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Nearly every state in America requires vehicle owners to establish financial responsibility for their vehicles, and for good reason: Establishing financial responsibility for your vehicle means you're able to cover the cost of damages sustained in an accident. To meet these financial responsibility requirements, many drivers choose to purchase auto coverage from an insurance company, and for those drivers it might seem sensible to also purchase roadside assistance from their insurance companies.
However, before you automatically tack roadside assistance coverage onto your auto insurance plan, you need to determine whether purchasing roadside assistance coverage from your auto insurer would more beneficial than purchasing it from a third-party automobile club. In some situations, doing business with an automobile club makes more sense.
Roadside Assistance Through An Auto Insurer Might Not Be Worth The Cost
Your insurance company looks at several factors when determining your auto insurance premium. Such factors might include those you can control (such as your driving record), those you might or might not have immediate control over (such as the type of vehicle you drive), and those you have no control over (such as your gender and age).
Unfortunately, these factors sometimes work together to make your insurance premiums pricey. If you're already paying high dollar for your insurance coverage, does it really make sense to tack on extra costs for roadside assistance?
The good news is that many automobile clubs offer roadside assistance services at a fraction of what you'd pay if you purchased the services through your insurance company. Ask your insurance company how much roadside assistance will cost, compare that cost to the prices of automobile clubs, and determine which company will best suit your budget and needs.
Using Your Insurer's Roadside Assistance Could Affect Your Premiums
Having roadside assistance coverage is a good thing. It gives you peace of mind while you're traveling and can be quite budget friendly when emergencies like flat tires and dead batteries surprise you.
However, if using these services means your auto insurance premiums could increase, it might make more sense for you to purchase a roadside assistance plan from an automobile club. With an automobile club, you'll get the services you need at one flat rate.
Roadside Assistance Calls Could Haunt You Down The Road
Some insurance companies take your calls for roadside assistance into consideration when determining your insurability, so whether your insurance company is reevaluating your premiums or you're purchasing auto insurance from another carrier, you might find the agent is looking at your roadside assistance calls as he or she determines your coverage eligibility and premiums.
If you purchase roadside assistance through an automobile club, chances are you won't have to worry about how your calls might affect your insurance coverage and premiums because you're doing business with a third-party company.
Before making a decision, talk with your insurance agent about the cost of your company's roadside assistance coverage, how using the coverage might affect your premiums, and whether the company takes your roadside assistance calls into consideration when determining your insurability. In the end, choosing to purchase roadside assistance from an automobile club rather than from your insurance company might better suit both your budget and service needs.