Over five years, costs across roadside options diverge significantly. The right choice depends on your actual usage.
Five-year AAA basic membership: $500–$600 total. Service: ~3 calls average across five years (industry data on actual usage).
Five-year insurance roadside (typical add-on): $50–$100/year × 5 = $250–$500. Service: same call volume.
Five-year pay-as-you-go (assuming 3 calls): $300 ($100 × 3). Same service.
Pay-as-you-go is cheapest for typical usage, AAA most expensive. Insurance roadside is in the middle.
The variance: if you genuinely need roadside service 8–10 times in five years (commercial drivers, drivers of unreliable older vehicles), AAA's unlimited tier starts to pay off.