Online Towing Quote

Instant Online Towing Estimates

Use our online quote builder to estimate the cost of towing, jump starts, tire changes, lockouts, and fuel delivery before you book. Tell us your location, your vehicle, and the help you need, and Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc returns a transparent estimate with no hidden fees. Knowing the price up front means no surprises when the truck arrives and no pressure to decide in the middle of a stressful breakdown.

Published Rate Card

Published rate card (USD)

En-route (every call, yard to pickup)	$4 per mile
Towing hook-up fee	$125
Towing mileage	$7 per loaded mile
Jump start	$75 flat
On-site battery replacement	$75 installation + battery (by group size) + testing
Tire change	$75 flat
Lockout service	$75 flat
Fuel delivery	$75 + fuel at posted rate
Winch-out / recovery	$150 per hour
GUNI Wheel for a missing wheel (stolen wheels)	$100 per wheel, added to the tow
Highway call surcharge	+$75
After-hours surcharge (10PM–6AM)	+$150
Weekend surcharge	+$50
Large vehicle surcharge	+$100
Storage	$45 per day
Online card payment fee (Stripe)	3%
Phone / in-person scheduling fee	$35 (waived when you book online)
Sales tax	Ohio county rate at the pickup location (7.25%–8.25%)
Veterans discount	10% off retail rates, the app-member metro rate or a VIP membership, with a military or veterans ID.

These are full retail rates for customers who are not registered. Active registered Roadside app members pay a metro flat rate of $125 for the first 5 miles, then $5 per loaded mile, with no en-route charge and no after-hours, weekend or highway fees, for small and medium-size cars picked up inside the I-270 loop or up to 3 miles outside it. You must register in the Roadside app to get it: see our VIP Program.

Surcharges when they apply: after-hours (10PM–6AM) +$150, weekend +$50, large vehicle +$100. Ohio sales tax is added based on the pickup county. Pay by cash, debit or credit card, or online by card through Stripe (3% card fee). Booking by phone adds a $35 scheduling fee that the online quote builder waives. Veterans: 10% off retail rates, the app-member metro rate or a VIP membership, with a military or veterans ID.

Looking for a Cheap Tow Near Me? Here Is the Actual Rate Card

Nobody searching "cheap tow truck near me" wants a sales pitch; they want a number. Ours are published above: en-route at $4 per mile from our yard, a $125 hook-up fee and $7 per loaded mile for a standard tow, and a flat $75 plus en-route for a jump start, lockout or tire change. Highway pickups add $75, after-hours (10 PM–6 AM) adds $150, weekends add $50, and Ohio sales tax is added at the pickup county rate.

We do not claim to be the cheapest tow in Columbus. What we do is quote the same full retail rate card to everyone, online and by phone, so a 5-mile tow across Grove City and a 20-mile tow from Westerville to the south side are both priced before the truck rolls — no mileage surprises, no "call for pricing." The quote builder uses these exact numbers, and booking online waives the $35 phone scheduling fee. Comparing quotes? Ask every company for the en-route fee, the hook-up fee and the per-mile rate, and whether after-hours or highway surcharges apply — if they will not give you all four before dispatch, the "cheap" number is not the final one.

What It Takes to Run a Professional Towing Company

When your car quits on I-71 at 2 AM, the price of the tow is really the price of being ready. A professional towing company is not one person with a pickup and a phone. It is trucks, trained drivers, a yard, insurance, maintenance and a dispatcher who answers, all paid for every day, whether the phone rings or not. Here is where the money goes.

The trucks

Our fleet runs flatbed carriers, wheel-lift trucks and low-profile trucks, so dispatch can send the right one for a lowered sports car, an all-wheel-drive SUV, an electric car that must ride with all four wheels off the ground, or a car stuck in a parking garage. A tow truck is one of the most expensive work vehicles to buy and finance, and the bed, winch, lights and wheel-lift add to the price. Each truck also carries straps, dollies, jump packs, lockout tools and safety gear, and those wear out and get replaced.

Insurance

Commercial insurance for a towing company is a large cost, and it keeps rising. Our trucks work beside highway traffic, at night and in bad weather, and they carry cars that belong to other people. Covering the trucks, the cars on them and the people who work next to live lanes costs far more than covering an ordinary work van.

Labor

Tow operators work nights, weekends, holidays and snowstorms. A good one knows how to load a low car without scraping it, strap an EV correctly, and work a shoulder safely with traffic passing a few feet away. Hiring, training and keeping drivers like that, plus a dispatcher awake at 3 AM, is one of the largest costs we carry, and it is the one we are least willing to cut.

Facilities

Trucks need a secure yard to park in, and cars waiting for a shop need a safe place to sit. Add the rent and property costs, lighting, security, utilities, an office, and a phone and dispatch system that cannot go dark, because a missed call is a driver left on the side of the road.

Maintenance and fuel

Tow trucks work harder than almost anything else on the road: heavy loads, stop-and-go city calls, long idles at winter scenes and miles of highway every shift. Tires, brakes, hydraulics, winch cables and diesel are constant expenses. We service trucks on a schedule instead of waiting for something to break, because a truck in the shop is a customer waiting longer.

The standards you are paying for

You get the price before the truck rolls, from a published rate card. You get an honest arrival estimate on the phone: most metro calls are reached in 20–40 minutes, and outer areas in 40–60. You get the right equipment for your car, careful loading and a driver who treats it like it matters. And if anyone is hurt or a car is blocking a lane, we tell you to call 911 first, even if it costs us the job.

That is why our rates are what they are, and why we do not try to be the cheapest truck in Columbus. We would rather be the one that shows up ready, does the job right and gives you a fair price for your exact situation. Call (740) 812-9489 to tell us what happened, and we will quote it before we roll.

How the Quote Works

Towing prices depend on a few simple factors: the type of service, the kind of vehicle, and the distance to the destination. Our builder walks you through each one, so a lockout or jump start is priced differently than a long-distance flatbed tow of a full-size truck. Enter the pickup and drop-off, choose the service, and you will see a clear estimate you can book or bring with you. If your situation is an emergency, skip the form and call (740) 812-9489 — our dispatch center is staffed 24/7 and the nearest available truck will be sent right away.

Every quote reflects the same honest, up-front pricing we hold to on every job across Central Ohio, whether you found us online or called us from the side of the road. There are no membership requirements to request an estimate, and no obligation to book. If you do move forward, the price you were quoted is the price you pay, barring changes you request or conditions at the scene that you tell us about — for example, a vehicle that turns out to be stuck off the roadway or needs winching. For members, your CONVINI VIP discounts are applied automatically, so your estimate already reflects your savings before you confirm.

SMS Updates on Your Quote

When you submit the quote form you may opt in to text updates by checking the SMS consent box. The checkbox reads:

I agree to receive SMS text messages from Roadside Towing and Recovery Inc. regarding my towing/roadside service request, including dispatch updates and appointment confirmations.

Messages are sent from (614) 714-5785. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time, or HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. We obtain your consent to receive text messages in one of two ways: (1) when you check the SMS consent checkbox on a form on our website, such as our service request form, our online quote form or our text message consent page, or (2) when you give verbal consent to our staff when requesting service by phone or at the time of towing service. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Emergency SOS request · Emergency towing · Areas we serve

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

View our location on Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

How much does a tow cost in Columbus, Ohio?

Towing is billed from our published rate card: $4 per en-route mile from our yard to the pickup, a $125 hook-up fee and $7 per loaded mile, plus $75 for highway pickups, $150 after hours (10 PM to 6 AM), $50 on weekends and $100 for large vehicles. Ohio sales tax is added based on the pickup county. The quote builder shows the exact total before you book.

Is the online quote the price I actually pay?

Yes. The quote builder and our dispatchers use the same rate card, and if you pay online the amount charged is recalculated on our server from the same numbers. Booking online also waives the $35 phone scheduling fee.

How much is a jump start, lockout or tire change?

Each is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard. Fuel delivery is $75 plus en-route plus the fuel delivered. Winch-outs are $150 per hour.

Can I pay by card?

Yes: cash, debit or credit card with the driver, or by card online through Stripe, which adds a 3% card fee.