TOWING PRICING GUIDE
Towing rates: how much to charge
The 2026 US hook-up fees and per-mile rates for standard, flatbed and heavy-duty tows, what to add after hours and for winching and storage — and a free calculator that turns them into a price you can put on your website.
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The short answer
Most tow companies charge a hook-up fee of $75 to $125 for a standard vehicle plus $2.50 to $7 per mile, and a standard local tow averages about $109 (TowingSites, April 2026). Some companies set the fee lower, around $50, and include the first 5 to 10 miles in it (TowingSites).
By distance, a 5–10 mile tow runs $100 to $175, 10–20 miles $125 to $225, 20–50 miles $175 to $375 and 50–100 miles $300 to $550; past 100 miles most companies switch to a flat per-trip rate from about $500 (TowingSites).
Bigger vehicles are their own price list: TowingCosts.com's November 2026 table puts an SUV at a $115 hook-up and $5.75 a mile, a pickup at $130 and $6.50 and an RV or large vehicle at $190 and $9.50, and it puts heavy-duty tows of vehicles over about 10,000 pounds at a hook-up starting at $150 to $200 plus $6 to $10 or more per mile. A flatbed's base fee runs 20% to 40% above a wheel-lift's (TowingSites), nights, weekends and holidays add 20% to 50% (TowingSites), and a straightforward winch-out is $50 to $150 (TowingSites; TowingCosts.com agrees).
Publish the hook-up fee, the per-mile rate and the after-hours rule — a driver on the shoulder at midnight wants a number, and the company that prints one gets the call.
FREE PRICE CALCULATOR
What should I charge for this tow?
Pick a tow by distance band for a complete price, or price it by the mile and tick the hook-up fee and extras. The range uses the published 2026 US rates in the table below.
Suggested price
$125–$225
standard car, by distance (hook-up included), 10–20 miles
A starting range from published US rates — not a quote for a driver. Check it against your own cost per mile (the formula below) and your local market, and remember that in the US, police-ordered and impound tows have set rates in many states and cities.
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RATES · NOVEMBER 2026
Towing rates and hook-up fees (2026)
Typical US rates. TowingCosts.com's November 2026 table puts a standard car at a $100 hook-up and $5.00 a mile for the first 25 miles, with the per-mile rate about 40% lower after that and about 55% lower past 100 miles — an SUV at $115 and $5.75, a pickup at $130 and $6.50, an RV at $190 and $9.50.
| The job | Typical US price · source |
|---|---|
| Standard car, by distance (hook-up included) | 5–10 miles: $100–$175 · 10–20 miles: $125–$225 · 20–50 miles: $175–$375 · 50–100 miles: $300–$550 · TowingSites |
| Standard car, by the mile (add the hook-up fee) | $2.50–$7 per mile · about $38–$105 for 15 miles · TowingSites |
| Heavy-duty, by the mile — starting rates (add the hook-up fee) | $6–$10 per mile · about $90–$150 for 15 miles · TowingCosts.com |
| Hook-up fee by vehicle (flat) | Standard car: $100 · SUV: $115 · Pickup truck: $130 · RV or large vehicle: $190 · Heavy-duty, over about 10,000 lb (starting rates): $150–$200+ · TowingCosts.com |
Rates read off each publisher's page in November 2026. The calculator above uses exactly these numbers, rounded to whole dollars and to the nearest $5 from $100 up. Full source list below.
ADD-ONS AND ADJUSTMENTS
What to charge for the hour, the flatbed and the recovery
The time of night and the work before the wheels roll are part of the job — charge each as its own line.
| What | Typical US price · source |
|---|---|
| When: night, weekend or holiday | 20%–50% more · TowingSites |
| Hook-up fee, standard vehicle | +$75–$125 · TowingSites |
| Hook-up fee, heavy-duty (starting rate) | +$150–$200+ · TowingCosts.com |
| Flatbed instead of wheel-lift, on the base fee | $95–$175 flatbed base against $75–$125 wheel-lift = +$20–$50 · TowingSites rate |
| Winch-out, straightforward | +$50–$150 · TowingSites |
| Dolly fee | +$40–$60 · TowingSites |
| Storage, first day | +$25–$100 · TowingSites |
Where a row shows a sum (a rate × a quantity, or a percentage worked out from published dollar ranges), the arithmetic is ours and the inputs are the publisher's.
THE PRICING FORMULA
How to price a tow
Six steps from your cost per mile to the number on your rate sheet.
Know your cost per loaded mile
Fuel, the truck payment, towing insurance, tires and maintenance ÷ the loaded miles you run a month. Everything you charge has to clear it.
Set the hook-up fee
$75–$125 for a standard vehicle (TowingSites) — it pays for dispatch and the drive out; companies that fold in the first 5–10 miles set it lower, around $50. Heavy-duty hooks start at $150–$200 (TowingCosts.com).
Set the per-mile rate
$2.50–$7 a mile for a standard car (TowingSites); heavy-duty starts at $6–$10 (TowingCosts.com). Step it down past 25 and 100 miles the way TowingCosts.com's table does.
Price the equipment
A flatbed's base fee runs 20%–40% above a wheel-lift's — $95–$175 against $75–$125 — and a dolly is $40–$60 (TowingSites). Say which vehicles need which.
Price the hour and the recovery
Nights, weekends and holidays add 20%–50% (TowingSites); a straightforward winch-out is $50–$150 and a hard recovery $300 or more (TowingSites, TowingCosts.com); storage $25–$100 a day (TowingSites).
Check the regulated tows
In the US, police-ordered and private-property impound tows have rates set by many states and cities, and some states publish every company's filed rate sheet. Those prices aren't yours to set — check your state and city.
The formula, worked through
Say it's a standard car, 15 loaded miles, daytime, on a wheel-lift.
A $75–$125 hook-up plus 15 miles at $2.50–$7 (TowingSites) is $112.50–$230 — call it $115–$230. TowingSites' own band for a 10–20 mile tow is $125–$225, so the two agree.
So “local tows from $125” is a fair line for your rate sheet, with the per-mile rate beside it. At midnight the 20%–50% surcharge takes the same tow to about $140–$345.
The arithmetic is ours; the hook-up, per-mile and surcharge figures are the publishers'.
What to charge in your area
The ranges on this page are US national figures. TowingSites notes that urban markets with higher operating costs carry higher base fees, while rural companies sometimes charge more per mile because the truck travels farther to reach the car and back (April 2026); a tow that needs a flatbed runs $3.50–$7 a mile (TowingSites), and TowingCosts.com's per-mile rate falls by about 40% after the first 25 miles and about 55% past 100 (November 2026).
Across all prices, the Bureau of Economic Analysis puts California at 110.7 against a US average of 100 and Arkansas at 86.9 (2024 regional price parities, released February 2026) — so a $150 tow in an average market is about $165 in California and about $130 in Arkansas.
In the US, rates for non-consent tows — police-ordered, accident scenes, private-property impounds — are set by state or city rules in many places, and some states publish each company's filed rate sheet. Check your state and city before you print those prices. Outside the US, treat the ranges as a shape, not a price: a hook-up fee plus a rate per mile, with more after hours, holds everywhere.
Put your prices on your website
A price list — even “from” prices — answers a customer's first question before they pick up the phone, and it's the line an AI assistant can quote when someone asks what towing costs near them.
If you build your site with Zarla, tell the editor “add a pricing section: local tows from $125, hook-up from $75 plus $3 per mile, winch-outs from $50” and your prices go on the site, in a section you can edit any time. Want to see a finished site first? Browse towing website templates or see how Zarla builds towing websites.
Still setting up? Write your towing business plan, and when the prices are set, read how to get your business on Google. Not licensed yet? Start with how to become a tow truck driver. Raising prices you set a year ago? The price increase letter tells customers a month ahead.
Towing rates: common questions
$2.50–$7 per mile for a standard vehicle (TowingSites, April 2026), on top of the hook-up fee — companies that include the first 5–10 miles set that fee lower, around $50. Heavy-duty tows start at $6–$10 a mile (TowingCosts.com, November 2026). The calculator above prices any distance.
The flat charge for sending the truck and loading the vehicle: $75–$125 for a standard car (TowingSites). TowingCosts.com's table puts it at $100 for a car, $115 for an SUV, $130 for a pickup and $190 for an RV, and heavy-duty hook-ups start at $150–$200 (November 2026). Mileage is charged on top.
TowingSites puts a 10–20 mile tow at $125–$225 and a 20–50 mile tow at $175–$375 (April 2026). TowingCosts.com's sample 25-mile tow of a standard car comes to $180–$270 (November 2026).
20%–50% on top of the base rate for nights, weekends and holidays (TowingSites). TowingCosts.com puts it at 1.25–1.5 times the standard rate, with holiday rates often at the 1.5 ceiling.
About 20%–40% more on the base fee, with flatbed base fees starting at $95–$175 against $75–$125 for a wheel-lift and a per-mile rate of $3.50–$7 (TowingSites); TowingCosts.com puts the premium at roughly 30%. All-wheel-drive, low-clearance and damaged vehicles usually need one.
$50–$150 for a straightforward winch-out, and $300–$500 or more for a hard recovery (TowingSites); TowingCosts.com puts winching at $50–$150 and a complex recovery at $300 or more. Storage runs $25–$100 a day (TowingSites).
Often not. In the US, many states and cities set the rates for non-consent tows — police-ordered, accident and private-property impounds — and some states publish every company's filed rate sheet. Your own rates apply to the calls customers make to you; check your state and city for the rest.
Yes — the hook-up fee, the per-mile rate and the after-hours rule. A stranded driver compares numbers on a phone, and the company that prints them gets the call. On a Zarla site, tell the editor “add a pricing section” with your rates, and change them any time.
Where these numbers come from
Every range on this page is read off a published source, dated below. They're US figures for residential work — typical, not a rule; your costs and your market come first.
- TowingSites — How Much Does Towing Cost in 2026? Prices, Fees, and What to Expect — dated April 2026, read November 2026
- TowingCosts.com — Towing Cost Per Mile (2026): Real Rates by Vehicle (updated November 2026) — dated November 2026, read November 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — regional price parities by state, 2024 — dated February 2026, read September 2026
Put your towing rates on your website
Add your town and your business name, and Zarla builds the site from that one line. Your rates go in a pricing section you edit by chat.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.