How Much Does Towing & roadside assistance Cost in Portland, ME? (2026 Guide)
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 |
| Maine insurance coverage for a police-ordered tow and storage | Up to $500 per accident |
| Private local tow within Portland | Base hook-up plus mileage, quoted first |
| Jump start, lockout, fuel delivery, or tire change | Flat call-out, quoted first |
| Winch-out from a snowbank, ditch, or soft shoulder | Call-out plus winch time |
| Flatbed for AWD, electric, or lowered vehicles | Deck rate plus mileage |
| Long-distance or out-of-state tow | Per-mile, agreed before dispatch |
What Changes the Price?
How the mileage is counted. Some quotes charge from the yard to you and back, some charge only the loaded miles. On a tow from Portland out to Standish, Brunswick, or Biddeford that single difference moves the total more than anything else on this page.
Which truck the vehicle requires. All-wheel drive, electric, lowered, and non-rolling vehicles need a flatbed or dollies. The city itself adds eighty dollars for exactly this, naming electric and all-wheel-drive vehicles, so expect the equipment to show up in a private quote too.
Time and weather. Nights, Sundays, and holidays cost more, and the city charges its own after-hours fee between 7 pm and 7 am. During a declared parking ban or an ice storm every operator in Cumberland County is committed at once, which affects waiting time more than price.
How stuck, not just how far. A car sitting on packed plow-bank ice or sunk into a soft spring shoulder needs digging and rigging before anything moves. Winch time and recovery work are billed separately from the tow itself.
Two habits protect you here. First, get the base charge, the mileage method, and any equipment surcharge before a truck is dispatched, and be wary of anyone who will not give all three on the phone. Second, if the tow was ordered by a law enforcement officer, check your auto policy: Maine statute requires most private passenger policies to include coverage up to $500 per accident for reasonable towing and storage in that situation, and drivers routinely pay out of pocket for something already covered. City fees can change, so confirm current amounts with the City of Portland before relying on them.