How Far Will AAA Tow a Car? Classic, Plus and Premier Limits (2026)

AAA tows your car 5 miles on Classic, up to 100 miles on Plus, and up to 100 miles per call on Premier, with one covered tow of up to 200 miles per household each membership year. Those are the figures AAA Club Alliance published in March 2026, and AAA Washington lists the same 5, 100 and 200 mile tiers. The catch is that AAA is a federation of regional clubs, so the exact distance, number of calls and cost of extra miles can change with where you live.

This guide puts the three tiers in one table, shows where the clubs we read disagree, works through what an over-limit tow would actually cost using a published per-mile rate, and lists what AAA says it will not tow. Every figure below is attributed to the AAA club page it came from, as of October 2026. If your club’s page says something different, your club’s page wins.

AAA Towing Distance by Membership Level (2026)

Before the table, one reading tip. Most websites quote a single number per tier, but AAA’s own pages describe the 200-mile benefit as a once-a-year, once-per-household allowance, not something every Premier call gets. That is the most common misunderstanding about the top tier, and it is why the table separates the long tow from the everyday tow.

Tier	Included tow distance	Service calls per year	Notes (club-dependent)
Classic	5 miles per tow (AAA Club Alliance, AAA Washington)	Up to 4 (Club Alliance); 4 (Washington)	Club Alliance adds up to 40 miles to a AAA Tire & Auto Center at no extra cost. Other clubs may set a different Classic distance.
Plus	Up to 100 miles per service call, to the destination you choose (Club Alliance); up to 100 miles (Washington)	Up to 4 (Club Alliance); 4 (Washington)	The tier most people mean when they ask about long tows.
Premier	Up to 100 miles per call, plus one tow per household of up to 200 miles each membership year (Club Alliance); up to 200 miles (Washington)	Up to 5 (Club Alliance); 4 (Washington)	Call counts differ between clubs, so check yours. Unused calls do not roll over.
Everyday (Washington)	None: no emergency roadside benefits	None	AAA Washington lists Everyday as having no roadside towing.

As of October 2026, from AAA Club Alliance (page dated March 13, 2026) and AAA Washington. Distances, call counts and prices vary by club and region, and AAA can change them. Confirm with your own club or the AAA Mobile app.

What AAA Towing Covers and What It Does Not

A tow is one kind of service call. AAA’s allowance counts all roadside help together, so a battery jump, a tire change or a tow all draw from the same four or five calls a year. Coverage is tied to the member rather than the vehicle, according to AAA Club Alliance, so what counts is whose membership is used, not which car breaks down, within the club’s terms.

• Destination: Club Alliance says Plus tows go to the destination you choose, within the mileage limit. AAA’s service limitations add that AAA does not guarantee that repair facilities exist within the towing area, so a shop 90 miles away may not be reachable on a 5-mile plan.
• Vehicles AAA will not tow on the standard plans: AAA Auto Club Group lists taxis, limousines, loaded vehicles and trailers as non-eligible. Motorcycle towing is an add-on at Club Alliance and is not part of Classic, Plus or Premier.
• Loaded vehicles: a vehicle with a load that could be a safety hazard, because of excessive weight or because the load could shift, is not eligible for service that involves lifting the vehicle, including towing (AAA service limitations).
• Places it cannot reach: AAA Auto Club Group says service may be unavailable on beaches, vacant lots, construction sites and off-road areas, and winching is offered only when the vehicle can be safely reached from a normally traveled road. Snowbound vehicles are serviced only if accessible to the provider.
• Weather-only tows: AAA Washington says towing caused only by bad weather, snow clearing or chain installation is not covered.

What You Pay When the Tow Goes Over Your Limit

The honest answer is that no single national price exists. AAA Club Alliance says miles beyond your tier’s limit are billed at a discounted member rate and publishes no dollar figure. AAA Auto Club Group publishes one: $7.00 per additional mile, paid at the time of service, and not reimbursable. Treat that as a data point for one club, not a nationwide rate.

Here is the arithmetic that rate produces. It is our calculation, using the Auto Club Group number, and it will not match every club:

Scenario	Free miles	Extra miles	Extra cost at $7.00/mile (Auto Club Group rate)
Classic, 20-mile tow	5	15	$105
Classic, 50-mile tow	5	45	$315
Plus, 50-mile tow	100	0	$0
Plus, 130-mile tow	100	30	$210
Premier, 130-mile tow	100 (or 200 if the household’s annual long tow is unused)	30, or 0 if it is	$210, or $0 on the one long tow

The pattern is the useful part. A Classic member pays for almost the entire distance of any ordinary breakdown, while Plus covers most real-world tows entirely. Premier only changes the result when the tow is between 100 and 200 miles, and only once a year per household.

What to Do If AAA Cannot Reach You

AAA Washington says that if you pay for a tow yourself and want to be reimbursed, you submit a legible itemized receipt in your name and a completed Service Reimbursement Form within 90 days of the service, and reimbursement is capped at $500.00. That is one club’s rule. Auto Club Group, by contrast, says extra mileage you pay at the time of service is not reimbursable, so call AAA before you arrange your own tow and ask what, if anything, your club will refund.

How to Request a AAA Tow

AAA Auto Club Group lists three ways to request roadside help, and AAA Washington lists the same three.

1. Use the AAA Mobile app. You can set your location, track the technician and cancel the request, per Auto Club Group.
2. Request service online through your club’s roadside page (AAA Washington uses AAA.com/Service).
3. Call 800-222-4357 (800-AAA-HELP) or the roadside number printed on your membership card.
4. Have your details ready: your membership card or the app, your exact location, and your vehicle information. Auto Club Group says the driver will ask for your driver’s license on arrival.
5. Say where you want the car towed and make sure the shop is within your tier’s mileage, because the distance is measured to that destination.

Wait times are not published as a guarantee on any page we read, so do not plan around a number. If you are stopped in a live traffic lane or on a narrow shoulder and feel unsafe, that is an emergency and a reason to call 911 rather than wait for roadside assistance, and tell the AAA dispatcher where you are stopped.

What to Keep in the Car While You Wait

NHTSA’s summer driving advice lists a cell phone and charger, a first aid kit, a flashlight, flares and a white flag, and jumper cables among the things to carry in case of a breakdown. A pre-assembled kit, such as the one in the box above, covers several of those in one bag. A tow rope in a kit is for emergencies in the hands of a trained recovery operator, not a way to pull the car yourself, and the tow itself is a job for AAA or another professional.

Which AAA Level Fits the Way You Drive?

• Mostly local driving with a backup car: Classic can work if you are comfortable paying for any tow longer than 5 miles, or if the Tire & Auto Center benefit at Club Alliance matches where you would go anyway.
• Commuting or regional driving: Plus is the first tier where a typical shop is inside the free distance, up to 100 miles at both clubs we read.
• Long road trips: Premier adds a fifth call at Club Alliance and the single 200-mile household tow. If your club uses a different structure, compare the call count before you pay for the upgrade.
• Locked out instead of broken down? A lockout also draws on your roadside service calls. See our guide to what to do when your keys are locked inside the car, including what AAA lockout service covers.

Not sure whether you even need AAA? Many insurance policies add roadside help, and we explain how car insurance towing coverage compares. For related AAA questions, see how far Triple A will tow a car and how far you can get towed with a AAA Gold membership.

Keep reading

• Will Triple A Tow an Unregistered Car? Your Simple Guide to AAA Towing
• Will AAA Tow an Unregistered Car? Official Policy Explained
• Do You Need A Moving Permit For AAA Towing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the farthest AAA will tow?

Per AAA Club Alliance, Premier covers one tow per household of up to 200 miles each membership year, and its other tows are up to 100 miles per service call. AAA Washington lists Premier at up to 200 miles. Because clubs set their own terms, confirm the exact rule with your local club before you rely on it.

How many miles does AAA Classic tow?

AAA Club Alliance and AAA Washington both list Classic at 5 miles per tow. Club Alliance adds that a tow of up to 40 miles to a AAA Tire & Auto Center is available at no extra cost. Some regional club pages list different Classic distances, so check your own club.

How much does AAA charge for extra towing miles?

It depends on the club. AAA Club Alliance says extra miles are billed at a discounted rate and gives no dollar figure. AAA Auto Club Group says towing beyond your tier’s free mileage costs $7.00 per additional mile, paid at the time of service and not reimbursable. AAA Washington does not state a per-mile charge on its roadside FAQ.

How many times a year can I call AAA for a tow?

AAA Washington says every member gets four roadside assistance calls per membership year. AAA Club Alliance lists up to 4 service calls for Classic and Plus and up to 5 for Premier. Unused calls do not roll over, and tows and other roadside services draw from the same allowance.

Does AAA tow trailers, taxis or loaded vehicles?

Not under the standard plans. AAA Auto Club Group lists taxis, limousines, loaded vehicles and trailers as non-eligible vehicles. AAA’s service limitations also say a vehicle carrying a load that could be a safety hazard because of its weight or because it could shift is not eligible for service that involves lifting the vehicle, including towing. AAA Club Alliance says motorcycle towing is an add-on, not part of Classic, Plus or Premier.

How do I request a AAA tow?

AAA Auto Club Group lists three ways: online through its roadside request page, through the AAA Mobile app, or by phone at 800-222-4357 (800-AAA-HELP) or the number on your membership card. Have your membership card or the app, your location and your vehicle details ready, and expect the driver to ask for your driver’s license when they arrive.

Final Thoughts

The short answer to how far AAA will tow a car is 5 miles on Classic and up to 100 miles on Plus and Premier, plus one 200-mile Premier tow per household each year, as published by AAA Club Alliance in 2026. The longer answer is that your club decides the details, including how many calls you get and what extra miles cost. Check your club’s current terms or the AAA Mobile app before relying on any distance, and always describe the actual destination to the dispatcher so you are not surprised by a bill for extra miles.

Sources named in this article, read for this update: AAA Club Alliance, How Far Does AAA Tow (dated March 13, 2026); AAA Washington roadside FAQs; AAA Auto Club Group roadside towing page; AAA roadside service limitations page; NHTSA summer driving tips. Figures are as of October 2026 and vary by club.