Tips For Having Your Car Towed When You're Short On Cash

If you're short on cash but need to have your vehicle towed, you might be wondering what your next steps should be. This can be a tough situation for any vehicle owner to be in, but it might be easier to resolve than you think. These are some of the things that you can do in this situation.

Find Out If You Have Coverage

First of all, don't assume that you will have to pay out of pocket for car towing services at all. If you have a roadside assistance plan or if towing is included in your insurance policy, then you may already have this coverage.

Determine If You Can Avoid Having Your Car Towed

In some cases, you may be able to avoid having your car towed. For example, if your car simply has a flat tire, you might find that it's cheaper for you to hire someone to change the tire on the side of the road than it will be to tow your vehicle to a shop. The same might be true for things like putting gas in your car or jump-starting your battery. If you have a roadside assistance plan or if you have a friend or family member who is willing and able to help, then you might not even have to pay anything to get your car back up and running again.

Look for the Most Affordable Towing Company You Can Find

Of course, you should not assume that all towing companies will charge the same price for their services. You may find that one company that offers services in your area will be significantly cheaper than another company, so it's smart to call and inquire about pricing from a few different companies so you can find a fair and reasonable price.

Have Your Vehicle Towed a Shorter Distance

In many cases, towing companies base their rates on how far they have to tow a vehicle. Therefore, if you have your vehicle towed a shorter distance, you typically will not have to pay as much in towing fees. You can take advantage of this by carefully determining where you will have your vehicle towed to. For example, if you can find a nearby repair shop to have your vehicle towed to -- even if it's not the shop that you normally use to have your car repaired -- then you might find that this will help you keep your towing costs down.

To learn more, contact a towing company.