What does Tower's RoadWise roadside assistance include?

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-07 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

General information, not advice on your situation. Buying through Tower's online quote is direct, without advice. QuoteHub is a Tower partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Tower.

Tower car insurance does not include roadside assistance as standard. It is an optional extra called RoadWise, and it covers the car rather than the driver (Tower's RoadWise page). It comes with up to three free call-outs a year for things like a flat battery, a flat tyre, an empty tank or a lock-out, and it only starts 48 hours after you sign up. Tower's car policies do not cover a car that stops working because of mechanical failure, so RoadWise is how breakdown help gets added (Tower's car insurance FAQs).

What RoadWise is, and how it differs from your car policy

RoadWise is a call-out service, and it sits beside your insurance rather than inside it. Tower's car wordings say the RoadWise programme "does not form part of this policy", and send you to Tower's website for the programme's own terms (Tower's comprehensive wording). It is an optional benefit on all three of Tower's car levels: comprehensive, third party, fire and theft, and third party only (third party, fire and theft wording).

That split explains most of the confusion about "Tower insurance roadside assistance". Some things are insurance events and some are not:

• A crash, break-in or theft is a claim on your policy. If the car cannot be driven afterwards, Tower arranges the tow as part of that claim, not as a RoadWise call-out (Tower's RoadWise brochure). Under the comprehensive wording, once a claim is accepted Tower pays reasonable costs to move the car to the nearest repairer or place of safety, on top of the sum insured (comprehensive wording).
• A flat battery, an empty tank or a locked-out key is not an insurance event, so it only gets help if you have added RoadWise.
• A mechanical failure is not covered by the policy, and RoadWise gets the car to a repairer but does not pay for the repair.

QuoteHub's guide to Tower car insurance covers what each level pays for.

Which breakdowns RoadWise helps with

Here is how six common situations are handled, going by Tower's RoadWise page, brochure and wordings (RoadWise page; brochure).

What a RoadWise call-out covers

When you call, Tower's team can send a technician to the roadside. Tower lists these services in its brochure and on its RoadWise page (Tower's RoadWise page; brochure):

• Flat battery: the technician tries to restart the car at the roadside, and tows it to the nearest service provider or a safe place if that fails.
• Flat tyre: the technician fits your roadworthy spare. A new tyre can be fitted at the roadside if you pay for it.
• Emergency fuel: up to five litres of fuel, or a tow to the nearest place you can fill up, depending on where you are and what regulations allow.
• Lock-outs: Tower can get your spare key to you with your permission, or a provider tries to gain entry to recover your keys.
• Electric vehicles: if the car runs out of charge, Tower arranges a tow to the nearest charging station.
• Towing a trailer, boat or caravan: if the car cannot be driven, Tower tows the car and the item it is towing to the nearest repair facility or place of safety.
• Phone help: technical advice is free and does not count as one of your call-outs. Tower can also connect your call to a family member or colleague and help you find the nearest repairer.

Tower says the call-out is handled by NZRA (New Zealand Roadside Assistance), a nationwide network of mobile mechanics and tow operators, with an average response time of around 30 to 40 minutes depending on where you are (Tower's RoadWise FAQs). That is an average, not a promise for any one call, so a rural road or a holiday weekend can take longer.

Call-outs, the 48-hour wait and what you pay

Tower describes up to three free call-outs a year, one per event, and says that if you need more it still provides the service but you pay the costs. The three reset when you renew the policy and RoadWise (Tower's RoadWise FAQs).

The wait works from sign-up, not from the day you first need help. Tower says there is a 48-hour stand-down from the time you sign up until you can use RoadWise (Tower's RoadWise FAQs). In practice, if you add RoadWise on a Monday morning because the battery is looking tired, a flat battery on Tuesday would be a paid call-out, while one on Thursday would be a free one.

"Free" therefore means the call-out itself, not what the technician finds wrong. The brochure also says the cover applies to each vehicle that has paid a RoadWise fee, so a second car needs its own.

What RoadWise does not cover

Tower's brochure lists the situations where a vehicle is not covered and any call-out is at your cost (brochure):

• the car is used for hire or reward, or for racing, rallies or speed testing;
• the breakdown comes from a known fault that was neglected or not fixed properly, or a fault tied to a manufacturer's recall;
• the car has no current registration or warrant of fitness and that contributed to the breakdown, or it has modifications without the certification that is required;
• you are not with the vehicle when the service is provided, for example if someone damages it while you are in a shop, in which case you make an insurance claim instead;
• the car is bogged in off-road conditions, stuck in floods or snow, or not on a public road, though a private residence is covered;
• the car is outside New Zealand;
• a trailer, caravan or boat trailer on its own, apart from the towing benefit above.

To join, the vehicle must show a current WoF and have no known defects at the time you add RoadWise (brochure). If your car has modifications, QuoteHub's guide to insuring a modified car in NZ explains why the paperwork matters.

It also has size limits. Tower's RoadWise page gives under 3,500 kilograms and under 5.5 metres, while the wordings give five metres for comprehensive and third party only, and five and a half for third party, fire and theft (Tower's RoadWise FAQs; comprehensive wording; third party, fire and theft wording). If you drive a long ute or van, check the figure that applies to your cover level before relying on it.

Cost and how to add RoadWise

Tower's RoadWise page and brochure do not publish a price for RoadWise, so none is quoted here. The fee is shown when you add it as an optional benefit, so compare it with the cost of the call-outs you might need (Tower). Tower notes that RoadWise may not be available for every car policy type.

There are three ways to add it, according to Tower: choose it under optional benefits when you start a car quote, log in to My Tower and add it to an existing policy, or phone Tower on 0800 379 372 (Tower). Your certificate of insurance lists RoadWise as an optional benefit if you already have it, along with the vehicle and the period covered. If you are a RoadWise member and need help, call 0800 24 24 02 and quote your registration number (Tower). Save that number in your phone before you need it.

Breakdown cover is optional, and QuoteHub's guide on whether car insurance is compulsory in NZ covers the wider question. Whether you add RoadWise comes down to how much you drive, how old the car is and whether you already have roadside help from another source, such as a motoring club membership or a bank or manufacturer benefit. QuoteHub's read is that it is worth checking for overlap before paying for the same help twice.

Getting a quote from Tower online

Have the car's registration number, your licence type and claims history, the people who drive it regularly and any modifications to hand. QuoteHub's link opens Tower's online quote, Tower's own tool, where you see Tower's terms and can add RoadWise under optional benefits. Other insurers sell car cover too, so read the wording of any quote you compare.

Questions people ask

Does Tower car insurance include roadside assistance?

No, it is an optional benefit you add. Tower's car insurance page says its policies do not cover a car that stops working because of mechanical failure, but you can add RoadWise so that help is a phone call away (Tower).

How many RoadWise call-outs do you get?

Up to three a year, one per event, while the vehicle has RoadWise. Further call-outs are provided but at your cost, and the three reset when you renew (Tower's RoadWise FAQs).

Is the driver covered, or only the car?

The car. RoadWise applies to the insured vehicle, so it does not matter who is driving when the breakdown happens (Tower's RoadWise page).

Will Tower tow my car after a crash?

After an accident, break-in or theft you make a claim on your car policy rather than a RoadWise call-out, and Tower arranges the tow as part of that claim, subject to the policy terms (brochure). See QuoteHub's guide to making a Tower claim and its wider guide to car insurance claims.

Can I use RoadWise straight after adding it?

Not for a free call-out. There is a 48-hour stand-down, and if you ring sooner you can still get help but you pay for it (Tower's RoadWise FAQs).

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Tower RoadWise Roadside Assistance Explained. www.quotehub.co.nz/tower-insurance/tower-roadside-assistance. Updated 2026-10-07.

References

• Tower, RoadWise roadside assistance
• Tower, RoadWise brochure (2023 edition)
• Tower, car insurance
• Tower, comprehensive cover wording (09-24)
• Tower, third party, fire and theft wording (09-24)

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