Do you need insurance to tow a car?

You don't need to have car insurance to tow your vehicle. In fact, most auto liability insurance policies do not include towing as a service provided. If you need a trailer and don't have insurance, the best thing can be to choose an auto shop for your vehicle. Then, you can find the right crane company to help you.

Whether your car insurance covers the trailer depends on your insurer and your policy. Roadside assistance coverage may cover the trailer, up to a certain distance specified in your policy, if your vehicle is disabled. Your insurance company may also cover the cost of towing if your vehicle is involved in a collision and you can't drive it. Nationwide, for example, has two coverage options, including a basic roadside assistance package that covers towing up to 15 miles and its “Nationwide Roadside Assistance Plus,” which covers towing up to 100 miles.

As long as the vehicle towing the car has insurance, liability coverage will be extended to pay for damages suffered by third parties if the blades of the trailer and the towed vehicle damage another car. It usually covers the cost of towing service and per-mile charges up to a specified amount on your contract. As with any insurance, there is a limit to how much your car insurance will pay for towing service. In this case, you can call your insurance company to have a tow truck driver help you with anything from fuel or a spare tire to a full trailer for a set low price.

If you don't have roadside assistance or towing and labor coverage, your insurance may not cover the trailer after a breakdown. So what about insurance? The towing service must have professional insurance to cover its liabilities. Tow car insurance coverage is usually the most affordable type of insurance, but paying for a service you don't need is redundant. Towed vehicles have temporary coverage from the towing company, but once the car is dismantled, coverage decreases.

If the car being towed is damaged, the physical damage coverage of the main vehicle insurance will not extend to the towed vehicle. Auto insurance coverage for towing is an optional add-on coverage designed for people concerned about the sudden emergency costs associated with the need to tow their vehicle. Most insurance companies cover towing for a limited number of miles, and if you need your vehicle to be towed more, you're often responsible for franchise costs. That means you'll probably need to have more coverage than liability just to take advantage of your provider's towing services.

Insurance companies can also look at things like towing capacity and how the car being towed was set up before paying. Some towing companies take advantage of people, so it's better to understand the service you're paying for before they cheat you. If you have roadside assistance or towing and labor coverage as part of your policy, towing is covered.