Does Car Insurance Cover Towing in Saudi Arabia?

Car insurance in Saudi Arabia covers towing only in some cases: many comprehensive policies include a towing benefit after an accident and sometimes after a breakdown, while basic third-party insurance does not pay to tow your own car. If another driver is found at fault, their insurer may cover your towing cost as part of the claim, provided you have the Najm report and proof of what you paid.

The exact answer depends on the wording of your policy, not on general rules, so this guide explains how each type of cover usually works, how to check your own policy quickly, which paperwork makes a refund possible, and what a tow in Riyadh costs if you end up paying yourself. We are a towing company, not an insurer, so treat this as practical guidance and confirm the details with your insurance company.

Towing cover is an insurance benefit that pays, fully or up to a limit, for moving your car from the scene of an accident or breakdown to a workshop or another agreed place.

Does third-party insurance cover towing in Saudi Arabia?

Third-party insurance in Saudi Arabia does not cover towing your own car, because it only pays for damage you cause to other people and their property. It is the minimum cover required to drive legally, and it protects the other party, not you.

There is one important exception in practice. If you have only third-party cover and another driver hits you, the Najm report may assign fault to them. In that case, your costs, which can include a reasonable towing fee, are claimed against the at-fault driver's insurance. Whether the tow is refunded, and how much, is decided by that insurer, so keep a record of everything you paid.

If the accident is your fault and you have only third-party cover, the tow is your own cost.

Does comprehensive insurance cover towing?

Comprehensive insurance in Saudi Arabia often covers towing after an accident, either as a standard benefit or as an add-on, but the limit and conditions differ widely between insurers and policy levels.

Some policies include a towing allowance up to a fixed amount per incident. Others include it only within city limits, or only if you use a provider the insurer appoints. A few cover breakdown towing as well, usually under a separate roadside benefit with its own limits on the number of call-outs per year.

Comprehensive cover is common on newer and financed cars, and on luxury models. If your car is less than five years old or still under finance, there is a good chance you already have it. Owners of high-value cars often have the most generous towing terms, which matters when the car needs careful loading, as described on our Luxury Car Transport in Riyadh page.

Accident tows versus breakdown tows

Accident towing and breakdown towing are treated very differently by most insurers in Saudi Arabia, and mixing them up is the most common reason a claim is refused.

• Accident tow: the car was damaged in a collision. The tow is part of the accident claim, and it needs a Najm or police report.
• Breakdown tow: the car stopped because of a mechanical or electrical fault, such as overheating, a dead battery or a gearbox failure. This is only covered if your policy includes a roadside or breakdown benefit.
• Flat tyre or empty fuel tank: usually treated as a breakdown, and often excluded unless the roadside benefit names it.

Busy business districts produce a lot of minor accidents in rush hour, where both drivers wait for Najm before anything moves. The way we work around those accident scenes is explained on the Towing service in Al Olaya page.

How to check your own policy in five minutes

The fastest way to check whether your policy in Saudi Arabia covers towing is to open the policy document or the insurer's app and look for four things:

1. Cover type: comprehensive or third-party. This is usually on the first page.
2. A towing or roadside line: words such as "towing", "roadside assistance" or "vehicle recovery" in the benefits table.
3. The limit: a fixed amount per incident, a number of call-outs per year, or a distance limit.
4. The conditions: whether you must call the insurer first, use their provider, or can use any towing company and claim the cost back.

If the document is unclear, a short message to the insurer before you book a tow saves arguments later. Ask one direct question: "If I use my own towing company, will you refund what I paid, and up to how much?"

The paperwork that gets a towing cost refunded

A towing cost in Saudi Arabia is refunded much more easily when you have three documents ready: the accident report, written proof of the towing cost and photographs.

• The Najm or police report, with the case number. Without it, accident claims usually cannot move.
• Written proof of the tow showing the date, the pick-up point, the destination, the car's plate and the amount paid.
• Photos of the car at the scene and on the flatbed, which show the damage was there before transport.

Ask your insurer in advance which proof it accepts. With us, you get the agreed price and route in writing on WhatsApp, plus photos taken at loading, and paying by bank transfer adds a dated payment record. Most delays come from missing paperwork, not from the insurer refusing the cost.

What a tow costs if you pay yourself

If you end up paying yourself, a standard car in Riyadh costs 90 to 150 SAR for the first 15 km in 2026, 150 to 250 SAR between 15 and 30 km and from 220 SAR past that. Luxury cars begin at 150 SAR, motorcycles at 90 SAR.

These are the amounts you would normally pay first and then claim back, if your policy or the at-fault driver's insurer covers towing. There is no night or holiday surcharge, and payment is taken after delivery.

Long outbound stretches of the city's main ring roads often push a tow into the second or third band. The distances and typical drop-off points there are on the Towing service in Eastern Ring Road page.

Common mistakes with insurance and towing

The mistakes that most often cost drivers in Saudi Arabia their towing refund are simple to avoid:

• Moving the car before Najm arrives or before the report is issued, unless the authorities ask you to clear the road.
• Paying a tow in cash with no written record of the amount.
• Assuming third-party cover will pay for your own car.
• Not reading whether the policy requires you to call the insurer first.
• Sending the car to a workshop the insurer does not accept, then having to tow it again.
• Waiting weeks to submit the claim, by which time photos and details are lost.

When to call a professional

A professional towing company is needed in Saudi Arabia whenever the car cannot be driven safely after an accident, or when the insurer's approved workshop is too far to drive to on damaged parts.

Habib Satha Towing provides Accident Car Towing in Riyadh after the report is complete, with a written price first and photos taken at loading. If the insurer appoints its own provider, we would rather tell you so than take a job that will not be refunded.

Get help with towing service in Riyadh

Send your location, destination and car type on WhatsApp or call 0583399475, and we will reply with a written price you can keep for your claim.