Car Recovery and Towing to Your Chosen Destination
Car recovery and towing for a car that can't be driven, from where it is now to the garage, home or address you choose. Tell us the pickup, the drop-off and what's wrong with the car. Snap contacts independent recovery operators and sends you one quote for the whole job before you decide.
Asking for a quote does not book the job.
Send a request 24/7; requests are handled round the clock. Or call 078 3333 9309, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
Jobs we arrange:
- local tows
- longer-distance moves
- planned moves on a date you pick
- cars that won't start, roll or steer
- car park and driveway pickups
- no membership needed
If anyone is hurt, there's a fire, or you're in danger, call 999 first. Snap is not an emergency service. On a motorway, move left, get out on the side away from traffic if it's safe, and wait behind the barrier. If you can't get out safely, stay in the car with your seatbelt and hazard lights on, and call 999.
What car recovery costs
A local tow of up to 10 miles is typically £50 to £150, including our booking fee. That is an indicative range, not a fixed tariff. Longer-distance recovery is quoted for the route and the vehicle.
Your quote depends on the pickup and drop-off, the car's condition, access and operator availability. You see the total for your job before you accept.
Local and long-distance car recovery
Snap arranges recovery for a car that has stopped today and for a move you are planning. The car might be on your drive, outside work, at a garage that can't fix it, or waiting for a repair slot somewhere else. The drop-off can be round the corner or in another town.
Each quote is built on five things:
- Pickup and drop-off. The exact addresses or postcodes, or the garage's name.
- When. As soon as possible, on or by a specific date you pick from the calendar in the quote form, or "I'm flexible".
- The car's condition. Whether it starts, rolls and steers, and whether it's an automatic, electric or hybrid.
- Access. A driveway, a narrow street, a private road or a car park level.
- Destination opening hours. A garage that closes at 5pm can't take a car that arrives at 6pm, so check before you send the request.
Tell us your preferred destination and check it can accept the car. Confirm any waiting, storage or onward move before booking.
Example scenario, not a real job. A car that failed its MOT is parked on a drive and needs to go to a specialist garage in another town next week. The request gives both postcodes, the preferred date, says the car starts but has a warning light, and notes the garage takes cars until 4pm. The quote comes back for that route and that car, and the owner decides whether to accept.
Towing a car to a garage
Snap can arrange a tow to the garage you choose. The distance between pickup and garage, the car's condition and the access at both ends set the quote. Within 10 miles, the local range of £50 to £150 is a fair guide. Our guide to car recovery costs explains each factor.
Give us the garage's name or postcode, and ring them first to confirm they are expecting the car and when they can take it in. If the garage has a key drop or a set place to leave cars out of hours, put that in your notes.
For a drop-off at home, say where the car should be left: a driveway, a garage or a parking space on the street. If the car won't roll, it stays where it is unloaded, so choose a spot a truck can reach again later.
Cars that won't start, roll or steer
A car with locked wheels, a seized brake, a handbrake stuck on, locked steering or an automatic stuck in park may need different equipment to load than a car that still rolls and steers. Loading methods available through the network include flatbed recovery, tilt and slide, a low loader for low cars, wheel skates for locked or seized wheels, and a winch. The method is matched to the job from the details you give.
Tick the boxes that apply in your request. The quote is based on what you tell us, so if the car turns out to be different, the price can change or the operator may not be able to take it on the day.
If the car won't start and you think it's the battery, a jump start may be the right first step. Our car won't start guide helps you tell the difference.
Electric, hybrid and automatic cars. Many electric and hybrid cars should be moved with their wheels off the ground, and the handbook says which. Put the car's type in your request even though the reg lookup gives the fuel type.
Keys. Say whether the keys are with the car, with you or at a garage. A car without keys can be harder to move, especially one with a steering lock.
Car parks, driveways and awkward pickups
Where the car sits decides how a truck reaches it. For a multi-storey or underground car park, send its name, the level, the entrance height on the sign and a photo of the way in. The car may need moving to the entrance before it can be loaded.
On a driveway or narrow street, say whether a truck can park outside and whether another car blocks the way. For a private road, a soft verge or a ditch, describe the ground and add a photo.
Collecting a car after it's released from a pound
Once a pound has released your car, Snap can arrange to move it to your garage or home if it can't be driven away because it won't start or isn't roadworthy. Get the release sorted first, following the notice from the police.uk (find the force named on your notice) or GOV.UK find your local council that removed the car. Then send us the pound's address and any collection times it sets.
How your recovery quote works
You send one request, and Snap does the ringing round. We assess the job, contact suitable independent operators for the area, get their prices and availability, and send you one quote. The quote shows the total, split into Snap's booking fee and the operator's charge. Asking for it books nothing and commits you to nothing.
If the quote works for you, accept it. If it doesn't, turn it down, or ask us to go back and look for another. Once you've accepted and paid the booking fee, an operator is assigned and you get their details and an estimated arrival time by SMS or WhatsApp. Arrival times are estimates, because traffic, weather and demand change them. The full sequence is on how booking works.
Paying for your recovery
- You pay Snap's booking fee by bank transfer after you accept, using the details on your tracking page.
- You get a receipt for your booking fee.
- You pay the operator's charge to the operator when the job is done.
- We don't take card payments on this website or ask for your card details.
- Cancel within 15 minutes of confirming, or before an operator is assigned (whichever comes first), and the booking fee is refunded in full.
More on paying and cancelling is on how booking works.
Who carries out the recovery
An independent recovery operator carries out the recovery. Snap arranges it. Operators are separate businesses, and your contract for the recovery itself is with them. When operators join, they confirm their licensing and insurance, and we check their motor, public liability and goods in transit insurance, and cover for your car while they have it. That check happens when they join, not job by job. When the operator arrives, you can ask for their insurance details and ID, and photograph your car before it's loaded. Read more about how operators are checked.
No breakdown cover, or cover with limits
You don't need a membership to request a quote. You pay for the move you need.
Some bank accounts, car insurance policies and new-car warranties include breakdown cover, so check what you have. If it only covers a set distance, only covers home, or doesn't reach the destination you want, a one-off recovery is an option. After an accident, speak to your insurer first, because breakdown cover generally doesn't include recovery after a collision. Accident recovery explains the next steps. If you're at the roadside and not sure what the car needs, start with breakdown assistance.
Where Snap arranges car recovery
Snap arranges recovery across the UK, including moves between towns. For pickup details in a city, see car recovery in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds or Coventry, or browse car recovery areas.
Car recovery and towing questions
Can you move a car that's been off the road for months?
Yes, if a truck can reach it and you describe it accurately. Say whether it starts, whether the tyres hold air, whether the wheels turn and whether the handbrake has stuck. Add photos. A car with seized wheels may need different equipment, and the quote is built on those details.
Can I book a recovery for a set date?
Yes. In the quote form, choose "On or by a specific date" and pick the day from the calendar, or choose "I'm flexible". The quote depends on an operator being available, so give the garage's opening hours too.
Can the car go to a garage in another town?
Yes. The drop-off is your choice, near or far. Longer-distance recovery is quoted for the route and the vehicle, and you see the total before you accept. Check the garage can accept the car on the day it arrives.
Can passengers travel with the car?
Tell us how many people are with the car, including children, when you request a quote. The quote is based on the details you give, so an extra passenger can change the job. If riding in the truck matters to you, say so.
Do I need to be with the car when it's collected?
Plan to be at the agreed pickup, or tell us in your request if someone else will meet the operator. If nobody is there and the job hasn't been cancelled, the booking fee is kept and the operator may charge their own fee.
Is there a per-mile rate for towing?
No. Operators price each job on the route and what the car needs, so Snap publishes an indicative range for local tows and quotes longer moves for the route and the vehicle.
Request your car recovery quote
Tell us where the car is, where it needs to go and what's wrong with it, and we'll come back with the quote.
Request my recovery quoteAsking for a quote does not book the job.
Send a request 24/7; requests are handled round the clock. Or call 078 3333 9309, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.