The TRUTH about Nationwide Roadside Assistance: Review

updated Mar 7, 2022

We’ve all heard the quote, “Nationwide is on your side.” With a longstanding history of protecting families, businesses, and people for over 90 years, it is no wonder Nationwide Insurance is a well-known insurance provider. Nationwide even offers supplemental insurance products which includes their Roadside Assistance.

How Much Does Nationwide’s Roadside Assistance Cost?

One of the main deciding factors for many people when it comes to any type of supplemental insurance is cost. When you are shopping for insurance, simply going for the lowest price can be very tempting.

However, it is important to not sacrifice quality for cost. Finding the right balance will be the key to getting the coverage you need in the event of an emergency. After a review of Nationwide’s website and details on their roadside plans, we were able to break down the components of their plans in comparison to other well-known roadside assistance programs.

As you see above, Nationwide offers two options when it comes to their roadside assistance program. They have a basic plan and a plus plan.

The key difference between their two plans is an additional radius coverage of up to 100 miles for towing, versus the 15 miles offered in the basic plan, and the additional benefit of up to $500 trip interruption coverage in the plus plan, which we will discuss more later. Both Nationwide plans offer to cover up to 6 incidents per year with additional services such as winching extrication, car locksmith coverage, fuel delivery, jumpstart, and flat tire service.

The basic plan is $1.90 per month and their Plus Plan comes in at $3.50 per month. As always, it is best to speak directly with a representative of the company to verify pricing, as various factors could potentially impact cost.

What is Included in Nationwide’s Roadside Assistance?

Here is a brief overview of the assistance Nationwide’s coverage provides:

Incidents Per Year: Both plans offer up to 6 incidents to be covered per year, doubling what most competitors offer.

Towing: Basic: The basic plan covers towing up to 15 miles. The plus plan covers towing up to 100 miles.

Winching/Extrication: If your vehicle becomes stuck, it will be extricated.

Car Locksmith: Both plans cover the first $100 in lock-out services if your ignition key or fob is lost, you lock your keys in your car or if your key breaks off in the ignition, door, or trunk.

Fuel Delivery: Both plans provide 2 complimentary gallons of gas.

Jump Start: Both plans cover the first $75 for jump-starting.

Flat Tire Service: Both plans cover one flat tire change with your own spare tire.

Trip Interruption: This covers of up to $500 and is offered in the Nationwide Roadside Assistance Plus Plan only. In fact, it is only offered by Nationwide when compared to other programs we researched.

Trip interruption can certainly come in handy by reimbursing you for costs associated with being stranded away from home.

For example, if you are further than 100 miles from home and you need to stay in a hotel while your car is being fixed, Nationwide’s Plus plan will help cover that expense.

We must note, after reviewing the fine print on Nationwide’s website we discovered the following: “Expenses covered up to 72 hours from time of disablement and shall not exceed $100/day for meals and lodging. Each claim is handled based on its individual facts and circumstances, in accordance with policy language, including applicable exclusions, conditions and limitations, as well as applicable controlling law.” This seems fair, but it is always important to read the fine print.

What is NOT Included in Nationwide’s Roadside Assistance?

Onsite mechanical adjustment is the only feature not explicitly stated as included in either of Nationwide’s Roadside Assistance plans. Mechanical adjustments essentially mean tuning your engine. Engine tune-ups can include checking the engine, and replacing bad plugs or wires, and changing out filters. In other words, apart from jumpstarts, it is not clear that Nationwide would cover the cost of a minor tweak to your engine.

Also, although this does not necessarily fall under the plan features, it is important to note that upon further research, Nationwide requires that you have a Nationwide insurance policy before buying a roadside assistance plan with them.

Some companies, such as Allstate, do not require this.

Nationwide does not, however, require you to buy additional supplemental products before purchasing roadside assistance, unlike other companies such as Geico. Every company is different, which is why doing your research is so important.  

How do I Contact Nationwide’s Roadside Service?

If you are interested in getting in touch with a representative of Nationwide Roadside Service, you can contact a representative at 1-800-421-3535, or you can download their mobile app (iOS / Android). Live chat in also available on their website.

How Does Nationwide’s Roadside Assistance Compare to Other Providers?

With Nationwide offering up to 6 covered incidents a year, plus additional trip interruption coverage and up to 100 miles of coverage for towing in their plus plan, it is easy to see why Nationwide would be a viable choice. Their Basic Plan is not bad, but the limited tow radius might be a point of concern. Their plus plan seems to be the better overall deal through Nationwide since it is only a little more costly than the basic plan and offers additional tow coverage and trip interruption protection.

Both Nationwide plans beat their competitors when it comes to incidents covered per year, doubling every single one. There are small variances when it comes to the other types of services and coverage, but overall Nationwide seems to offer a decent amount of value.

As mentioned above, On-Site Mechanical Adjustments may not be covered, so if this is something you feel you need for peace of mind, it is important to explore all your options. Also, if you do not have Nationwide insurance and are not looking to switch insurance, you may want to explore other options.

Which Roadside Assistance Should You Choose?

Once you decide if having peace of mind in case of an emergency is important to you, it is important to choose a good roadside assistance plan with a company you can trust. You never want to be in a situation that you need to use this insurance, but if you ever are, you want it to work.

Nationwide Roadside Assistance seems superior to other companies in some ways. However, always do your research and compare quotes from as many companies as possible. The overall cost of the policy and your specific needs should be considered more than how much a company charges for just the roadside assistance portion of its policy, especially since most companies require you to have a standard policy with them prior to qualifying for their roadside assistance.