Check a towing quote

What the job usually involves.

Most tows you request are priced as a base or hook-up fee plus a charge per mile. The driver secures the vehicle on a flatbed or lifts it by one axle with a wheel-lift, then delivers it to the address you give. Many all-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive and hybrid vehicles should not be towed with their driven wheels on the ground; the owner's manual says how, and it may call for a flatbed or wheel dollies (small wheeled platforms placed under the wheels that would otherwise roll on the road).

Extras depend on the situation: winching a vehicle out of a ditch, towing at night or on a holiday, a special unit for a low or heavy vehicle, and storage if the car goes to a yard instead of a shop.

What a complete written quote should state.

• The hook-up or base fee, any miles it includes, and any minimum charge.
• The per-mile rate and how billable miles are counted.
• The pickup point and the destination address.
• Any winching, recovery or special equipment charge.
• Any after-hours, weekend or holiday rate.
• Storage rate, when it starts, and the yard's pickup hours.
• Other fees and tax.

SourceFederal Trade Commission — Auto Repair Basics ↗ (opens an external site)

What changes the total, including how miles are billed.

Distance and how it is counted come first. Some companies bill only loaded miles, with your vehicle on the truck; others also count the miles from their yard to you, or the full round trip. Many fold some distance into the hook-up fee before the mileage rate starts, and many set a minimum charge, so a short tow can cost the same as a slightly longer one. Ask whether partial miles are rounded up.

Some roadside-assistance plans and insurance policies pay for a tow up to a set distance or amount, and the towing company may bill you for the rest; ask which part of the invoice is yours. Vehicle size and condition, the equipment needed, recovery work, the time of day and any storage days make up most of the rest. Local rules can also cap some tows, which is covered below.

Published reference points.

These are published legal maximums for one kind of tow in one state. They are not a price for a tow you request, and they do not apply outside Texas.

$272Texas statewide maximum for a private-property (non-consent) tow

Covers: Texas statewide maximum, vehicle up to 10,000 lbs; rates effective Nov 1, 2021.

Does not cover: Private-property non-consent tows only, not consent or roadside tows. Cities or counties may set lower rates.

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Towing consumer information ↗ (opens an external site)

$135Texas maximum drop fee (hooked but not yet moved)

Covers: Texas statewide maximum drop fee, vehicle 10,000 lbs or less.

Does not cover: Private-property non-consent tows only, not consent or roadside tows. A statewide maximum, not what every company charges.

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Towing consumer information ↗ (opens an external site)

A tow you requested, or a tow from private property?

A tow you call for is a consent tow: you agree on the price with the company. A non-consent tow happens without your agreement, for example when a vehicle is removed from a private parking lot. In some places, state or local rules cap the fees for non-consent tows.

Texas is one example. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation lists a statewide maximum of $272 for a private-property (non-consent) tow of a vehicle up to 10,000 lbs, with rates effective November 1, 2021 after an amendment to the state rule, and notes that lower rates may be set by local municipal or county rule. It also lists a statewide maximum drop fee of $135 for a vehicle of 10,000 lbs or less that was hooked but not yet moved. These maximums do not cover a tow you request, and rules in other states differ.

SourcesTexas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Towing consumer information ↗ (opens an external site)Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Changes to Private Property Towing Fees (Oct 21, 2021) ↗ (opens an external site)

When a second opinion is worth it.

• The phone quote gave no per-mile rate or no way of counting miles.
• The invoice bills more miles than the distance from pickup to destination, with no note on how they were counted.
• The invoice adds winching, equipment or after-hours charges that were not mentioned.
• Storage days have been billed from before you were told where the car was.
• A private-property tow in a state or city with a legal cap is billed above what the rule lists.

On a highway or roadside, move yourself and any passengers to a safe place away from traffic before discussing price. Safety comes first; the invoice can be checked afterward.