What does roadside assistance cover in New Zealand?

In New Zealand it comes in a few forms. It can be a stand-alone membership, an add-on to a car policy, or a benefit bundled with something else, such as a new car. The packages differ, so two products with similar names can behave differently.

The usual call-outs are:

• a flat battery, where the technician tries a jump start or restart;
• a flat tyre, where they fit your spare;
• an empty tank, where you get a small emergency supply or a tow to a fuel stop;
• a lock-out, where they help get you back into the car;
• a tow, when the car cannot be fixed at the roadside.

It is built for these everyday faults. A crash is a different situation, covered next.

A crash, break-in or theft is different, because that is a claim. Under Tower's comprehensive wording, once a claim is accepted Tower pays reasonable costs to move the car to the nearest repairer or a place of safety (comprehensive wording). QuoteHub's guide to how a car insurance claim works covers the steps, and the comprehensive and third party guides show what each cover level pays for.

Car insurance is not compulsory in New Zealand, and neither is breakdown cover. QuoteHub's page on whether car insurance is compulsory explains the legal position.

Check	Why it matters
Car or person	Cover that follows the car works for anyone driving it. Cover that follows a person only helps that person.
Call-outs a year	Some products cap free call-outs and charge for the rest. Ask what counts as one call-out.
Waiting period	A new product may not start for a day or two, so a breakdown straight after signing up can be at your cost.
Tow distance	A tow usually goes to the nearest repairer or a safe place. Going further, such as home, can cost extra.
Parts and repairs	The call-out may be free, but a new battery, tyre or key is usually not.
Where it applies	Check whether it covers private driveways, off-road tracks, floods or snow, and trips outside New Zealand.
Vehicle limits	Size, weight, age and modifications can rule a vehicle out.

Overlap is worth a look too. If a new-car benefit, a motoring membership or another product already sends help when you break down, a second product may cover the same ground.

It sits beside the policy rather than inside it. Tower's wording says the RoadWise programme does not form part of the policy, and points to Tower's website for the programme's own terms (comprehensive wording). That is why the checks above apply to it as they would to any other roadside product.

A few points from Tower's own pages:

• There is a 48-hour wait from sign-up before you can use it, and call-outs beyond the third are provided at your cost (Tower's RoadWise page).
• The vehicle needs a current warrant of fitness and no known defects when you add it (Tower's RoadWise brochure).
• It is not available for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes or longer than five metres under the comprehensive wording, and the length limit is five and a half metres under third party, fire and theft (comprehensive wording; third party, fire and theft wording).

QuoteHub's guide to Tower's RoadWise roadside assistance goes through the call-out list, the exclusions and the costs line by line. If you tow a trailer, it has its own cover, covered in QuoteHub's guide to trailer insurance in NZ. QuoteHub cannot send help or take a breakdown call, so if you are stranded, use the number on your membership or policy documents.

Compare what is included, not only the fee. A product with one call-out a year and a short tow limit is a different product from one with three call-outs and a longer tow, even if the price looks similar. It also helps to count the call-outs you might realistically use: an older car with a tired battery will use them differently from a new one.

QuoteHub does not put a figure on any roadside product here, because the fee depends on the provider, the vehicle and when you buy.

Have the car's registration number and the regular drivers' details ready. Other providers sell roadside help too, so read the terms of anything you compare. QuoteHub's guide to getting a car insurance quote online lists what the form asks for.