside assistance as standalone cover.
Towing limit can vary by as much as 30km in urban areas and 50km in rural areas.
If you get stranded on the road, all you need to do is call your roadside assistance provider for help. The process will usually go something like this:
You'll have a phone consultation.
The dispatcher will ask you about the problem and initially attempt to help you resolve it over the phone.
They'll send a mobile technician.
If phone-based advice fails to resolve the problem, your provider will send a mobile mechanic to your location.
They'll give you a tow
If the technician can't get you back on the road, you'll be covered for a tow to the mechanic's workshop for repair. A surcharge will usually apply if you need to be towed further than a specific distance spelled out in your policy. Your policy may cover minor repairs to things like hoses and drive belts but you will be responsible for paying for major repairs.
How can I find the cheapest roadside assistance policy?
To find the cheapest roadside assistance policy, you have to look at more than just the cost per year. Here's what we found from looking at all insurers on our panel.
Youi and Huddle are technically the cheapest. However, you need to have a comprehensive car insurance policy with Youi and Huddle, and you have to pay for your additional callouts with Youi. This might not be worth it unless you drive a new car that you want top cover for.
Budget Direct and NRMA are the only 2 that don't require you to have standard car insurance. In both cases, this would be cheaper for you if you had no intention of buying additional cover or switching your insurer. Budget Direct then looks like the obvious option, but it won't tow your car nearly as far regionally which could add up if you're in a regional area.
You may want more than just roadside assistance. When you get roadside assistance through automobile clubs like NRMA, you become a "member" with access to a bunch of additional discounts on flights, dining, petrol and car hires.
Where can I find the best road assistance policy?
The best roadside assistance policy will be different for everyone since everyone's needs are different. Here is how to find the best policy based on your situation:
You are happy with your current insurer and just need basic roadside assistance. If you have a comprehensive policy that you are happy with and just want basic roadside assistance, your best bet is to get cover with your current insurer if it's offered. This will save you all that time comparing prices on a product that is already relatively inexpensive, plus you might be able to score a discount.
You want all the bells and whistles. If you want a higher-end product, membership services like NRMA and RACV offer different levels of cover, some of which offer premium services like emergency accommodation cover and taxi cover. These will come in handy if you often travel far from home.
You don't want to be locked in. If the thought of another yearly membership or premium payment drives you crazy, your best bet is probably a standalone service that charges per callout. Examples include Youi, which offers 2 free callouts with your comprehensive cover (and charges for every callout thereafter), and an app-based service like Road Angels, which charges per callout without requiring any other cover.
You like perks. If you like getting member discounts, the best policy for you would be with a membership service like NRMA and RACV. These providers offer a wide range of discounts on products like petrol, flights, movie tickets, entertainment and more.
What kinds of exclusions are there?
Roadside assistance is normally limited to small-scale mechanical problems that immobilise your car.
You will not be covered for damage caused by an accident.
If your battery needs to be replaced, you will normally be expected to pay for the new one.
Some providers will not offer roadside assistance for vehicles that are older than a specified age.
There are limits on how far your vehicle will be towed if the mechanic is unable to get you going again.
Some providers will charge extra if your car breaks down due to a pre-existing condition.
You will not receive assistance if your vehicle is unattended.
Standard roadside assistance does not apply to taxis, limousines and similar commercial vehicles.
Limits are usually stipulated for the maximum size and weight of vehicles that can be covered.
If your car is bogged, most providers will only help you get it unstuck if they can safely do so from a solid substrate, such as an adjacent sealed road.
A surcharge may apply if you are stranded in a remote area.
You might not be able to obtain roadside assistance in extreme environmental conditions.
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Roadside assistance frequently asked questions
A roadside assistance callout doesn't generally count as a claim, which means that it shouldn't affect your car insurance premium. This is because roadside assistance is a separate service to car insurance — it's designed to get your car going if it breaks down, while car insurance covers you for loss or damage. Be careful though, if you need to use roadside assistance frequently, then there's a chance that your car insurance provider will increase your premium.
You can also buy roadside assistance cover through automobile clubs like the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA), the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) or the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV).
With these providers, the service is structured as an annual membership that functions independently of car insurance policies that cover you for accident, theft or third-party damages.
With membership-based roadside assistance, you can usually choose from different levels of cover. This can range from a cheaper option that includes a limited number of callouts, basic mechanical assistance and towing, to top-of-the-line cover that helps with replacement car hire and accommodation.
Some other companies offering roadside assist include:
Standalone roadside assistance organisations including 24/7 Roadservices and 365 Roadside Assistance.
App-based assistance providers such as gotU and Road Angels.
Some vehicle manufacturers offer roadside assistance cover if your car is regularly maintained at an authorised service centre.
Yes. If your car breaks down, you can still call a roadside assistance provider even if you're not a member and it will come to help you. However, there's usually a large fee. For example, with Budget Direct, non-members need to pay a $110 non-refundable service fee as well as the annual membership fee of $89.95. It's a similar situation with other providers like NRMA which charges an unspecified On Road Join & Go Fee.
Paying monthly is only available with certain roadside assistance providers, such as NRMA and RACQ. Most car insurers who also offer roadside assistance, such as Budget Direct and Coles, only have annual fee options. Speak to the insurer directly if you want to pay a monthly fee.
The major providers typically allow you to become a member at the time your car breaks down, but they will charge you an additional "on-the-go" fee. This type of fee also applies to any incident that takes place within a specified time frame after you purchase a membership, normally ranging from 24 to 72 hours.
Some stand-alone companies charge a flat rate per incident for arranging assistance. This means that instead of joining a membership program for a year and forking out an additional on-the-go fee, you only pay for the one-off help you need. This can be a lot cheaper than taking out membership on the spot if you just need to get a tyre changed. However, stand-alone assistance rapidly becomes more expensive if you need more than 1 or 2 callouts in a year.
Whichever option you choose, always read the terms and conditions to know exactly what you're covered for.
Yes. Once you're eligible for roadside assistance, you're covered no matter where in Australia you are. Most state-based organisations, such as the RACQ or RACV, have reciprocal arrangements with one another. This means that you can avail yourself of local services if you're stranded while travelling interstate, without having to pay anything more than you would if the problem occurred in your home state.
Like other forms of insurance, such as comprehensive policies, roadside assistance is purchased to cover a specific vehicle, rather than a specific driver. So in most cases, it doesn't matter who is driving the car, as long as the car itself is covered for roadside assistance.
With some organisations, if you are already a member but the specific car that's in trouble is not covered, you will still need to pay an on-the-go fee, but it will be heavily discounted.
It can, yes. Most roadside assistance policies can come to your house if you have a flat battery or tyre and can't get it going yourself.
Yes, you can cancel roadside assistance whenever you want. Because most policies come with an annual limit, it's unlikely that you'll be able to receive a full refund, unless you cancel within the cooling-off period (this is usually around 21 or 30 days from when you purchased the policy).
It depends on who your provider is, but in most cases, it will renew automatically, unless you let them know you don't want it to renew.
There are some vehicles that might not be covered by roadside assistance. This is often due to weight and height restrictions. These vehicles can include:
Vehicles over a specific weight (for example, 2.5 tonnes, 6 tonnes)
Vehicles over a specific height (for example, 3.3m)
Gary Ross Hunter is an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au, The Telegraph, Explore Travel and Escape. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Kaplan Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).
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