Most of us rely on our vehicles every day. Whether it is to run errands or go back and forth to school or work, it can be emotionally and financially devastating when we cannot use our cars because of a disablement. If you’ve ever had a flat tire, locked your keys in your car, or needed a tow, you know how stressful these situations can be. Don’t be left stranded the next time you find yourself in this scenario. Amica roadside assistance is a coverage you can add to your auto insurance policy to cover yourself when disablements happen. Read on for everything you need to know about this optional but beneficial coverage.

How Much Does Amica Roadside Assistance Cost?

In general, roadside assistance is very affordable coverage that only adds a few extra dollars to your monthly insurance bill. Amica’s roadside coverage is no exception. While it can vary depending on your policy specifics and where you live, the price ranges between $12 to $60 per year ($1-$5 per month). Considering that the national average towing cost is $109, adding roadside assistance coverage can be significant savings over time.

What is Included in Amica Roadside Assistance Coverage?

Roadside assistance with Amica covers several disablements, including labor up to $100 per incident, jumping a dead battery, fuel delivery, and locksmith services. Generally, these services are what you would expect to be covered by a roadside assistance provider. However, Amica differs because these services are offered to their customers even if they have not purchased the roadside coverage. If you have an auto policy with Amica and have chosen not to purchase roadside assistance, you can still utilize the service but pay out of pocket. This provides you with the peace of mind that you will not be stranded if your car breaks down. Another benefit is that Amica allows you to choose the towing company you’d prefer to work with, whereas other companies do not give you the option.

It is worth noting that they have unique towing limits which are never free. If you need a tow, you will have to pay a minimum charge of $50 for the first 5-10 miles and an additional $2-$4 per mile for each mile after 10 miles.

What is NOT Included in Amica Roadside Assistance?

There will be specific coverage exclusions to Amica’s roadside assistance as with any other insurance policy. For example, while Amica will cover the fuel delivery, it will not cover the cost of the fuel itself. Similarly, they will not cover the cost of replacing a dead battery or any other equipment needed to get you back on the road. If there are any additional services or labor required, you will have to pay out of pocket for those also.

How do I Contact Amica Roadside Service?

Getting in touch with Amica roadside assistance is as simple as a phone call or mobile request. If you need roadside help and it’s unrelated to a car accident, dial 866-286-9968. This is Amica’s dedicated roadside line. It will prompt you to dial “1” to set up a roadside assistance request. From here, you can either speak to an agent to set up the request or get sent a text link to initiate the request. If you choose the text link option, the IVR will confirm which phone number they should send the link to and wait to confirm that you have opened the link before disconnecting.

The text link will bring you to the following page:

You can select the type of roadside service you need on this screen. If you’re unsure, you can select the question mark and be prompted with some questions to help determine what type of service you need to get back on the road.

You can also click on the phone icon to call Amica and speak to an agent if you have additional questions.

How Does Amica Roadside Assistance Compare to Other Providers?

Compared to other providers, Amica offers a very unique roadside assistance product. They allow their customers who haven’t purchased this coverage to utilize the service out of pocket, and they give you the option to choose your own towing company. This is not something other providers typically offer. In addition, Amica roadside assistance is easy to request through a mobile link, which doesn’t require customers to wait on hold for an agent. However, there are some places where Amica falls short of its competitors.

	Amica	Travelers Basic	Travelers Premier	AAA	State Farm
Cost Per Year	$36	$144	$240	$129	$48
Incidents Covered Per Year	Not Specified	8	8	4	3
Towing	50 miles, or $100	15 miles	100 miles	100 miles	Nearest, no limit
Winching/Extrication	✓	✓	✓	Free if reachable from road	Free if reachable from road
Car Locksmith	✓	✓	✓	$100	1 hr
On-Site Mechanical Adjustment	Not Specified	✓	✓	✓	1 hr
Fuel Delivery	✓	✓	✓	Free delivery, Free fuel	✓
Jump Start	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Flat Tire Service	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Trip Interruption			$600	$500
Personal Property Coverage			$500
Auto/Stereo Theft Reward				$1000 Auto/$400 Stereo
Legal Defense Reimbursement				$100- $1000
Emergency Electric Vehicle Charging				✓
Bicycle Breakdown				✓
Identity Theft Protection				✓
Passport/ID Photos				✓
Products/Services Discounts				Extensive Discounts

For example, Amica does not specify how many roadside incidents you can have per year. While Travelers, AAA and State Farm provide a limit. Superficially, this may sound like a pro. However, this actually means that Amica can use its discretion to determine what an acceptable amount of roadside events may be. Anything above this arbitrary amount can potentially cause Amica to remove this coverage from your policy at best or cancel your policy altogether.  Amica also does not specify whether they will provide coverage for any on-site mechanical adjustment, whereas their competitors generally do provide some. In addition, Amica offers no coverage for trip interruption or personal property, which Travelers does offer with their premier option.

When it comes to the basic roadside service that one would expect from their insurance company, Amica is competitive against other companies. Their price is the lowest amongst a number of their competitors between $12-$60 per month. Depending on the plan, Travelers’ roadside program is either $144 or $240 a year, while State Farm is $48. AAA is more expensive than Amica but offers many other benefits to their member, including extensive discounts, identify theft protection, electric vehicle charging, and legal defense reimbursement.

Which Roadside Assistance Should You Choose?

The roadside assistance provider you should choose depends on a few different factors. First and foremost, you should consider how often you are driving. If you’re on the road frequently, it may make sense for you to choose a company that provides more mileage for towing and a higher number of incidents per year, such as Travelers premier plan. If you work remotely and tend not to drive very often, a basic plan through your insurance company may be sufficient. But you should also determine what would be more cost-effective. For example, perhaps you carry auto insurance with a company like Amica or State Farm and don’t want to switch. In this case, you could quote what it would cost to decline roadside coverage with your insurance company and supplement your roadside needs with a AAA membership.

Lastly, don’t forget to narrow down what is most important to you. If you’re concerned about long wait times or not being able to choose your own towing company, Amica may be a better option than State Farm, for example. Speaking to friends and family about which companies they recommend and getting quotes from other companies is a great idea as well. Whichever option you choose, you can rest assured that getting back on the road is a phone call away with roadside assistance coverage.