Honestly, I just went with my insurance’s roadside because it was cheaper and figured it’d be fine. First time I needed a tow, the guy showed up in like 20 minutes and was super chill—no complaints. Maybe I just got lucky, but I don’t see the point in paying extra for AAA unless you’re driving something old or weird. For my boring sedan, insurance roadside seems good enough... at least so far.
I get where you’re coming from—my insurance roadside worked fine the one time I locked my keys in the car. But my neighbor’s insurance left him stranded for hours last winter when his battery died. Guess it’s a bit of a gamble either way.
Honestly, I’ve seen both sides too. My own insurance roadside got to me pretty quick when I had a flat, but my brother waited nearly three hours for a tow through his policy last year. It really seems to depend on where you are and how busy they are that day. AAA does cost extra, but some folks swear by their consistency. For me, I just stick with what’s included in my plan—saves a few bucks, even if it’s not always lightning fast.
I totally get where you’re coming from. I’m actually in the middle of picking out my first car insurance policy, and the whole roadside thing has been tripping me up. My parents have always had AAA, and they swear it’s saved them more than once—like, my dad still tells the story about being stranded with a dead battery in the middle of nowhere and AAA showing up before he could even finish his coffee. But then again, that’s an extra fee every year, and I’m kinda trying to keep costs down while I figure out all these adulting things.
Reading your post makes me feel a bit better about just sticking with whatever comes with my insurance for now. I mean, if it gets me off the side of the road eventually, that’s what matters most. And honestly, three hours sounds rough, but maybe that’s just bad luck or a busy night? It feels like no matter which way you go, there’s always gonna be a chance you’ll wait longer than you want.
I guess it’s one of those things where you don’t really know how good (or bad) it is until you’re actually stuck somewhere needing help. For now, I’m leaning toward keeping things simple and seeing how it goes... If I end up with a horror story of my own someday, maybe then I’ll splurge on AAA like my parents did. But your experience makes me think it’s not crazy to trust what’s included in the plan—at least at first.
Appreciate hearing both sides of it. Makes this whole insurance maze feel a little less overwhelming.
- Been there with the insurance roadside—used it twice, both times it worked, but once I waited almost two hours for a tow. Not ideal, but I wasn’t stranded in the middle of nowhere either.
- AAA is pricier, but my sister swears by it after they rescued her when her battery died at 2am. She got help in under 30 minutes.
- If you’re not driving long distances or in remote areas much, the insurance option is probably fine to start. Just double-check what’s actually covered—some plans are super barebones.
- If you ever start doing more road trips or late-night drives, that might be the time to reconsider. For now, keeping it simple makes sense.