How much does it cost to tow a car?
How much does it cost to tow a car? Hundreds of thousands of cars are towed in the United States each year. Calling a tow company to move your vehicle is not something anyone planned to do, but it may be something you would have to do at one point or another. Nearly every car owner may have a need to tow his/her car at least ones in their lifetime. So, when the need arises, the first question one may ask is “How much does a tow cost?”.So many people do not understand that tow services is more than just transporting a vehicle from one place to another. Towing operations differs and it might be very difficult to say what exactly the price may be before the tow. The fees charged can vary depending on the tow company, your circumstances and the place you lived.
How much does it cost to tow a car?
If you check on most of the tow company’s website, it would be hard to easily find a price tag for the tow operation. However, the cost of a tow is almost standard. In this review, we try to give a breakdown on the average cost of towing service and on what basis may the price change.
Most of the time towing fees start at $35 and can also be as high as $150 depending on the type of tow. Often the base fee or otherwise referred to as the hook-up fee is $50. And this is regardless of the distance your car will be towed either one or twenty miles. If you’re using your vehicle and the engine broke down on the road, and a tow truck is to transport your car to a repair shop or another destination, the tow service company may charge you a base fee ranging from $35 to $150.The hook-up fee usually includes the first 5-7 miles. For an additional mile, the cost may increase drastically higher. For instance, a 5-mile tow may cost between $35 to $125. And for a 100-mile tow, the cost may be as high as $300 to $700. In a situation where you are stuck hundreds of miles away, a tow may cost you up to $1000 or even more. The tow company may decide to charge you at the rate of $3 to $5 per mile. In this case, the cost of having a car transported from one place to another depends on how far you want your car towed. Our findings show that the following is the list of the average tow cost charged by towing companies based on the distance to be covered:
• 5 to 7 Miles tow or less: $30 –$130
• 40 Miles tow: $130 –$300
• 100 Miles tow: $300–$700
Note: finding a repair shop nearby can help reduce the cost of your tow.
How much does it cost to tow a car? – Additional costs.
• In a case where your car is stuck in the mud or if it’s in an adverse condition, the towing cost will probably be higher looking at the fact that the towing service provider may have a hard time and will spend more hours transporting your vehicle to your desire location. So, in that case, you may be charged at the rate of $30 to $200 per hour.
• Also, there may be an additional cost if your car needs to be towed during holidays, weekends or at night. For example, in North Carolina ‘Ace towing’ has a flat rate of $80–$90 for up to seven miles, but charges a minimum of $130 on holidays or from 10 pm to 7 am during the week days.
• The same thing is applicable if the car is in a difficult terrain, like if you are stuck in the mountains on narrow or winding roads. Here you may be charged $50 –$250 per hour, this is because there may be a need for a winch.
• Also if your car is heavy, you may have to use a heavy-duty tow truck. In that regard, you will have to pay a higher amount.
• One thing you need to keep in mind is that towing a car from an accident scene comes at a higher cost compared to normal tow operation due to a faulty engine.
How does the tow pricing work?
Some towing service providers charge a base or a hook-up fee and then charge a per-mile fee in addition to that. Our research found that the base fee could range from $30 to $150where as the per-mile fee could range from $2 to $5. Some of these towing companies include the first 5 to 7 miles in their hook-up fees. Therefore, be sure to ask your service provider if that is the case when pricing.