Towing, storage fees and getting around after a serious crash
An auto claims specialist on moving your car and finding a way to get where you need to go
You might walk out of the emergency room with no idea where your car went. You may also need a ride to work or to another medical appointment before an adjuster has looked at the car. From a claims point of view, two jobs can’t wait. First, find the car and learn how its storage fees work. Then set up a way to get around, with a clear answer on who pays for it.
If you’re hurt or feeling swamped, a person you trust can make these calls with you. This guide uses terms from the United States. Rules for towing, storage fees, insurance coverage and rental benefits differ by state and by policy. Ask which terms apply to your own claim. Keep your receipts and a record of each decision in one spot. [1, 2, 3]
Track down the car and the towing papers
If police called for the tow, phone the agency that came to the scene or its nonemergency line. Ask for the name of the tow company, the storage lot and the incident number. If you called the tow yourself, contact the tow company directly. Confirm where the car is, when the lot is open, the vehicle identification number and where the keys are. [2]
Ask for a tow ticket or receipt that shows where the car went and lists each charge. In Texas, a tow from a traffic incident without the owner’s or driver’s consent must have an itemized tow ticket. The rules in your state may not match. [2]
Do not climb into a wrecked car or walk into an unsafe lot to grab your things. Ask the lot how you, or someone you authorize, can safely pick up what you need. Those items might include medicine, identification, child seats, work gear and other things you can’t go without. Find out what proof of ownership or permission the lot wants. If it’s safe, take photos of the car and where it sits. Write down what you took out and when.
Be wary of a tow truck nobody called
At the crash scene, safety comes first. So do the officer’s instructions. If you get to pick where the car goes, confirm the destination before the truck pulls away. Be careful if a tow driver you never called shows up and pushes a certain repair shop. Insurance regulators in Texas warn that this setup can end in big towing and storage bills. [4]
Check that the driver was sent by you, your roadside service or police. Before you sign anything, read the destination and the charges written on it. Don’t sign a repair authorization just to get a tow. [4]
If the car has already been taken somewhere you didn’t choose, locate it and get the charges in writing. Let the adjuster know right away. The question of who called the tow can be sorted out later. In the meantime, storage fees may keep piling up.
Cut off storage fees you don't need to pay
Storage lots may bill by the day or for part of a day. Ask for an itemized bill as of today and the daily rate. Find out when the next charge kicks in, when the lot releases cars and what rules apply to moving one. Ask if the lot needs ID, a signed release, payment or the owner’s authorization. Fees and access rules vary from place to place. [1, 2]
As soon as you know where the car is, call your claims contact. Share the lot’s name and phone number. Ask if the insurer wants to inspect the car at the lot. It may instead want the car moved to a repair shop or another lot. Find out who will set up the move and when it can happen. Ask who will pay for each tow and each storage charge. [1]
To avoid added storage fees, Washington’s insurance regulator advises owners to pick up the car or let the insurer move it. [1]
Before you approve a move, ask what the release form covers. Okaying a move or an inspection may be a separate choice from accepting a total loss value. The same goes for transferring the title. Keep a copy of the form. If a charge seems wrong, ask the lot for its written fee schedule and an itemized invoice. Ask your state’s towing regulator or consumer protection office how to contest it. [2]
Don’t assume the daily charge stops while a fee dispute is still open. [2]
Which coverage might pay for the tow and storage
Paying for towing and storage is a separate matter from fixing the car. Roadside assistance may cover a tow, up to its limits. A covered collision claim may pay reasonable towing and storage charges, based on the policy or state rules that apply. If another driver caused the crash, the other driver’s insurer may weigh reasonable charges. Its payment may wait until it finishes investigating. [1, 3, 4]
Don’t count on getting paid back for every charge or every extra day. Ask your claims contact what’s covered and how much has been approved. Find out if the insurer will pay the company directly or pay you back later. Hold on to every receipt. [1, 3, 4]
Your own policy may carry liability coverage only. If so, don’t assume it pays for damage to your car, a tow or a rental. Ask anyway about any separate roadside benefit. Also ask about filing a claim with the other driver’s insurer. If you have to pay to get the car released, get a paid receipt with each charge listed. Write down why you needed the car out quickly. [3, 4]
Learn your rental coverage before you reserve a car
Rental reimbursement is often an optional extra on your own auto policy. The NAIC says it usually has two caps. One is a dollar limit per day. The other limits the number of days. It generally kicks in while the car is in the shop for covered damage. Your policy may spell out when the benefit starts and stops. [3, 5]
California’s consumer guide gives an example. In that example, coverage can end at the earliest of three points. Those are when the car is fixed, when the loss is paid or when the set time runs out. Your terms may be different. [3, 5]
Put these questions to the adjuster. What is my limit per day? What is the total cap in days or dollars? On what date does coverage start? What event ends it?
Do I have to use a certain rental company for direct billing? Will taxes and required fees be paid? If the car is a total loss, how many days do I have left after the offer or payment? Get the answers in writing before you book a car.
If your claim is with the other driver’s insurer, ask if it has accepted responsibility for transportation costs. Ask what class of vehicle it approved and the daily amount. Get the start and end dates. Find out whether it pays the rental company or pays you back. An adjuster booking the rental for you doesn’t guarantee that every rental charge will be covered. [1]
Treat the rental contract as its own bill
The rental company may ask for your own card and a deposit, even if the insurer pays the base rate. Get the full price before you pick up the car. Look at taxes, fees for extra drivers or young drivers, child seats and mileage caps. Check toll programs, fuel, late returns and the cost of dropping the car at a different location. The FTC warns these extras can push the final bill well above the advertised rate. [6]
Ask separately about two other risks: damage to the rental car and your liability to other people. Some protection may come from your personal auto policy, a credit card or the rental company. What each one covers and excludes varies. A collision damage waiver is a product sold under the rental contract. Your rental reimbursement may not pay for it. [5, 6]
Check what coverage you already have before you say yes or no to any optional product at the counter. Walk around the car with an employee and photograph any damage that’s already there. Save your pickup and return paperwork. [5, 6]
Getting around while you heal
A rental car helps only if you can drive it safely. Pain, trouble moving, concussion symptoms or medicines may affect your driving. The FDA suggests asking a doctor or pharmacist how a drug may affect your driving. That advice matters most when you first start it. [7]
If you’re not sure you can drive, lean on a family member, a taxi, a ride service or public transit. A medical transport option that fits your needs may also work. Before you count on being paid back, ask the insurer if it covers these other ways of getting around. Save receipts and note which trips you had to make. [7]
Let the rental company know early if you need child seats or an accessible vehicle. The same goes for room for mobility equipment or any other feature you can’t do without. Ask the insurer which vehicle class it will approve to meet that need. If you have no way to get to a medical appointment, tell your care team. They may know of local patient transport services.
Keep an eye on when the rental ends
Keep a single note with your claim number and rental agreement number. Add the approved rate, the current end date and the name of the person who confirmed it. Ask the adjuster when that date will shift because of repair delays, parts delays or a total loss decision. Put any extension request in writing before the current approval runs out. [3, 5]
The shop may say the car is ready while you still have a safety concern. If so, tell the shop and the adjuster right away. Keep a written record of the concern. Don’t assume the rental keeps going on its own while the disagreement gets worked out. [3, 5]
When you bring the rental back, take photos of its condition and the fuel gauge. Get a receipt that shows the time you returned it. Compare the final bill with what the insurer approved. If you paid a charge you didn’t expect, ask the rental company to explain it. Then ask the adjuster if you can be paid back for it. [6]
Scripts for the lot, the adjuster and the rental desk
- Call the storage lot: “Where is my car? What’s my itemized balance as of today? When does the next storage charge hit? What do you need from me to release it? Can I safely get my things out of it?”
- Call the adjuster: “My car is at this lot. Do you need to inspect it there? Who is moving it, and when? Which tow and storage charges will you cover? Please confirm my transportation benefit and when it ends.”
- Call the rental company: “What’s the full daily price and the deposit? Which extra charges could apply? What will the insurer pay directly, and what do I owe? What happens if I bring the car back early or late?”
Move fast on the car, then sort out the rental
Find the car, learn the tow and storage terms and set up its next move quickly. Treat your insurance rental benefit and the rental company’s contract as two separate things. Get the daily limit and the end date confirmed in writing. Save every receipt. Choose ways of getting around that suit your medical recovery.
Sources and further reading
- 1Washington claims guide
- 2Texas towing information
- 3NAIC auto coverage guide
- 4Texas towing scam warning
- 5California accident guide
- 6FTC renting a car
- 7FDA medicines and driving
This is general information for readers in the United States. Access to a towed car and storage fees depend on local law and your policy or claim. So do claim payments and rental benefits.
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