Is National General Roadside Assistance Worth It?

Joining the National General Motor Club is cheaper than AAA, but does it offer comparable roadside assistance? Find out here.
Written by Drew Waterstreet
Reviewed by Amy Bobinger
Similar to
AAA
, National General offers roadside assistance through a tiered membership program called the Motor Club. By becoming a member, you get emergency services, travel benefits, and much more!
  • National General offers roadside assistance through its Motor Club membership.
  • There are three memberships offering various levels of emergency services and travel benefits.
  • National General’s roadside assistance plan is slightly cheaper than AAA, but the coverage may not be as good.

What does National General roadside assistance cover?

Instead of purchasing it as an add-on car insurance coverage, National General offers roadside assistance through its three-tier Motor Club membership program.
All three membership tiers (Basic, Standard, Elite) start with the following benefits:
  • Roadside services: Jump start, flat tire change (if you don’t have your own spare, you’ll need to pay for the replacement), fuel delivery, winching, and lockout service.
  • Trip planning: Free maps and online routing assistance.
  • Travel perks: Up to 50% savings on select dining, shopping, lodging, car rentals, and entertainment experiences. Additional online discounts are available through
    perksconnect
    .
Now, here’s a breakdown of the added features, increased coverage limits, and cost to upgrade for each National General Motor Club membership:
National General Motor Club Memberships
Basic
Standard
Elite
Annual cost (single)
$59
$79
$89
Annual cost (couple)
$69
$94
$99
Annual cost (family)
N/A
$15 each dependent under 21
$119 (dependents under 26)
Maximum annual claims
Three (single)
Three (couple)
N/A (family)
Four (single)
Four (couple)
Four (family)
Four (single)
Five (couple)
Seven (family)
Towing
Up to five miles
Up to 20 miles
Up to 100 miles
Roadside services 
Yes
Yes
Yes
Trip planning
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lock replacement
Up to $60
Up to $90
Up to $130
Key replacement
Up to $25
Up to $25
Up to $25
Trip interruption
N/A
Up to $750 (collision only)
Up to $750 (collision and mechanical failure)
Additional legal benefits
N/A
N/A
Yes
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One of the biggest benefits of becoming National General Motor Club member is that the services follow you, not the car. So even if you’re riding as a passenger in your friend’s vehicle, you can utilize your Motor Club membership if your crew needs roadside assistance.

How to use National General’s roadside assistance program

Calling National General’s 24/7 toll-free number 1-888-310-4173 (or the number indicated on your Motor Club membership card) will get you in contact with one of their 35,000 in-network roadside service providers. Claims can also be
reported online
.
You can also present your policy ID card to access the many other travel and entertainment rewards included with a National General Motor Club membership.

How much does National General roadside assistance cost?

Becoming a National General Motor Club member will cost you between $59 to $119 per year. As detailed in the chart above, it will depend on your membership plan.
However, joining the National General Motor Club is more expensive than purchasing non-membership roadside assistance from another provider. The average cost of adding roadside assistance to an existing insurance policy is $15 to $45 annually.
But you get what you pay for! Becoming a National General Motor club member gets you roadside services that follow you (not the car), higher coverage limits, and additional travel benefits. If you choose to purchase roadside assistance as an add-on through a traditional insurance provider, you’ll likely be limited to basic emergency services for the car on your policy.

National General roadside assistance vs. AAA

National General’s Motor Club shares a lot in common with
AAA’s roadside assistance membership
. They both have three tiers with similar annual pricing (AAA: Classic $69, Plus $116, Premier $168).
However, the big kicker is the scale of service. AAA services over 30 million roadside calls every year through its expansive network of trusted partnerships. We aren’t saying National General won’t come to your rescue in an emergency situation, but the reliable reputation of AAA is hard to compete against.
That being said, Allstate did make an all-cash deal to acquire 100% of National General’s insurance services in 2021. So we’ll have to wait and see how this partnership grows the Motor Club over time.
Jerry
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FAQs

You can file four to seven roadside service claims annually, depending on your National Motor Club membership plan. But these “claims” are just the perks of being a member. Making a roadside service claim won’t impact your membership rate.
You need to be a member of the National General Motor Club to access roadside assistance.
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