Insurance Does Not Fix a Flat

Let us start with the disappointing part. A standard auto policy is about collision, liability and certain kinds of damage or loss. A puncture, a dead battery, an empty tank or a key locked in the boot are none of those. If you want help with them, that is a separate product — and there is a decent chance you already have it without knowing.

Where roadside help actually comes from

• An endorsement on your auto policy. Many carriers offer roadside or towing and labour coverage as an add-on. What it pays, how far it tows and how often you may use it varies by carrier — ask yours for the actual terms.
• The manufacturer. A car still inside its original warranty period frequently has roadside assistance built in. Check the handbook before you buy anything.
• A motoring club membership. Bought separately, usually follows the person rather than the car.
• A credit card or a bank account benefit. Often present and almost never read.

Check all four before adding a fifth. In our office, the most common answer to “should I add roadside?” turns out to be “you already have it twice”.

Why claiming for small stuff can be a false economy

A tow is not a collision claim, and carriers treat the two differently — but repeated small service calls are still activity on a file. Whether frequency matters on your policy is a fair question to put to your carrier directly. For anything close to the cost of the call itself, paying it and moving on is often the calmer choice.

What to actually do when it happens

1. Get off the roadway. A ruined wheel is cheaper than a car in a live lane. Drive slowly to somewhere flat, wide and visible if you can.
2. Hazards on, and get out on the side away from traffic. Wait behind a barrier, not beside the car, if you are on a busy road.
3. Work out what you actually have. Many modern cars carry a sealant kit and a compressor rather than a spare wheel, and a sealant kit will not help a sidewall tear.
4. Call the help you already pay for, in the order above.
5. Do not change a wheel on a slope, on soft ground, or on the traffic side of a busy road. There is no tire worth that.

The half hour that prevents most of it

Learn, in a driveway with someone experienced, where the jack is, where the jacking points are, how the wheel nuts come off and whether the car even has a spare. Doing that once, calmly, in daylight, is worth more than any coverage. Then check your tire pressures monthly — the warning light comes on when the problem already exists, not before.

Keep in the car: a torch, a high-visibility vest, a phone charger and a bottle of water. That list has rescued more first-year drivers than any policy endorsement.

When it is a claim after all

If the tire failed because you hit something, or because of damage rather than wear, the wider event may involve coverage you do carry. Photograph the road, the debris and the damage before you leave. That five minutes is what turns a maybe into a claim you can actually make.

Not sure what your policy already includes? Send us the declarations page and we will tell you what you are paying for — including anything you are paying for twice.