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Roadside assistance comes to the rescue of several thousand Aussie motorists who are stranded every year. It can save you from flat tyres, dead batteries, blown gaskets and will even send a locksmith if you lock your keys in the car.
It's available everywhere from insurers to motoring clubs and you can pay for it a variety of ways, from yearly memberships to one-off callout fees.
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, but it can help out with much more than that.
Roadside assistance can send help day or night for any of the following situations, depending on your insurer and the level of cover you select:
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:
Here is how some insurance companies in Australia stack up. Most insurers offer very similar cover as each other but as you can see, the joining requirements, cost and benefit limits can vary quite a bit.
Company | Cost per year | Joining fee | Callout limits | Need to hold a policy with them? | Lockout / Lost key | Out of fuel | Breakdown towing | Get quote |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Included with a comprehensive policy | $0 | First 2 included | Yes | $150 | 10 litres | 50km in the city, 20km in rural areas | Get Quote |
![]() | $79.95 | $0 | Unlimited | No | $125 | $15 | 15km in the city, 50km in rural areas | Get Quote |
![]() | $83/year | $0 | Unlimited | Yes | $150 | Enough to reach the next petrol station | 20km in the city, 50km in rural areas | Get Quote |
$113 | $0 | Unlimited | No | Yes | Yes | 20km in the city, towing to nearest NRMA centre in rural areas | Get Quote | |
![]() | $86 | $0 | Unlimited | Yes | $250 | $10 | 20km in the city, 100km in rural areas | |
![]() | $99 | $0 | Unlimited | Yes | $200 | Yes | 20km in the city, 50kms in rural areas | |
![]() | $95 | $0 | Unlimited | Yes | $250 | $10 | 20km in the city, 100km country | |
![]() | $95 | $0 | Unlimited | Yes | $250 | $10 | 20km in the city, 100km country | |
![]() | $84 | $0 | Unlimited | Yes | $250 | $10 | 20km in the city, 100km in rural areas |
Youi is the one of the only insurers to include roadside assistance for free if you have a standard car insurance policy with them. However, it only comes with a comprehensive policy and only your first two callouts are free per year. 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. Again, it's usually only offered with comprehensive cover. You can find it for as little as $7 per month so it shouldn't bump up the cost of your cover that much.
A small handful of insurers will let you buy roadside assistance insurance on its own. 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.
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:
Company | Cost per year | Get Quote |
---|---|---|
![]() | Included with a comprehensive policy | Get Quote |
![]() | $79.95 | Get Quote |
![]() | $86 | |
![]() | $99 | |
![]() | $84 | |
![]() | $95 | |
![]() | $95 |
To find the cheapest roadside assistance policy, you have to look at more than just the cost per year. There could be hidden fees or other purchase requirements that drive up the cost.
That means you'll need to look closely at the policy and match that with your needs to see which is providing you the cheapest deal. Take the following examples from the table below:
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:
Roadside assistance is normally limited to small-scale mechanical problems that immobilise your car.
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 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 one or two callouts in a year.
Whichever option you choose, always read the terms and conditions to know exactly what you’re covered for.
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.
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