A breakdown on Franklin Arterial at 6 a.m. and a car buried by a snow ban plow route are two different jobs. This site connects Portland drivers with local operators who run the right truck for each one.
5.0 on Google 8 reviewsPortland Maine Towing connects drivers in Portland, Maine with local towing and roadside operators who cover Cumberland County. If your car will not start, sits in a snowbank, has been towed off a snow ban route, or needs a flatbed because it is all-wheel drive or electric, this is where you start. You get a quoted price before a truck rolls, not after it arrives.
Towing in this city is shaped by two things most towing pages ignore. Winter is the first: Portland declares parking bans, and Maine law lets a vehicle be removed when it interferes with snow removal, so a car left on the wrong street overnight becomes an impound problem rather than a parking ticket. Salt is the second: coastal air and treated roads work on brake lines and battery terminals year round, which is why so many local calls are jump starts and no-start tows rather than collisions.
Round-the-clock tows for breakdowns, no-starts, and collisions anywhere in Portland and the surrounding Cumberland County towns, with the price agreed before dispatch.
Typical: Base hook-up plus mileage, quoted before dispatch
Jump starts, lockouts, fuel delivery, and tire changes for Portland drivers who need the car running again rather than loaded onto a truck.
Typical: Flat call-out, quoted before the truck is sent
Full-deck flatbed tows for all-wheel-drive cars, electric vehicles, lowered vehicles, and anything that should not have two wheels on the road.
Typical: Deck rate plus mileage, quoted before dispatch
Pulling vehicles out of snowbanks, ditches, soft shoulders, and mud across Portland and greater Cumberland County, without dragging the car through more damage.
Typical: Call-out plus winch time, quoted before dispatch
Roadside jump starts and battery testing for Portland drivers, including the cold-morning no-starts that fill every Maine operator's phone from December through March.
Typical: Flat call-out, quoted before the truck is sent
Getting Portland drivers back into a locked car without breaking glass, including the peninsula garage and metered-space lockouts that cannot simply be left overnight.
Typical: Flat call-out, quoted before the truck is sentTowing goes wrong when the number appears at the roadside with your car already on the hook. Every job here starts with the base charge, how mileage is counted, and what the equipment surcharge is, said out loud before anyone is dispatched.
An all-wheel-drive car, an electric vehicle, and a lowered coupe all need something a standard wheel-lift cannot safely do. Naming the vehicle when the call comes in is what stops a truck arriving, looking at the car, and leaving again.
Snow ban routes, hardened plow banks, frozen locks, subzero no-starts, and soft spring shoulders are the local job description. Operators who work here through February are used to digging for a recovery point rather than hooking the nearest thing.
Plenty of these calls should not be tows at all. A jump start, a terminal cleaning, or a two-minute pull out of a snowbank is often the whole job, and saying so is more useful than selling a flatbed.
My car broke down in Portland, Maine, and I was stuck on the side of the road. I called them, and they came out quickly and got me taken care of. They were friendly, professional, and made a stressful situation a lot easier. Really appreciate the help. Would definitely recommend them!
Liam Walker · November 11, 2026
We were passing through Portland on our way back from a trip to Acadia National Park when someone in our party ran into car trouble and we needed a tow. Portland Maine Towing was an absolute lifesaver during a stressful moment. They arrived promptly, handled the vehicle with care, and got us sorted out efficiently. Highly professional service when we needed it most!
Sirajul Hoque · November 4, 2026
I cannot recommend this company enough! My car unexpectedly broke down and I needed a tow fast. They showed up incredibly quickly and got me sorted out without any hassle. I am very grateful for your help and would 100% recommend to anyone who asks.
Carla Hanna · November 4, 2026
My husband and I were vacationing in Portland and had some trouble with our car. John, our tow truck driver, took good care of us and was able to give us a tow to a repair shop. Very responsive and very courteous. Had a great experience with Portland Maine Towing during a stressful time.
Josephine Jandovitz · October 29, 2026
I called Portland Maine Towing for a flatbed tow when we blew out a tire after hitting a pothole in Portland’s West End. This really put a damper on our weekend since we were there for vacation. They explained the cost beforehand, and the driver carefully loaded my car and brought it to the repair shop I requested. Being kept informed throughout the process made a frustrating situation much easier to handle.
Gabriella White · October 26, 2026
We came back to our car after dinner in the Old Port and found a completely flat tire. We were parked on Commercial Street, and our spare wasn’t usable, so we needed a tow to a nearby repair shop. They explained the cost upfront, gave us a clear arrival estimate, and kept us updated. The driver was friendly and took care loading the car with other vehicles parked close by. He also confirmed where the shop wanted it dropped off so we wouldn’t have another headache to deal with afterward. Being stranded put a damper on our evening, but having someone patient and helpful made a huge difference. Really appreciated the care from start to finish.
Jason Spencer · October 22, 2026
Had a great experience with this towing company. They were able to make it to me in about 45 minutes. The driver was very kind and professional. He took the time to give us advice on where to take our car for repairs as well. He went above and beyond to make sure my family felt safe and taken care of. Would 100% recommend!
Isabella Grace · October 19, 2026
We came out of dinner in Portland on a rainy evening to find our car wouldn’t start. We were visiting from out of town and had no idea where to take it. Thankfully, the team at Portland Maine Towing answered our call and immediately put us at ease. Our tow truck driver checked whether it was something simple before loading the car, helped us find a nearby garage, and even waited until our ride to the hotel arrived so we weren’t left standing in the rain. That extra kindness meant a lot after a stressful evening. We were astonished with how friendly, patient, and genuinely helpful our driver was from start to finish. We’re so grateful for his help and would absolutely recommend this business to anyone needing a tow!
mutunga peter · October 16, 2026
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The location, whether you are in a travel lane, and the year, make, and model. Those three things decide which truck leaves and how fast it has to.
Base charge, how the mileage is counted, and any equipment surcharge, confirmed before dispatch rather than discovered on arrival.
A jump, a lockout, or a winch-out finishes at the curb. A tow gets rigged from proper recovery points and loaded so the drivetrain carries no load on the way.
Your shop, your driveway, or a yard you picked. When police order a tow the destination is theirs, which is the main reason to call before a cruiser does.
Portland's street network makes towing harder than the city's size suggests. The peninsula is narrow, much of it is one-way, and the Old Port's blocks were laid out long before anything with a tilting deck existed. A flatbed that handles a Forest Avenue call without thinking may not be able to turn or tilt on a Munjoy Hill side street lined with parked cars, which is why the access question comes before the equipment question here.
Winter sets the rhythm of the local trade. The city runs a parking ban and snow ban towing program and asks residents to sign up for ban alerts, because a car left on a plow route gets removed rather than ticketed. Maine law backs that up: state statute lists interference with snow removal among the grounds on which law enforcement, MaineDOT, or the Maine Turnpike Authority may have a vehicle taken away. Every declared ban produces the same two waves of calls, the cars that got moved and the cars that did not.
Geography adds cases that do not exist inland. Cars reach Peaks Island only by ferry with a vehicle reservation on Casco Bay Lines, so an island breakdown is a scheduling problem as much as a mechanical one. On the mainland, salt from treated roads and salt in the coastal air work on battery terminals and brake lines year-round, and when the frost leaves the ground in spring, shoulders that carried traffic all winter go soft enough to take a wheel.
Not every tow ends at a repair shop. Maine inspects every registered vehicle once a year, and the standards reject a unibody with rust holes through the rocker panels, or brake tubing rusted to the degree that failure is probable. That is precisely what a decade of coastal salt produces. Once the repair bill passes what the car is worth, the vehicle is worth more by weight than by the mile, and the cash for cars trade exists for that exact moment, with buyers arriving on a flatbed rather than expecting a car that still drives.
Towing in Portland is priced two entirely different ways depending on who ordered the truck, and confusing them is what produces surprise bills. A tow you arrange is normally a base hook-up charge plus mileage, quoted before dispatch. A tow the city orders runs on a published fee schedule that has nothing to do with what a private operator would have charged you. The city figures below come from Portland's own towing page, and they are the only numbers in this market that anyone can look up and verify.
| Service | Typical Portland Range |
|---|---|
| City of Portland tow fee, city-ordered tow | $150 |
| City impound storage, after the first 24 hours | $50 per day |
| City after-hours pickup, 7 pm to 7 am, Sundays and city holidays | $40 |
| City special-equipment surcharge, named for EV and all-wheel drive | $80 |
A private tow is normally a base hook-up charge plus mileage, and the honest answer is that it depends on the truck required and how the miles are counted, which is why you should get both before dispatch. City-ordered tows are different and published: Portland charges a $150 tow fee, $50 per day storage after the first 24 hours, $40 for pickup between 7 pm and 7 am or on Sundays and city holidays, and an additional $80 when special equipment is needed.
Start with the reason it went. Portland tows from designated tow zones, during declared snow bans, and when a vehicle carries three or more unpaid parking tickets. If unpaid tickets were the cause, the full outstanding balance including fines and penalties has to be cleared before the vehicle is released. Vehicles can be collected at any hour, but pickup between 7 pm and 7 am, or on a Sunday or city holiday, adds a $40 after-hours charge on top of the tow and storage.
Because those vehicles cannot be dragged on two wheels without risking the drivetrain. An electric motor turned by the road acts as a generator, and an all-wheel-drive system forces its centre differential and transfer case to work with no engine driving them. Both need a flatbed or dollies. The city's fee schedule adds $80 when special equipment is required and names electric and all-wheel-drive vehicles specifically.
Often, and more people are covered than realise it. Maine statute requires most private passenger auto policies to include coverage up to $500 per accident for reasonable towing and storage charges when the vehicle is towed at the request of a law enforcement officer. The requirement does not extend to policies covering more than four vehicles or to commercial policies for garages, dealerships, repair shops, service stations, and public parking operations. Check your own policy before paying out of pocket.
Portland declares parking bans so plows can clear streets, and it runs snow ban towing to move vehicles that are in the way. The city asks residents to sign up for parking ban notification alerts for this reason. Maine law lists interference with snow removal among the grounds on which a vehicle may be removed, so a car left on a ban route is a tow rather than a ticket. If you cannot move the car yourself before the ban starts, arranging a tow to legal parking is cheaper than recovering it from impound afterwards.
Ask for a flatbed if the vehicle is all-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, electric, or hybrid, if it is lowered, if a wheel will not turn, or if the steering or suspension is damaged. Otherwise a wheel-lift is usually fine for a front- or rear-wheel-drive car on a short local move. A wheel-lift with dollies under the free axle does the same job as a deck for drivetrain purposes and fits into tighter peninsula streets, so ask whether the operator carries them.
Yes, but it runs on the ferry timetable rather than on drive time. Vehicles reach Peaks Island only by Casco Bay Lines with a vehicle reservation, so an island call is limited by sailings and available deck space. Expect a longer window than a mainland job and say up front that the vehicle is on the island, because it changes how the operator schedules the truck.
Because cold works against a battery from both directions at once. Low temperatures cut the cranking power a battery can deliver, while cold engine oil is thicker and needs more power to turn. A battery running near the end of its useful life copes in October and fails on the first genuinely cold morning. Corroded terminals from salted roads produce the same symptom with a perfectly healthy battery, which is why the connection is worth checking before buying anything.
Usually, and a large share of Portland winter calls turn out to be winch-outs. If the car drove into a snowbank or dropped a wheel off the shoulder and nothing broke, the job is to pull it back onto solid ground and let you drive away, billed as a call-out plus winch time. It becomes a tow when the car will not run afterwards, when a wheel sits out of line with the others, or when the underside is resting on ice and has to be lifted rather than pulled.
If you are safe and the vehicle is not blocking traffic, calling yourself means you choose the operator and the destination. Once a tow is ordered by law enforcement, the vehicle goes to that operator's yard and storage starts accruing there. Maine law gives law enforcement, MaineDOT, and the Maine Turnpike Authority authority to have a vehicle removed, and the state is not liable for the resulting charges. If the car is in a live travel lane, safety comes first and the tow will be arranged for you.
Tell us where the car is and what happened. A local operator quotes the job before a truck is sent.
5.0 on Google 8 reviews