Tow truck and car carrier: how to book one and not overpay
When you need a tow truck urgently
People call a tow truck in a stressful situation: after an accident, a breakdown on the highway, when the car won't start in the morning or has got stuck in a ditch. At such moments people take the first ad they see, and that is the most expensive way. Another scenario is calmer: moving a car from another city, or delivering several cars to a yard or an auction.
On BlaBlaPrice you write a request, and tow operators reply with offers in the chat: the price, the arrival time, the type of platform. They can see where their offer ranks, so they compete for your job. It is free for the customer, and your phone number stays hidden at first.
Tow truck or car carrier
For one car within a city and the surrounding area, a flatbed or a partial-lift tow truck is the right choice. A flatbed is safer for a car that can't move, one with locked wheels, low sports cars and four-wheel-drive cars that must not be towed. A partial lift is cheaper, but not right for every car.
A car carrier takes several cars at a time and makes sense over long distances, when you need to move two or three cars or bring a new car from another city. That works out cheaper per car than a separate tow truck.
What to put in your request
- What to tow — make, model, type: car, SUV, minibus, motorbike, special vehicle.
- From where — city, area or address.
- To where — a garage, a yard, a home, another city.
- Condition of the car — whether it starts, whether the wheels turn, whether the steering is locked, whether it was in an accident.
- When — now, today, or on a certain date.
- Loading conditions — a basement car park, a ditch, low ground clearance, a winch needed.
- Number of cars — if more than one.
- Budget — if you want to name one.
Example: “Urgent, near Hinjewadi, Pune: I need a tow truck for a Skoda Octavia to a garage in Pune. The car was in an accident, the wheels don't turn, it is in a ditch, a winch is needed. Budget up to ₹4,000.”
What to look at in the replies
- whether the price is fixed or charged per kilometre plus a call-out fee;
- whether extra work is included: a winch, pulling from a ditch, a basement car park;
- how many minutes the tow truck will take to arrive;
- whether there is cover for damage to the car during transport;
- how payment works: cash, card, on the spot.
Reviews of the operator show whether he arrives on time. For a long route that information matters as much as the price.
Common mistakes
Not saying that the car can't move, and then finding on the spot that it can't be loaded. Not mentioning low ground clearance and damaging the bumper. Not confirming where the car is going and paying extra for the additional distance. Forgetting the documents and keys: without them the driver may refuse.
For other equipment, look at crane truck services, and for ordinary moves at freight transport. Everything is in one place in the “Transport & delivery” section.
