Honda roadside assistance has you covered if your car breaks down or you run out of fuel–but only if your car is within the factory warranty period. In this article, we’ll explain what Honda’s roadside assistance provides and recommend some of the best extended car warranty options that include roadside assistance.
Does Honda Offer Free Roadside Assistance?
Yes, Honda offers free roadside assistance on all new vehicles for the first 3 years/36,000 miles. Roadside assistance for electric and Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles lasts for 3 years/unlimited miles. This coverage comes with the Honda bumper-to-bumper warranty. So when your Honda warranty expires, your free roadside assistance will expire with it.
Honda Roadside Assistance Details
If your Honda vehicle is within its factory warranty period, you don’t have to wonder how to get service if it breaks down. Whether you locked your keys in the car, got a flat tire, or ran out of gas, you can call Honda 24 hours a day and seven days a week to get service.
Honda Roadside Assistance Services
Honda roadside assistance covers a full range of 24-hour emergency services you may need if your car breaks down on the side of the road. These services include:
- Jump-starts
- Fuel deliveries
- Mechanical tows
- Accident tows
- Locksmith services
- Flat tire assistance
- Winching
Honda provides 2 gallons of gas at no cost with its fuel delivery service, but you’ll pay for fuel if you need more or if you use the service more than twice in a year. Also note that Honda will tow your car only in the event of a mechanical disablement or an accident. Not all roadside assistance programs will tow after accidents, so that’s an unusual perk.
Honda will tow your car to the nearest Honda dealer. You can also have your car towed to another nearby service station, but you’ll need to cover repairs out of pocket if you get service from a non-Honda dealership or repair shop. However, you may be able to submit a claim to your local Honda dealer for warranty reimbursement.
Additional Honda Services
The services mentioned above are only part of the story. Honda also goes the extra mile to provide more peace of mind in the following ways:
- Trip interruption benefits: Honda will cover up to $100 per day ($300 total) for food and lodging if your car breaks down at least 100 miles from home.
- Alternate transportation: If you’re stuck without a car, Honda can help arrange a rental vehicle or taxi service.
- Hotel reservations: The company can help find emergency lodging for you if your car breaks down away from home.
- Airline reservations: Honda can get airline information (like flight times and fares) if your car is disabled and you need to travel.
- Message relay: Honda can notify your primary contacts (such as your spouse or employer) if you have an emergency breakdown.
- Directory assistance: Honda can give you directions to important service places, such as banks and ATMs.
Flight information, message relays, and directory assistance are not commonly found benefits with warranty plans, which shows how Honda’s benefits stand apart from many other options on the market.
How To Use Honda Roadside Assistance
Standard vehicle owners can call Honda’s roadside assistance anytime at 1-866-864-5211. Owners of electric or Clarity Fuel Cell models should call 1-866-372-5139. Honda’s service is valid anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
You can also request roadside assistance through HondaLink. This is an app that connects your car’s system to your smartphone.
Continue Honda Roadside Assistance After Your Factory Warranty Expires
Once your new Honda factory warranty expires, you won’t have access to free roadside assistance. However, you can still get roadside assistance through Honda’s vehicle service plans or its Sentinel service plans. These options are also available if you buy a used Honda that is outside of the factory warranty.
Honda Care Vehicle Service Contracts
Honda’s extended warranty covers repairs after your factory warranty has expired. The program, called Honda Care®, offers coverage for new, used, and certified pre-owned cars. There’s also an option for powertrain-only coverage.
In addition to mechanical breakdown coverage, you get roadside assistance for the duration of any Honda Care plan. Here’s the additional assistance that comes with Honda Care plans:
- Rental car reimbursement: Honda Care may reimburse you for rental car costs up to $35 per day for up to six days.
- Trip interruption benefits: If you’re 100 miles or more away from home, you’ll get up to $100 per day for meals and lodging for up to three days.
- Concierge services: These services include emergency cash advances, shipment of personal replacement items, and emergency airline ticket assistance.
Honda Sentinel Plans
Honda Care Sentinel® plans cover oil changes and some other scheduled maintenance. There are two options: Sentinel Services and Sentinel Plus. If you get either of these plans, you get access to Honda’s roadside assistance, trip interruption benefits, and concierge services.
Is Roadside Assistance Worth It?
Honda’s free roadside assistance is a great option, and you don’t have to do anything to get it if your vehicle is within the 3 years/36,000 miles warranty term. Honda offers a good selection of covered services along with some extra perks.
However, it may or may not be worth purchasing a Honda Care plan or Sentinel service plan to get roadside assistance after your bumper-to-bumper warranty expires. You can also get standalone roadside assistance plans from other companies or get roadside service through third-party extended warranties instead.
Other Options For Honda Roadside Assistance
If you aren’t eligible for Honda’s free roadside assistance anymore, that means your factory warranty has expired. Now is a great time to weigh whether or not an extended warranty is worth it. You have options beyond Honda’s extended warranty to cover mechanical breakdowns on your car. Our top recommendations include Endurance and CarShield.
Our Recommendations For Extended Warranties
Third-party warranty companies are often more affordable than factory extended warranty options. They also usually have longer term limits and more versatile coverage options. Most third-party plans come with roadside assistance and other added benefits.
Endurance: Best Coverage
Endurance is our top pick overall for extended warranty coverage. With each new warranty, customers get one year of access to Endurance Elite Benefits. These perks include key fob replacement, tire repair, and more.
Endurance also includes roadside assistance, rental car coverage, and trip interruption coverage for the duration of its plans. With more than 5,200 reviews on Trustpilot, Endurance has a 4.1-star rating average out of 5.0., which shows how satisfied customers are with the company’s services.
Keep reading: Endurance warranty review
CarShield: Best Value
After comparing extended car warranty companies, we found CarShield to be one of the most affordable options. Monthly payments can be around $90 for powertrain or bumper-to-bumper plans. CarShield is also the most popular extended warranty company on the market according to our survey that polled 1,000 consumers, and has a 4.0-star rating on Trustpilot from more than 32,000 reviews.
Keep reading: CarShield review
Honda Roadside Assistance: FAQ
How We Rate Warranty Providers
Our review process aims to deliver consistent and unbiased assessments of extended auto warranty providers. While there are multiple qualities that make a warranty company successful, our review team focuses on those we believe are the most important for consumers:
- Cost: Cost can be difficult to compare between providers because so many factors impact vehicle service contract pricing. To determine our cost score, we perform a secret shopper analysis for a variety of vehicles and plans and consider available deductibles.
- Coverage: Our team of experts looks at the number of extended warranty plans available, as well as term limits, exclusions, and added benefits like roadside assistance. Ratings also take into account the availability of maintenance coverage.
- Reputation: It’s important that an extended car warranty company is able to meet its claims obligations. Companies with a strong rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) score well in this category. Established providers with a long history of reliable service also receive positive marks.
- Customer Experience: We listen to real customer sales calls and comb through reviews on sites like the BBB to learn about customer experiences. Warranty companies with a low volume of complaints score well in this area. We also consider the availability of mobile apps and chat features.
*Data accurate at time of publication.