While each provider has its own list of what it will and won't do for you, you can expect the following basic services no matter which one you choose:
Dead engine. It has given up the ghost while chugging up a hillside or it's spewing out black smoke. Trust roadside assistance to diagnose the issue and get to work on solving it.
Flat or punctured tyres. WA gets hot and stays hot. It's easy to pop a tyre on the boiling tarmac or accidentally run over something sharp hidden in the dust. No need to worry about whether your spare tyre is up to the task, roadside assistance will change your tyre and inflate it for you.
Out of petrol. After running on fumes for the past few kilometres and praying you can make it to the next servo, you grind to a halt. No worries! Roadside assistance will carry around small amounts of petrol and diesel, and if not will tow you to the station to get your tank filled up there.
Dead batteries. Left the lights on? Roadside assistance can replace your battery or just give it the spark it needs to start turning over once more.
Lockouts. It's never fun to stare in through the window at your keys hanging from the wheel, but it's a lot worse when you have no way to get in and grab them. With roadside assistance, you'll have help getting in.
Towing. Occasionally what ails your car is too serious or mysterious for roadside assistance to solve. When this happens, a tow is unavoidable and you'll be taken somewhere your poor vehicle can get the attention it requires.
What happens if I'm travelling interstate?
If you somehow find your way out of the frankly endless natural bounds of Western Australia, there should be no reason to stress about running into trouble. Most roadside assistance providers, even if they're locally based in the state, maintain partnerships with other insurers so that you're covered wherever you go in our great big beautiful continent.
How do I choose a roadside assistance brand in WA?
Getting the right roadside assistance service for your car may be intimidating, but the decision should come down to two simple concerns. What do you need and how much are you willing to spend? If you go through a single provider, you can potentially add on roadside assistance to an existing comprehensive insurance policy and spend much less in the long run. Providers like GIO will bundle it with other coverage.
The other option is to seek a standalone roadside assistance policy, which is handy if you don't want to take out comprehensive cover. Here, what you should mostly consider is how fast the roadside assistance tends to be as different providers can have very different response times. Paying some extra cash can keep you from wasting an entire afternoon in the withering WA sun waiting for someone to arrive and pump up your tyre.
How does roadside assistance compare?
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.
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.
*Always read the product disclosure statement (PDS) on the provider page to help you make the right choice.
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Alexandra Koster is Finder's publisher for car, home and pet insurance. She has a Tier 1 certification in General Insurance, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney. Her hobbies include reading Product Disclosure Statements and deciphering complicated insurance lingo to help people save on their insurance so that they can spend their money on better things – like dogs.
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