How to Get Roadside Assistance in Georgia

Although Georgia offers free roadside assistance for certain interstates, paying for roadside assistance is still a good idea.
Written by Jessica Gibson
Edited by Amy Bobinger
The state of Georgia has free roadside assistance on interstates outside of the Atlanta metro area through GA CHAMP, but roadside assistance through a
car insurance
company or roadside assistance club is still worth it for most drivers
  • It costs an average of $10 to $20 per month to add roadside assistance to your Full coverage policy in Georgia. 
  • CHAMP (Georgia’s Coordinated Highway Assistance & Maintenance Program) is the state’s free roadside assistance program. Get free emergency assistance by calling 511.
  • Search for cheap roadside assistance plans using
    Jerry
    .
  • Pay a membership fee to join a roadside club, like AAA or GoodSam, that offers roadside assistance.

How to get roadside assistance in Georgia

Roadside assistance companies offer basic services like jump starts, tire changes, towing, and fuel delivery for motorists who break down on the road. With roadside assistance, you don’t need to stand on the shoulder frantically googling “towing companies near me.” 
Whether you get it through a club like AAA, your vehicle’s manufacturer, your credit card, or your insurance company, roadside assistance is usually fairly cheap—and it’ll cover you outside the range of GA CHAMP. 

Roadside assistance clubs in Georgia

AAA
is probably the biggest name in roadside assistance—with good reason. Roadside assistance through an auto club like AAA or Better World Club is the most expensive option at an average cost of $60 to $165 per year, but the high level of benefits might make
AAA’s higher price worth it
A basic AAA membership comes with benefits including: 
  • Car lockout
    services
  • Dead battery services 
  • Flat tire services
  • Towing services up to three miles (4x per year)
But if you spring for the most expensive plans, you can get towing benefits up to 200 miles, trip disruption coverage, and even free car rentals! For the peace of mind it offers, a roadside assistance club is an excellent option—especially if you have a mechanically-challenged car and don’t mind paying a little extra.

Manufacturers that offer roadside assistance

If you own a new vehicle, you may have roadside assistance coverage through the car’s manufacturer. A lot of major automakers offer some roadside assistance benefits to new car buyers for a specified period: 
  • Ford:
    Five years or 60,000 miles
  • Honda
    : Three years or 36,000 miles 
  • Hyundai
    : Five years with unlimited mileage
  • Kia
    : Five years or 60,000 miles 
  • Nissan
    : Three years or 36,000 miles
  • Tesla:
    Four years of 50,000 miles 
  • Toyota
    : Two years with unlimited mileage 

Credit card companies that offer roadside assistance

You may already have roadside assistance benefits through your credit card company! Many major credit card companies automatically offer roadside assistance services to customers, including: 
  • Bank of America
  • Capital One
  • Chase
  • Citi (through
    Costco
    )
  • Wells Fargo 
  • U.S. Bank 
All Visa credit cards offer roadside assistance, but it comes with a fee—and for non-Visa cards, roadside assistance options vary significantly. Check the terms of your credit card to make sure you understand what roadside assistance benefits you’re eligible for and how to access them

Insurance companies that offer roadside assistance

The most affordable and efficient roadside assistance provider—especially if you don’t own a brand-new car—might just be your car insurance provider
Most major car insurance companies, including
Nationwide
,
Allstate
, and
Progressive
, offer roadside assistance as an add-on benefit for an average of $10 to $20 per year for drivers with full coverage. 
If you purchase roadside assistance through your insurance company, you’ll often see it referred to as “
towing and labor coverage
,” but the benefits are the same: jump starts for your dead car battery, spare tires and tire repair, lockout or
fuel delivery
, tow trucks, and even winch services. 
Check with your insurance company to see if roadside assistance is available as an add-on for your plan. It’s also worth comparing quotes and plans from several different providers to find the best option for you since the exact benefits included in your coverage may vary. 

How to find free roadside assistance in Georgia

GA CHAMP
—the Georgia Coordinated Highway Assistance & Maintenance Program—is a program run by the Georgia DOT to provide emergency assistance for drivers on interstates outside of metro
Atlanta
(except I-59 and I-24).  
This free roadside assistance service was created in 2017 to supplement HERO, the Highway Emergency Response Operators program that serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. Through GA CHAMP, all drivers on interstates outside of Atlanta can get free emergency roadside assistance by calling 511
CHAMP operators provide three basic services: 
  • Removing debris from the roadway after an accident and addressing road maintenance
  • Offering assistance to motorists
  • Emergency response services
If you need assistance on a Georgia interstate after an
accident
,
flat tire
, or other emergency, GA CHAMP gives you the help—and peace of mind—you need. With 48 full-time operators, 18 full-time dispatchers, and a fleet of 51 custom-fitted trucks, CHAMP has your back if you’re on the interstate. 
But because the CHAMP program is more focused on public safety and interstate maintenance than services for individual drivers, you won’t have access to all the services offered by other Georgia roadside assistance providers.

FAQs

Yes—but it’s only available to drivers on interstates near metro Atlanta, and it doesn’t include all the services in a traditional roadside assistance membership from a service provider like AAA.
AAA’s roadside assistance number is (800) 222-4357. If you’re a AAA member, you can call 24/7 for assistance.
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