Roadside Assistance Protection (RAP)
Help when something small stops you on the road in an emergency: a flat battery, a tire puncture or keys locked inside. For exactly these three, it waives the call-out, labor and recovery fees, including towing. It's an optional add-on, charged for every started day of your rental, and it doesn't pay for damage to the car.
Price
€10 per started rental day
Charged for every day of your rental, with no maximum — like all our daily prices.
It's not damage cover: it waives the fees for help and recovery, not the cost of damage to the car or of new parts. Damage is handled by your cover option (BASIC + SCDW, PLUS or MAX), and Tire and Windshield Protection pays for a new tire when a tire is damaged on its own.
What it covers
- The call-out fee for a flat battery, a tire puncture or keys locked in the car, in an emergency.
- The labor at the roadside for any of these three.
- Recovery, including towing, if the car then has to be moved.
It applies only if you follow the rental terms: if breaking them caused or contributed to an incident, it doesn't apply to that incident (rental terms, clause 52).
What it does not cover
- Putting in the wrong fuel, or running out of fuel.
- New keys or new tires — the parts themselves (for a tire, that's what Tire and Windshield Protection is for).
- Recovery from closed or restricted roads.
- Help in a situation that is not an emergency.
- Incidents you cause yourself: on purpose, through gross negligence, or by breaking the road or river rules (rental terms, clauses 16 and 17).
- Damage to the car: that's what your cover option and its excess are for.
If you don't add it
Without it, a call-out for a flat battery, a tire puncture or keys locked in the car — and any incident you cause yourself — is charged at our towing rate, from our office to where help is needed and back: €4.50 per kilometer, minimum €200. Keys, tires, fuel and parts are charged on top. Roadside assistance is for emergencies: if the car has a spare tire and it's safe, you're expected to fit it yourself (rental terms, clause 53).
A breakdown you didn't cause — a mechanical failure or a fault from normal wear and tear — is free for every renter, with or without Roadside Assistance Protection, including a tow and a replacement car as soon as reasonably possible (rental terms, clause 51).
Who pays for roadside help?
Call us first, whatever happened — we arrange the help. What it costs depends on the cause:
| What happened | Without Roadside Assistance Protection | With Roadside Assistance Protection |
|---|---|---|
| Not your faultA breakdown you didn't cause: a mechanical failure or normal wear and tear | Without Roadside Assistance ProtectionFree, including towing and a replacement car as soon as reasonably possible | With Roadside Assistance ProtectionFree, the same |
| Flat battery, puncture or lock-outIn an emergency — what Roadside Assistance Protection is for | Without Roadside Assistance ProtectionOur towing rate from our office and back: €4.50 per km, minimum €200 | With Roadside Assistance Protection€0 for the call-out, labor and recovery; a new tire or key is still charged |
| Your faultAn incident you cause, such as wrong fuel, running out of fuel, or getting stuck off-road or on a closed road | Without Roadside Assistance ProtectionOur towing rate (€4.50 per km, minimum €200), plus repairs and parts | With Roadside Assistance ProtectionThe same: Roadside Assistance Protection doesn't cover incidents you cause |
Example: help is needed 100 km from our office. That's 200 km there and back: 200 km × €4.50 = €900 without Roadside Assistance Protection, and €0 with it.
Call us first, every time
Call or WhatsApp us on the number below, or email us — we answer day and night, and at night breakdowns and emergencies come first. We arrange the help, then tell you what to do while you wait. Call us before you arrange any help or repair yourself: repairs or recovery arranged without us are not reimbursed (rental terms, clause 50), so one call saves both of us money.
How to add it
Tick Roadside Assistance Protection in the cover step of your quote — it is never pre-selected. You can also add it at pickup or during the rental; it then applies only to incidents after you add it.
Build your quoteQuick answers
Is Roadside Assistance Protection insurance?
No. It's an optional add-on that Ring Road Cars provides under the rental agreement. In an emergency, it waives the call-out, labor and recovery fees, including towing, for a flat battery, a tire puncture or keys locked in the car. It doesn't pay for damage to the car, and it isn't an insurance policy.
Does it cover a new tire after a puncture?
No — it waives the call-out, labor and recovery fees, not the tire itself. A new tire is charged at the Price List price for its size. Tire and Windshield Protection — the upgrade to PLUS on this site, and part of MAX — pays for the new tire when only the tire is damaged, and MAX also covers wheels and tires.
I locked the keys in the car. What now?
Call us. Being locked out is one of the three things Roadside Assistance Protection is for: in an emergency, the call-out, labor and recovery fees are waived. If a key is lost or broken, a new key is charged separately (€550 for a key or key fob, from the Price List).
What if the car breaks down?
A breakdown you didn't cause is free for every renter, with or without Roadside Assistance Protection, including a tow and a replacement car as soon as reasonably possible. Call us first, before arranging any help yourself.
Do I need it if I only drive the Ring Road in summer?
It's up to you. Without it, a call-out for a flat battery, a puncture or a lock-out is charged at our towing rate, from our office to where help is needed and back: at least €200, and €900 if help is needed 100 km from our office. With it, the call-out, labor and recovery for those three are waived. Decide by how far you'll drive and how much certainty you want.