The TRUTH about Liberty Mutual Roadside Assistance

Since 1912 Liberty Mutual Group has protected the public’s biggest investments, like their homes and vehicles. Liberty is a well-respected, brand name insurer with favorable financial strength ratings by A.M. Best, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s.

However, if you’re checking out this article then you probably already have at least one vehicle insured by Liberty and are now you’re wondering if their roadside assistance plan is worthwhile. 

Let’s take a closer look in our review. 

How Much Does Liberty Mutual Roadside Assistance Cost?

You can buy this add-on roadside service benefit for your new or existing Liberty car insurance policy. The cost to buy such coverage is between $12 and $20 per year, or less than $2 per month. The premium varies depending on the insured’s preferred amount of coverage, vehicle, state, and other characteristics. For example, you can select a roadside plan that provides for $50 of covered towing/labor (which means the premium is low) or $200 of covered towing/labor (which means the premium is higher). 

Liberty offers one of the lowest priced roadside assistance plans, besides GEICO which sells an emergency roadside program for $14 per year. Most other major car insurance companies price their plan around $23 per year. State Farm breaks away from the crowd by charging nearly double, $48 per year, which keeps it on par with the cost for a basic motor club membership. 

What Services Are Part of Liberty Mutual Roadside Assistance?

Liberty offers roadside assistance that’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. The Liberty roadside program gives insureds access to the following services:

• Towing 
• Roadside mechanical labor
• Winching/extraction 
• Tire change
• Fuel delivery
• Dead battery jump start
• Locksmith services

Before signing up for any roadside assistance plan, be sure to double-check all the terms so you know if the program will meet your needs.

What is NOT Included in Liberty Roadside Assistance?

Of course, most roadside assistance programs do have some limitations and Liberty Mutual is no different. Here are a few of the carrier’s emergency roadside rules to keep in mind: 

• Towing: You’ll be towed to Liberty’s nearest contracted repair facility, not the auto shop of your choice. Liberty also puts radius restrictions on your towing assistance depending on which roadside benefit level you purchase. 
• Fuel: You’ll need to pay for the cost of fuel when you run out of gas. Liberty just covers the delivery charge. 
• Replacement parts: You’ll have to pay for any parts (e.g. replacement battery or belts) that are needed to get your car running again. 
• Service calls: You’ll be limited to 3 service calls per year. This is typical of all roadside programs through insurance companies. Motor clubs are known for having no cap on the number of covered incidents per year. 
• Coverage: Your emergency roadside coverage is tied to your vehicle and not to you. That means you can only use the roadside benefit while driving the car covered by your Liberty Mutual policy. 

Liberty won’t allow you to decide on your own roadside service provider. That’s common among all emergency roadside programs. The only exception is the Esurance roadside benefit.  

How to Contact Liberty Roadside Service?

Hopefully, your Liberty roadside benefit is one you’ll never actually need. However, if you do find yourself stranded, it’s easy to request emergency roadside assistance in one of the two ways outlined below.

Phone: Call a Liberty Mutual representative toll-free at 1-800-426-9898. 

Mobile app: Use the following steps on the free Liberty Mutual mobile app for iPhone and Android. 

1. Go into your online Liberty insured account.
2. Click the “Accident & Roadside Support” tab.
3. Tap “Tow/Assistance” for the kind of claim.
4. Select roadside service. 
5. Type in your location, then enter your claim.

Liberty customers have reported it can take about an hour for a tow truck to reach your location. Of course, the wait times are variable depending on where your car broke down, availability of a roadside provider, and what type of help you need. 

How Does Liberty Roadside Assistance Compare to Other Providers?

The below comparison chart shows the emergency roadside programs offered by top car insurers, including Liberty Mutual. As you’ll see, most roadside assistance plans offer similar services for essentially the same cost. Liberty commits to helping their policyholders with 3 roadside incidents per year of towing, fuel delivery, battery jump start, tire change, winching/extraction, locksmith service, and on-site mechanical labor. 

	Liberty Mutual	GEICO	Farmers	Progressive	AllState	State Farm
Cost Per Year	$12-$20	$14	$23	$23	$25	$48
Incidents Covered Per Year	3	3	3	3	3	3
Towing	depends on plan	100 miles	$150	15 miles	$100	Nearest, no limit
Winching/ Extrication	$100	1 hr	10 ft	100 ft	$100	Free if reachable from road
Car Locksmith	$100	$100	$150	1 hr	$100	1 hr
On-Site Mechanical Adjustment	$100	1 hr	$150	1 hr	$100	1 hr
Fuel Delivery	√	√	√	√	√	√
Jump Start	√	√	√	√	√	√
Flat Tire Service	√	√	√	√	√	√

All car insurance companies encourage insureds to add-on different benefits, including roadside assistance. The extra premium for emergency roadside benefits averages around $23 per year, with a few exceptions. Liberty is on the lower end considering policyholders can opt into the roadside program with minimal cost. The company charges between $12 and $20 per year depending on the level of coverage you select. 

It’s worth noting that going without any type of roadside program could cost you quite a bit more out-of-pocket. For instance, tow charges can range anywhere from $125 to $450 depending on the towing distance required. 

Which Roadside Assistance Should You Choose?

As far as we can determine, the Liberty Mutual roadside assistance plan is comparable to what other major auto carriers are currently offering. In general terms, the price is reasonable, and the benefits are solid. However, before you make any final decisions about adding the Liberty roadside benefit to your current auto policy, you’ll want to consider all your options. 

Other choices: move to another auto insurer and buy their roadside plan, rely on a roadside mobile app (e.g. Urgently), or become a motor club member. We suggest you ask yourself the following questions first: 

• Is this insurance company the one I want insuring my car? 
• Do I trust the insurer? 
• Does the carrier have a good customer service record? 
• Am I getting a competitive rate for the entire car insurance policy? 
• How far do I regularly commute? 
• Do I often take long road trips? Or do I mostly drive close to home? 
• If my car breaks down, is there always someone available to come rescue me and my vehicle? Or will I need to call a professional for help? 

Roadside emergency assistance may seem like an afterthought as it’s an optional benefit with low premium. Of course, you’re probably hoping you’ll never need to use a roadside service anyway. However, it won’t feel like a minor benefit if (unfortunately) your vehicle does breakdown. In that scenario, you’ll be so glad you spent the time evaluating your options and selecting the best roadside program for your needs.