Boost, lockout, spare tire, fuel or a winch-out — 24/7 across Edmonton, with the price agreed before we start. Call dispatch at (780) 655-9779.
When this service helps
Your vehicle will not start, the keys are locked inside, a tire is flat, the tank is empty, or the car is stuck in snow or a soft shoulder. These are the calls we handle without loading the vehicle onto the truck. Tell dispatch your exact location, the make and model, and what happened — that is usually enough for us to confirm the service and the price on the phone.
Roadside assistance in Edmonton
Ironline Towing & Recovery is a licensed, insured, owner-operated company based in southwest Edmonton. We run roadside assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park, and out to Leduc, Nisku, Beaumont, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Fort Saskatchewan and the surrounding communities.
Most roadside calls in this city fall into a short list: a battery that gave up on a cold morning, keys shut inside a running car in a parkade, a flat on the shoulder of Anthony Henday Drive, or a vehicle that slid off a back lane into the snow. Each one has a different answer, and not all of them need a tow truck. We will tell you honestly which service you need — including when the cheaper fix will not hold and towing is the better spend.
Every price is confirmed before we start work. Alberta’s Vehicle Towing and Storage Regulation requires a written estimate before a vehicle is secured, and we apply the same rule to roadside calls: you know the number before the truck rolls, and the final invoice is itemized.
What roadside assistance covers, and what it costs
Starting rates, plus GST. Flat rates cover Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park; other communities in our service area are +$25. A night and holiday rate applies between 10 pm and 6 am (+$40 summer, +$60 winter).
- Battery boost, gas vehicles — from $85 summer, from $99 winter
- Battery boost, diesel or dual-battery vehicles — from $110 summer, from $125 winter
- Car lockout — from $85 summer, from $99 winter
- Spare tire installation (your spare) — from $95 summer, from $110 winter
- Fuel delivery — from $85 plus fuel at pump price
- Winching and recovery — from $200 summer, from $300 winter for the first 30 minutes
Two rules worth knowing before you call anyone: if we cannot open your vehicle on a lockout, there is no charge. And if a boost does not hold and we end up towing the vehicle, half of the boost charge comes off the tow.
Battery boost
Edmonton kills batteries. A battery that starts a car fine in September can fail at −28 °C in January, because cold thickens the engine oil and cuts the current a battery can deliver at the same time. Most of our winter boost calls are batteries three years old or older, vehicles that sat for a week, or a dome light left on overnight.
What we do on a boost call
We connect a proper booster pack or jumper leads at the correct points, bring the battery up, and start the vehicle. Then we let it run and check whether the charging system is holding. If the vehicle starts and the alternator is charging, you drive away. If it dies the moment we disconnect, the battery or the alternator is the problem, and a second boost will not change that.
Diesel and dual-battery vehicles
Diesel trucks and vans with two batteries need more current and more time than a car, and the price reflects that: from $110 in summer, from $125 in winter. Tell dispatch when you call that the vehicle is diesel — it changes which equipment goes on the truck, and it means we quote you the right number from the start instead of correcting it at the scene.
When we will not boost
A battery that is cracked, leaking, smoking or frozen solid does not get boosted. A frozen battery can rupture under charge, and that is acid in an enclosed engine bay with someone standing over it. In that case the safe answer is a tow to a shop. If you see any of those signs before we arrive, stay out of the engine bay and tell dispatch.
Car lockout
Keys on the seat, doors locked, engine sometimes still running — it happens most often at gas stations, parkades and job sites. We use proper lockout tools designed to work the door mechanism without touching the weather seals, glass or paint. We do not use a slim jim on a modern door full of wiring and side-airbag components.
Two things to expect. First, we ask for proof that the vehicle is yours after it is open — a licence matching the registration, or the registration itself. If ownership cannot be confirmed, we lock the vehicle again and the lockout fee still applies. Second, some vehicles simply cannot be opened safely from the outside; certain frameless-window and high-security European models are examples. If we cannot open it, you are not charged, and we will talk through the alternatives with you.
Spare tire installation
If your vehicle carries a usable, properly inflated spare, we will install it, torque the wheel and get you moving to a tire shop. We do not mount tires on rims, plug or patch punctures, or supply tires at the roadside — that is shop work, and doing it on a shoulder is neither safe nor durable.
A common Edmonton problem: many newer vehicles carry an inflator kit instead of a spare. If there is no spare under the trunk floor, a tire change call is not possible and a tow to a tire shop is the fix. Check before you call — it saves you a dispatch fee for a service that cannot be performed.
We also do not change tires in a live traffic lane. If you are on the Henday, Whitemud or Yellowhead and cannot get fully clear of the driving lanes, we will recommend a tow off the highway first. A wheel change on a 100 km/h shoulder is the most dangerous thing in this trade.
Fuel delivery
We bring enough fuel to get you to a station, charged at the current pump price on top of the service fee. Tell dispatch the fuel type — gasoline or diesel — and confirm it twice. Putting the wrong fuel in a tank turns a $85 call into a repair bill, so we would rather ask an obvious question than guess.
If you have already run the tank dry on a diesel, be aware the system may need priming afterwards and may not restart on fuel alone. Do not walk along a highway to find a station. Stay with the vehicle, hazards on, and let us come to you.
Winching and recovery
Snowbanks, back alleys, soft shoulders, shallow ditches and unpaved acreage driveways. Our truck carries a winch, and the operator assesses the pull before anything is attached: where the vehicle sits, the slope, the ground, what is anchoring the truck, and who is standing nearby. A winch line under load is not something to improvise around.
The single most useful thing you can do before we arrive is stop spinning the wheels. Every extra minute of spinning digs the vehicle deeper, polishes ice under the tires and can cook a transmission. Winching starts from $200 in summer and from $300 in winter for the first 30 minutes, then $50 per 15 minutes. Deep ditches, rollovers and anything requiring heavy-duty equipment are beyond our light-duty truck, and we will tell you that on the phone rather than after arriving.
When a tow is the right call instead
Roadside assistance does not fix everything at the curb. A tow is the better decision when the vehicle has collision damage, a mechanical failure, a seized or locked wheel, suspension damage, a flat with no usable spare, or a battery that will not hold a charge. It is also the right call when the vehicle is somewhere that is simply not safe to work on.
We tow cars, SUVs, minivans and light trucks with a wheel lift, and we carry dollies for AWD, 4WD and RWD vehicles so all four wheels come off the road when they need to. Towing starts from $99 in summer and $175 in winter, with the first 5 km included. Full details are on our pricing page.
What to tell dispatch when you call
- Your exact location — an address, an intersection, a highway direction and nearest exit, or a dropped pin
- Vehicle year, make, model and colour
- What happened, and whether the vehicle can roll, steer and brake
- Whether it is diesel or has two batteries, for a boost
- Where it is sitting: traffic lane, parkade, ditch, snowbank, private driveway, underground parking
- Parkade clearance height, if it is underground
- Whether anyone is in the vehicle or injured
A photo sent by text to (780) 655-9779 often answers all of this faster than a description. The more accurate your information, the more accurate the price and the arrival estimate we can give you.
Staying safe while you wait
If anyone is hurt, the vehicle is in a live lane, or traffic cannot get past safely, call 911 first and us second. Otherwise: hazard lights on, get the vehicle as far right as it will go, and in winter stay inside with your seatbelt fastened rather than standing on a shoulder. On Edmonton’s ring road and major arterials, standing outside a stopped vehicle is more dangerous than sitting in it.
If you are idling to stay warm, check that the exhaust pipe is clear of snow. Every winter people are poisoned by carbon monoxide backing up into a car buried to the bumper in a snowbank.
Payment, waiting time and cancellations
We accept Visa, Mastercard, debit, cash and Interac e-Transfer. Credit card payments carry a 2.4% surcharge; debit, cash and e-Transfer do not. You get a written, itemized invoice before any payment is taken.
Waiting time is free for the first 20 minutes, then $80 per hour. Roadside calls cancelled after dispatch are $30, or $50 if we have already arrived. And if we show up more than 30 minutes after the time we quoted you, cancelling costs you nothing — the clock is our responsibility, not yours.
Frequently asked questions
Do you provide roadside assistance 24/7 in Edmonton?
Yes. Dispatch answers around the clock, every day of the year, including nights, weekends and holidays. A night and holiday rate applies between 10 pm and 6 am. Actual arrival time depends on where you are, the weather and what we are already on.
How much does a battery boost cost in Edmonton?
From $85 plus GST in summer and from $99 in winter for a gas vehicle, and from $110 summer or $125 winter for a diesel or dual-battery vehicle. Outside Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park, add $25. You get the exact number on the phone before we dispatch.
What happens if the boost does not work?
If the vehicle will not hold a charge, the battery or charging system needs a shop. If you decide to have us tow it, half of the boost charge comes off the tow, so you are not paying twice for the same call-out.
Do you charge if you cannot open my locked car?
No. If we cannot open the vehicle, there is no charge. We do ask for proof of ownership once it is open; if that cannot be confirmed, we lock the vehicle again and the lockout fee applies.
Can you change my tire if I do not have a spare?
No — we install your own properly inflated spare, but we do not mount or repair tires at the roadside. Many newer vehicles carry an inflator kit instead of a spare. If there is no spare, the answer is a tow to a tire shop.
My car is stuck in a snowbank. Can you pull it out?
Usually yes. Send the location and describe how deep it is, whether the wheels have been spinning, and whether there is room for a truck to get a straight pull. Winching starts from $200 in summer and $300 in winter for the first 30 minutes. Stop spinning the tires — it makes the recovery longer and more expensive.
Do you come out to Sherwood Park, St. Albert and Leduc?
Yes. Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park are at the flat rate. Leduc, Nisku, Beaumont, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Fort Saskatchewan and other communities in our area are +$25 on a roadside call.
Can you help in an underground parkade?
Boosts, lockouts and tire changes in a parkade are usually straightforward. Towing out of one depends on the clearance height and turning room, so tell dispatch the level and the posted clearance when you call.
Will I know the price before you start?
Yes, in writing. Alberta’s Vehicle Towing and Storage Regulation requires a written estimate before a vehicle is secured, and it caps what can be charged above that estimate at 10% or $100, whichever is less, unless you agree to it. We hold roadside calls to the same standard.
Do you take credit cards?
Visa, Mastercard, debit, cash and Interac e-Transfer. Credit cards carry a 2.4% surcharge; debit, cash and e-Transfer do not. An itemized invoice comes before payment, every time.
Stuck, locked out or not starting anywhere in Edmonton or the surrounding area? Call Ironline dispatch at (780) 655-9779, 24/7, and tell us where you are.