If you’re a motorist, roadside assistance is a great safety net. Whether the roadside assist service is part of your car insurance, or comes from a separate provider, it can get you back on the road when things go awry. Or, at the very least, get you home and your car towed to a mechanic.
Alongside dedicated providers – the AA and NZRA – many car insurance providers offer their own roadside assistance services as policy extras.
Canstar explores the roadside assist options available in New Zealand:
What does roadside assistance cover?
Roadside assistance services deliver different levels of cover. So it’s always a good idea to read any policy document carefully before signing up, to ensure you fully understand its benefits.
Common benefits of roadside assistance:
- Battery jumpstart
- Emergency fuel delivery should you run out
- Changing a flat tyre
- Towing to safety or nearest repairer
- Minor roadside repairs
- Assistance if locked out (replacement key delivery/ opening car for you etc.)
- Technical advice
- Accident assistance (towing, clean up etc.)
Benefits that are sometimes included, or may only be included on premium options could be:
- Taxi or rental car assistance
- Emergency accommodation assistance
- Cover for vehicles that are being towed (like a boat, trailer or caravan)
Common exclusions of roadside assistance
- Vehicles over 3000kg (3 tonnes)
- Unattended vehicles
- Vehicles that need salvage equipment or special equipment, such as power winches or extended cables
- Lack of access due to extreme weather
- Off-road or racing vehicles
- Towing due to misuse
Is roadside assistance included in my insurance policy?
Roadside assistance is typically offered as an optional extra on top of an insurance policy. Not all policies are eligible – some insurers only include the option on their comprehensive/full insurance policies – and there may be different levels of cover to choose from.
It’s worth noting that roadside assistance included in insurance policies is usually linked to a particular car or cars, and not a driver or drivers, so anybody driving the car, should it break down, can call for help.
Roadside assistance: what’s on offer from insurers?
Below is an overview of the big car insurance providers that have roadside assistance programs. Prices have been given where available. But some insurers require you to apply for an insurance quote before providing a roadside assistance price.
For further details, and product disclosure statements, visit providers’ websites.
AMI
AMI Roadside Rescue is AMI’s own breakdown service. It is offered through First Rescue, which is part of IAG, the same insurance group as AMI.
Roadside Rescue costs $49 p.a. if you are an AMI car insurance customer, and is free for 12 months for new drivers who insure their vehicles with AMI. For non-members the cost is $79 p.a. Benefits include:
- Unlimited callouts
- Emergency taxi transport
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel (max three times p.a.)
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
- EV towing to recharge point
- Towing of caravans and trailers
AMP
AMP offers optional roadside assistance with its Comprehensive car insurance policy at an additional cost. Cover is offered in partnership with the AA, and includes:
- Unlimited free callouts
- Accident or break-in assistance
- Towing of caravans and trailers
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
ANZ
Underwritten by Vero, ANZ car insurance offers roadside assistance as an optional extra on its Comprehensive and Third Party Fire & Theft policies. Cover is offered in partnership with the AA, and includes:
- Unlimited free callouts
- Accident or break-in assistance
- Towing of caravans and trailers
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
State
State’s Roadside Rescue can be added to any State car insurance policy for $39 a year. It is offered through First Rescue, which is part of IAG, the same insurance group as State. Benefits include:
- Five free callouts per year. Extra callouts $50 each
- Emergency taxi transport
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel (max three times p.a.)
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
- EV towing to recharge point
Tower
Tower’s RoadWise can be added to any Tower car insurance policy at an additional cost. Cover is offered in partnership with NZRA, and includes:
- Three free callouts per year. Each year you renew, you receive an additional three free callouts
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
- EV towing to recharge point
- Towing of caravans and trailers
Trade Me Insurance
Trade Me Insurance car insurance is underwritten by Tower. Therefore you have the option to add RoadWise to your Trade Me Insurance car insurance policy, for the same benefits.
Westpac
Westpac’s Auto Assist can be added to its Full Cover comprehensive car insurance policy for an extra $2.50 per month ($30 p.a.). Cover is offered in partnership with the AA, and includes:
- Three free callouts per year (up to value of $150 per callout)
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
Compare Outstanding Value Car Insurance with Canstar
Looking for great value car insurance for you and your family? Each year, we release our car insurance awards, including winners for Insurer of the Year, Outstanding Value, and Most Satisfied Customers. As part of our award results, we also publish our Outstanding Value Star Ratings, covering car insurance for different age groups. Below are our top-rated providers in the drivers aged 30-49 category. Click here to view our complete car insurance Star Ratings for all age groups.
Comprehensive Cover: Drivers 30-49:
| Provider | Star Rating |
Car Insurer of the Year |
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See here for our ratings methodology. The table above is an abridged version of our research. For the full results of our latest Car Insurance Ratings and Award, click here.
Roadside assistance: Non-insurer options
If you don’t want to purchase roadside assistance as an insurance add-on, there are two other providers in the market:
AA
An AA personal membership starts at $99 for Auckland residents, and $89 for elsewhere in NZ. For each year you remain a member, you’ll receive a discount on your membership.
Note that you don’t need to insure your car through AA Insurance to be a member of the AA and receive roadside assistance.
Also an AA membership covers an individual, not a vehicle, and provides assistance whether they’re a driver or a passenger in a car. Additional spousal/partner memberships are available at a discount, so too are youth memberships.
An AA membership also offers other benefits, such as discounted AA Insurance rates, servicing deals and more.
AA roadside assistance offers:
- Six free callouts per year for new members
- Unlimited free callouts for long-term members (10+ years)
- Accident or break-in assistance
- Towing of caravans and trailers
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
- Mobile EV charging in Auckland and Wellington
NZRA (NZ Roadside Assistance)
NZRA offers three personal roadside assistance packages, each of which provides six callouts per year. Membership is attached to a vehicle, not a person:
Standard Roadside Car and Motorcycle: $62.50 p.a.
- Six free callouts per year
- Accident or break-in assistance
- Fuel delivery if you run out of fuel
- Lost-key callout
- Flat tyres and battery
- EV towing to recharge point
Premium Roadside Car and Motorcycle: $92.50 p.a.
Designed for people who regularly travel long distances from home. Includes Standard Roadside benefits, plus:
- Emergency taxi benefit
- Rental car benefit
- Emergency accommodation benefit
Standard Roadside Motorhome: $71.50 p.a.
Similar benefits to Standard Roadside, plus cover towards cost of towing a motorhome to a repair location.
About the author of this page
Bruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery book 5 Minute Murder.
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