Serving Riverside, Riverside County, CA and surrounding areas
Towing in Riverside, CA 24/7 tow truck and roadside assistance
Dead on the 91 shoulder near Tyler Street, steaming on the Box Springs grade, or locked out in a lot off Magnolia Avenue. Say where you are and what happened, and a truck is sent with the right gear for it.
A local tow inside Riverside typically runs $125 to $195. Jump starts, tire changes and lockouts run $70 to $120. See typical Riverside prices or text your location to (951) 406-8870.
Fig. 1 What do you need? Pick the number.
- Hours
- 24 hours, every day
- Primary coverage
- Riverside and nearby cities
- Trucks sent
- Flatbed or wheel-lift, by job
- Roadside
- Jump, tire, lockout, fuel
- Pricing
- Range quoted before dispatch
How much does towing cost in Riverside, CA?
A tow bill has two main parts. The hook-up pays for sending the truck and getting your vehicle loaded. The mileage pays for the loaded trip to wherever the vehicle is going. Anything beyond that is an add-on with a reason behind it: a winch pull because the car left the pavement, dollies because a wheel will not turn, or waiting time at a crash scene.
Three details move the number more than anything else, so have them ready: where the vehicle is, where it is going, and whether it rolls and steers. A sedan that quit in a parking space at the Galleria at Tyler is a different job from the same sedan with a snapped ball joint on the 91 shoulder. The line-by-line version is on the 24 hour towing in Riverside page.
What keeps a tow affordable?
Plenty of people here search for cheap towing or affordable towing near them. The cheapest tow is the short one, done once, with the right truck. Four things keep the bill down:
- Pick a close drop-off. Mileage is the part of the bill you control. A good shop three miles away beats a favorite shop in the next county.
- Describe the car fully. All-wheel drive, electric, lowered or missing a wheel. The wrong truck means a second trip.
- Ask if a roadside fix would do. A jump start or a spare tire costs about half of what a tow does.
- Get two numbers. The hook-up and the per-mile rate, before you say yes.
| Service | Typical range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Hook-up, standard car or small SUV | $95 – $150 | Truck dispatched, vehicle loaded and secured |
| Mileage, per loaded mile | $5 – $8 | Counted from the pickup point to the drop-off |
| Local tow inside Riverside, about 5 miles | $125 – $195 | Hook-up plus mileage to a shop or your home |
| Flatbed tow, AWD, EV or low car | $140 – $280 | Flatbed tow truck, four-point tie-down |
| Accident tow from a crash scene | $185 – $425 | Loading a damaged vehicle, debris sweep, tow to a shop or yard |
| Motorcycle tow | $110 – $200 | Wheel chock and soft straps on a flatbed |
| Winch-out, simple pull | $95 – $185 | One truck, short cable run back to pavement |
| Battery jump start | $70 – $100 | Jump pack or cables, quick charging check |
| Flat tire change, your spare | $75 – $120 | Flat off, spare on, lug nuts torqued |
| Car lockout | $70 – $120 | Door opened with wedge and reach tools |
| Fuel delivery | $75 – $120 | A few gallons of gas or diesel, fuel billed at cost |
Ranges are typical for the Riverside area and are not a fixed menu or a quote. Your price range is given by phone for your vehicle and location before a truck is sent.
Tell dispatch what happened in one tap.
Pick the problem and your messages app opens with it filled in. Add the nearest cross street or exit, your vehicle, and press send. Nothing is stored on this site. If you are in a live lane or anyone is hurt, call 911 first.
On a freeway, your direction of travel and the last exit you passed are the fastest way to be found.
What does roadside assistance in Riverside cover?
Roadside assistance is asked for here almost as often as a tow truck, and most of those calls end with the driver back on the road instead of on a deck. The work happens where the car sits: a driveway in Orangecrest, a parking structure at UC Riverside, a gas station on Van Buren Boulevard.
Jump start
Dead battery started with a jump pack, then a quick check that the alternator is charging. Typically $70 to $100. Battery jump start in Riverside
Flat tire
Flat off, your spare on, lug nuts torqued and the pressure set. Typically $75 to $120. Flat tire change in Riverside
Lockout
Door opened with an air wedge and a reach tool when the keys are inside. Typically $70 to $120. Car lockout service
Out of gas
Two to five gallons of gas or diesel brought to the car. Typically $75 to $120 plus the fuel. Roadside assistance in Riverside
No membership is needed. If the fix does not work, the call is turned into a tow and you hear that price first.
What should you do when your car breaks down on the 91, the 60 or the 215?
The 91 carries Orange County commuters out before dawn and home after dark, and the 60/91/215 interchange east of downtown folds three freeways into one set of ramps. Shoulders are narrow in places. The danger in a breakdown is rarely the car. It is standing next to it. A few habits tow drivers wish everyone had:
- Coast, do not stop short. When the engine quits you still have steering and some brakes. Use the momentum to reach the right shoulder, an off-ramp or a parking lot.
- Turn the wheels away from traffic. If the car is hit from behind, it goes toward the dirt instead of back into the lane.
- Get out on the passenger side. Or stay belted in if there is nowhere safe to stand behind a barrier.
- Know your spot. Freeway, direction and the last exit. "Eastbound 91, just past Van Buren" is all a driver needs.
California's Move Over law tells drivers to change lanes or slow down for tow trucks and emergency vehicles stopped with their lights flashing. Plenty of drivers still do not, which is why the truck parks where it does and why you may be asked to sit in the cab while your vehicle is loaded.
One more thing worth knowing. On weekdays during commute hours, the Freeway Service Patrol funded by the Riverside County Transportation Commission roves the 91, the 215 and parts of the 60 and the 15 in white tow trucks. Its help is free, and it can move you off the freeway to a spot the CHP approves. It cannot take the car to a repair shop or to your home, so that last leg is still a tow.
While you wait for the truck
- Hazards on, hood down. Flashers make you visible. A raised hood on a narrow shoulder only invites people to stand in front of the car.
- Mind the heat. A dead car has no air conditioning. In summer, crack the windows, drink water, and move to shade behind the barrier if there is any.
- Decide where it is going. A repair shop, a dealer, a tire store or your driveway. If the shop is closed, ask about its key drop.
- Keep the key with the car. The driver needs it to unlock the steering and shift to neutral.
What tow service can you get near you in Riverside?
Prices shown are typical Riverside ranges, not quotes. Not sure which one you need? Describe what happened and dispatch will sort it out.
Is it better to call a towing company near you or use a roadside membership?
Motor clubs and insurance roadside plans do not own tow trucks in Riverside. They take your request, then offer the job to tow companies in the area. That works fine on a mild weekday morning. On a 105-degree afternoon, when half the Inland Empire seems to have a dead battery or a shredded tire, the job can sit in a queue while you sit on the shoulder.
Calling a tow line directly costs money out of pocket, but you learn right away whether a truck is free and roughly where it is. Many plans pay back a tow you covered yourself, up to their limit, when you send in the receipt. Read your plan before the day you need it.
| Factor | Local towing company | Motor club or insurance plan | CHP or police-called tow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who you talk to | Local dispatch | A national phone line | The officer at the scene |
| Who picks the truck | You do | The plan's network | The agency's rotation list |
| Where the vehicle goes | Anywhere you choose | Your choice, within the plan's mileage | Often the tow company's yard |
| What you pay at the time | The tow bill, by card or cash | Nothing, up to the plan limit | The tow bill, plus storage if it sits |
| Wait on a busy day | You are told up front | Varies with the network | Usually short, the road has to clear |
| Best for | Urgent tows and specific drop-offs | Non-urgent help when you can wait | Blocked lanes and injury crashes |
Which parts of Riverside and Riverside County do you cover?
Serving Riverside, Riverside County, CA and surrounding areas. Riverside is a long city. It stretches from the Santa Ana River on its north and west sides to the hills above Mission Grove and Orangecrest on the south, with the 91 running most of its length. Where you are along it decides which truck is closest.
- Downtown and the Wood StreetsMission Inn Avenue, Market Street, University Avenue, Fairmount Park and the streets below Mount Rubidoux.
- Magnolia Center and ArlingtonMagnolia Avenue, Central Avenue, Arlington Avenue, Riverside Plaza and Van Buren Boulevard.
- La Sierra and the Galleria at TylerTyler Street, La Sierra Avenue and the 91 ramps on the west side of the city.
- University area and Canyon CrestUC Riverside, Chicago Avenue, Iowa Avenue, Canyon Crest Drive and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
- Orangecrest and Mission GroveAlessandro Boulevard, Trautwein Road and Van Buren Boulevard out toward March Air Reserve Base.
- FreewaysSR-91 from Corona to downtown, SR-60 through Jurupa Valley, the 60/91/215 interchange, I-215 toward Perris and I-15 through Norco.
- Moreno Valley and PerrisEast on the 60 over the Box Springs grade, and south on I-215 past March Air Reserve Base.
- Corona, Norco and Jurupa ValleyWest on the 91, up I-15, and across the Santa Ana River on the 60.
Does car insurance pay for towing in California?
The two cases work differently. Roadside coverage is an add-on you buy, usually for a few dollars a month, with a dollar or mileage cap on each tow. A crash tow is part of the claim itself. If the other driver was at fault, their liability coverage owes you the reasonable cost of the tow and the storage.
Breakdown tow
Pay the driver, keep the itemized receipt, and send it to your insurer or motor club if your plan reimburses. Ask for the mileage and both addresses to be written on it.
Crash tow
Give your insurer the tow receipt and the vehicle's location the same day. Storage is billed by the day, so the sooner the adjuster knows where the car is, the smaller the bill.
After a collision you can usually name your own tow company, unless the road has to be cleared right away, and in California the choice of body shop is yours as well. See towing after an accident in Riverside for how that goes at the scene.
What else do Riverside drivers ask about towing?
How fast can a tow truck near me get here in Riverside?
It depends on where the nearest free truck is and what the freeways are doing, so an honest tow line does not promise a fixed number. Late morning is usually quicker than the afternoon crawl on the 91 or a triple-digit day. Dispatch gives you the current estimate when you call, and you decide.
Where can I find cheap towing near me in Riverside?
Compare two numbers from each company: the hook-up fee and the per-mile rate. Then keep the tow short by choosing a nearby shop. A typical local tow here runs $125 to $195. If a price sits far below that with no mileage rate attached, ask what the total will be before you agree.
Does an all-wheel-drive car need a flatbed tow truck?
Yes, in nearly every case. Pulling an all-wheel-drive vehicle with two wheels rolling can damage the center differential or transfer case. The safe options are a flatbed, or a wheel-lift with dollies under the other axle. Say it is all-wheel drive when you call so the right truck is sent.
Can you ride in the tow truck?
Usually one or two passengers can ride in the cab to the drop-off, with a seat belt for each. Tell dispatch how many people are with you and whether there are children who need car seats or pets, so the right truck comes or another ride can be lined up.
Is there a tow yard near me that has my car?
If the police or the CHP had your vehicle towed, the agency that ordered it can tell you which tow yard is holding it: Riverside Police for city streets, the CHP for the freeways. Bring ID and proof of ownership, and go soon, because storage is charged by the day.
How do you pay for a tow?
Most tows are paid by card or cash when the vehicle is dropped off. You get an itemized receipt listing the hook-up, the mileage and any extras, which is what an insurer or motor club asks for when you claim it back. Confirm payment types on the call.
Related services: roadside assistance in Riverside, battery jump start, flat tire change and car lockout service.
Stuck, crashed or broken down in Riverside?
(951) 406-8870Say where you are, what you drive and what happened. You get a price range and an honest estimate of when a truck can reach you before anything rolls. Can't talk? Text your location.