Towing Estimate Calculator
Plan your towing services without the worry of hidden costs with our easy-to-use Towing Service Estimate Calculator. It’s easy and only takes a few clicks, simply add your service type, vehicle, and travel distance to see a clear breakdown of expenses, including any extra services you may need. Whether you’re facing an emergency or planning ahead, our calculator offers the transparency you need before you spend too much money. Don’t get ripped off!
Towing Service Estimate Calculator
How to Use the Towing Service Estimate Calculator
Our Towing Service Estimate Calculator was made to provide you with an accurate estimate of towing costs based on your specific needs. Here’s how to use it:
- Select the Towing Type: Choose from options like emergency towing, vehicle recovery, or roadside assistance based on your situation.
- Choose Your Vehicle Type: Select the type of vehicle you have (e.g., sedan, SUV, motorcycle, truck, van, or bus). This helps in estimating the cost more accurately as different vehicles may require different towing setups.
- Enter the Towing Distance: Add the number of miles you need the vehicle towed. This is a critical factor in calculating the total cost because most companies have a cost per mile.
- Select Additional Services (Optional): You can select multiple additional services that you might need, such as winching, overnight storage, tire change, battery jumpstart, or lockout service. Hold down the
Ctrl
(Windows) orCommand
(Mac) button to select more than one option. - Calculate Estimate: Click on the “Calculate Estimate” button to generate your towing cost estimate.
The Formula Used for Calculating the Estimate
The total estimated cost of towing services is calculated using the following formula:
Total Cost=Base Rate+(Distance Rate×Distance)+(Additional Services)
- Base Rate: A fixed starting price for towing services, regardless of distance or vehicle type. This is set at $50 in our example. In most cases this is the average base rate.
- Distance Rate: The cost per mile for the towing service. We’ve updated this to $5 per mile. The cost can range anywhere from $3 to $10 per mile in the USA, and the same for KM in Canada.
- Distance: The total number of miles the vehicle will be towed.
- Additional Services: Any extra services you select are added to the total cost. Each service has a fixed price:
- Winching: $50
- Overnight Storage: $25
- Tire Change: $15
- Battery Jumpstart: $20
- Lockout Service: $30
For example, if you need a sedan towed for 10 miles with no additional services, the estimated cost would be calculated as follows:
Total Cost=$50+($5×10)+$0=$100Total Cost=$50+($5×10)+$0=$100
If you also required winching and overnight storage, we will calculate that as well based on average rates in North America. Specially Canada and the United States.
This calculator is made to make it easy for you to understand the potential costs involved in towing, ensuring transparency and helping you to make informed decisions about your towing needs when you’re stuck on the side of the highway broken down.
Using the Towing Service Cost Estimator
Towing your vehicle usually happens at the most unexpected times, like when your car or trucks breaks down when you’re driving on your trip. This has happened to me at random times and luckily I had tools in my vehicle. Having a tool kit in your car or truck can save you major money in towing costs if it’s a simple fix.
Breaking down on the side of the highway sucks this can be caused by the weather or other drivers in the area, or simply just bad luck, in most cases it won’t be near your hometown where you don’t know local towing companies. You will need to call around to get quotes for your towing needs. Smaller towns tend to be more helpful and you might even get some courtesy help from locals, however if you break down near or in major cities, the costs can be substantial and towing companies can charge an arm and a leg.
Most tow truck companies know that the area will be unfamiliar to you and will try and charge you more then you should be paying for towing, so it’s best to have some knowledge of how much towing estimates should be. Calculate the estimates costs that you can expect to pay before you call around to save you some time.
Sometimes breakdowns are simple like a flat tire and you may not know how to change a tire, this should only cost around $15-$40 depending on how far from the city or town you may be. Boosting a dead battery can cost upwards of $250 sometimes for semis. For myself I always keep spare battery booster cables in my vehicle, there’s a lot of friendly people that will offer you a boost if they see you’re having trouble getting your vehicle started. Booster cables are cheap and easy to store, they don’t take up much space and can be stowed underneath your car seats or inside the trunk.
In rare cases you may be run off the road by some random vehicle and you could get stuck in the snow. Sometimes it’s best to have a dashcam in cases like this for insurance purposes, this way your insurance company will pay your towing bill. I see people run off the road in the winter all the time. I also carry a small tow rope with me, however be careful towing other people from the ditch, always ask for video or written permission in case you wreck something on their vehicle while towing, or getting towed out from being stuck in the snow or mud.
Final Thoughts
Buying $200 worth of tools to keep in your vehicle can save you 1000’s of dollars in the long run.
Personally I keep a small battery booster pack, a basic wrench set, small tow rope and booster cables in my truck at all times. This way I can help out other people who are stranded on the side of the road or even if I’m stranded myself.
Save money from shady towing companies who take advantage of tourists travelling out of the comfort of their home area. Know what you can expect to pay before hiring someone.