Does Roadside Assistance Count as a Claim?

A roadside assistance claim is a no-fault service claim against an auto insurance policy's towing and labor coverage. A roadside assistance claim covers tows, jump starts, flat tire changes, fuel delivery, lockouts, and winching. The service call carries no deductible, no fault finding, and no damage payout. A tow after a crash counts as a collision or comprehensive claim instead. AAA responded to more than 687,000 roadside assistance calls during Independence Day week in 2025. Repeated service calls in one policy year can produce a higher rate, a dropped endorsement, or a non-renewal notice. Insurance Navy helps drivers across the United States find the right insurance at the right price. This guide explains roadside assistance coverage, C.L.U.E. report records, premium increases, and motor-club differences.

Table of contents

What Does Roadside Assistance Cover?
Does Car Insurance Cover Towing?
Roadside Assistance Claim vs. Collision or Comprehensive Claim
Does a Roadside Call Show Up on Your Insurance Record?
Does using Roadside Assistance increase your Premium?
Roadside Assistance Follows the Car, Not the Driver
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a tow arranged by my insurance company show up on my auto insurance record?
Can frequent roadside assistance calls trigger a premium increase even if they’re not claims?
If my battery jump is reimbursed instead of billed directly, is that still a claim?
Does using AAA or another third-party provider impact my auto insurance record?
Is there a limit to how many roadside calls I can make before I’m charged more?
If I add roadside assistance after a breakdown, will using it immediately count as a claim?
Does roadside assistance affect my deductible like a claim does?

Yes, but a roadside assistance claim is not the kind of claim that raises your rates. Using roadside assistance files a claim against the roadside assistance coverage on your policy, and your insurer logs the service call. A roadside assistance claim is a no-fault service claim with no deductible, no at-fault finding, and no physical-damage payout. A collision or comprehensive claim has all 3, and a collision or comprehensive claim is the type of claim that drives a premium increase.

The reason the truck came decides the type of claim. A jump start, a flat tire, a lockout, or a fuel delivery is a service call. A tow after a crash is billed under collision or comprehensive coverage, and that tow is a full claim on your claims history.

Occasional service calls rarely change your rate at most carriers. Repeated service calls in 1 policy year can change your rate. Your carrier sets the number that counts as repeated, not state law.

What Does Roadside Assistance Cover?

Roadside assistance is an optional auto insurance add-on that pays to get a disabled vehicle moving or moved. Most policies sell roadside assistance as towing and labor coverage. The Texas Department of Insurance defines towing and labor coverage this way: towing and labor coverage "pays to tow your car if it can't be driven. It also pays for labor to change a flat tire or jump-start your battery."

A roadside endorsement covers 6 services:

Towing to a repair shop
Jump starts for a dead battery
Flat tire changes, which means mounting your spare
Fuel delivery of enough fuel to reach a station
Lockout service when the keys are locked inside the car
Winching to pull the vehicle out of mud, snow, or a ditch

Roadside assistance is an optional add-on in every state. No state includes roadside assistance in its required minimum coverage. Roadside assistance is also separate from collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. Collision and comprehensive cover damage to the vehicle. Towing and labor coverage gets the vehicle off the road.

The service volume is large. AAA responded to more than 27 million emergency roadside service calls in the United States in 2024. Roughly 13 million of those calls were tows. About 7 million were battery problems.

Does Car Insurance Cover Towing?

Car insurance covers towing in 2 ways. The reason for the tow decides which coverage pays and whether you filed a claim or used a service.

A breakdown tow is a tow because the car will not start, the transmission fails, or the tire is flat with no spare. Towing and labor coverage pays for a breakdown tow when you carry that coverage. A breakdown tow is a service call against your roadside endorsement.

A tow after a crash is part of the accident claim. Collision coverage or comprehensive coverage pays for the crash tow along with the repair. You report a crash tow through the normal accident claim process. Insurance Navy explains how a claim is filed in a separate guide.

Without towing and labor coverage, you pay for a breakdown tow out of pocket. Insurance Navy's roadside assistance costs $50 to $100 a year, depending on your location and vehicle. Insurance Navy estimates an average standalone tow at about $95. One year of Insurance Navy roadside assistance costs about the same as 1 tow.

Most roadside endorsements cap the tow by distance or by dollar amount. Many endorsements cover a tow only to the nearest qualified repair shop, not to a destination of your choice. Your declarations page states the limit.

Roadside Assistance Claim vs. Collision or Comprehensive Claim

A roadside service call is a claim in the technical sense. You use coverage you pay for, and the insurer records the service call. A roadside service call is not a claim in the sense that worries drivers. A jump start tells an underwriter nothing about how you drive.

	Roadside service call	Collision or comprehensive claim
What triggers it	Breakdown, flat tire, dead battery, lockout, out of fuel	Crash, theft, weather, vandalism, animal strike
Deductible	None	Yes. The policy sets the amount.
Fault assessed	No	Yes, for collision
Pays for vehicle damage	No	Yes
Typical rate impact	Little to none for occasional use	Can be significant, especially at fault

Does a Roadside Call Show Up on Your Insurance Record?

The record a future insurer pulls is the C.L.U.E. report. C.L.U.E. stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. LexisNexis runs the C.L.U.E. report. The C.L.U.E. report holds up to 7 years of auto claims history. Insurers check the C.L.U.E. report when you apply for coverage or request a quote.

Whether a service-only roadside call appears on the C.L.U.E. report varies by carrier. Some carriers report every roadside call. Some carriers report none. A tow tied to an accident is part of that accident claim, and the accident claim appears on the C.L.U.E. report.

You can check your C.L.U.E. report. The C.L.U.E. report is a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Fair Credit Reporting Act entitles you to one free copy every 12 months. You can freeze the report. You can dispute any wrong entry. LexisNexis must verify a disputed entry with the reporting insurer and tell you the result within 30 days. Request your report from LexisNexis Risk Solutions at 866-897-8126.

LexisNexis instructs insurers not to report claims information when you call only to ask a question about your coverage or your deductible. Asking whether a service is covered is not the same as filing a claim.

Does using Roadside Assistance increase your Premium?

Usually not. Most carriers do not rate a roadside service call the way they rate an accident claim. The risk is repetition, not a single call.

A claim means that your insurance provider must pay for damages or services on your behalf. The first thing they look at when they receive a claim is severity and fault.

That's why car accidents can cause insurance rates to skyrocket if it is a severe accident that the driver was responsible for. With a roadside assistance claim, there is no fault, and the damage may not be severe.

A pattern of service calls tells an underwriter something that a single call does not: the vehicle is unreliable. Most roadside service calls are tows or battery calls.

At renewal, a pattern of service calls can mean a higher rate, a dropped roadside endorsement, or a non-renewal notice.

Roadside Assistance Follows the Car, Not the Driver

Roadside assistance from your auto insurer follows the car, not the driver. The coverage attaches to the vehicles listed on your policy.

If your battery dies in a friend's car, your own roadside coverage will not pay for the jump start in most cases. The reverse also holds. Anyone who drives your covered car with permission can use the roadside coverage on that car in most cases.

That rule is the practical difference between insurer roadside coverage and a motor-club membership like AAA. A club membership follows the member. The membership works in any car the member drives, and the membership costs more. Ask your insurance agent about the limits of your roadside assistance.

Get a Car Insurance Quote From Insurance Navy

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will a tow arranged by my insurance company show up on my auto insurance record?

It depends on the carrier. Some carriers report every roadside call to the C.L.U.E. report. Some carriers report none. A tow that followed vehicle damage from an accident or other loss event is part of that accident claim, and the accident claim appears on the C.L.U.E. report. An accident claim can affect your future premiums or eligibility for certain coverage options.

Can frequent roadside assistance calls trigger a premium increase even if they’re not claims?

Yes, some insurance companies monitor roadside assistance usage patterns and frequent calls can indicate increased risk, which may result in higher premiums, limited roadside assistance coverage or other policy restrictions.

If my battery jump is reimbursed instead of billed directly, is that still a claim?

Yes. A reimbursed jump start is still a claim against your roadside coverage. Your insurer records the service call either way, whether the insurer pays the tow company directly or reimburses you. A reimbursed jump start is not a collision or comprehensive claim. Your insurer does not rate a roadside service claim the way the insurer rates an accident claim.

Does using AAA or another third-party provider impact my auto insurance record?

No, assistance from AAA or other third-party providers is separate from your auto insurance policy, so your insurance company won’t be notified unless you report an associated claim or incident.

Is there a limit to how many roadside calls I can make before I’m charged more?

Yes, and each carrier sets the limit. Many roadside endorsements cap the number of free service calls per policy year. Calls beyond the cap cost you out of pocket. Frequent calls can also prompt an underwriting review at renewal, which can mean a surcharge or a change to your coverage. Your declarations page states the limit for your policy. State law does not set the limit.

If I add roadside assistance after a breakdown, will using it immediately count as a claim?

The first use after purchasing roadside assistance coverage usually counts as a standard service call. But some insurance companies have waiting periods or extra fees for same-day activations which can affect how that first service is handled.

Does roadside assistance affect my deductible like a claim does?

Roadside assistance doesn’t have a deductible like collision or comprehensive claims do. So getting roadside service won’t require any deductible payments or affect your claim-related deductible status.