A Montreal tow truck typically reaches drivers within 20 to 40 minutes during off-peak hours and 30 to 60 minutes during morning or evening rush. Calls on highway corridors like Highway 40, Highway 20, Highway 15, Highway 25, Highway 13 during peak traffic can stretch to 45 to 90 minutes, particularly when a lane closure is involved. Surrounding cities including Montreal, Laval, and Longueuil typically add 10 to 20 minutes depending on which local operator is closest. The dispatcher confirms your specific arrival window on the call. Storms and major incidents extend everything network-wide.
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Live Answer · Montreal
Breakdown in Montreal? Tow Truck Operator Routed to You Now
Engine won't turn over in your driveway. Locked out of your car downtown. Stranded on Highway 40 in rush hour. One call connects you with a real person who routes the nearest available tow truck operator across Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Brossard, and saint-laurent. You'll hear your free quote and arrival window before the truck leaves the yard.
Services
What Kind of Help Do You Need Right Now?
Your breakdown might not need a full tow. Dead battery in a parking lot, flat tire on the shoulder, keys locked inside, or fuel emergency on the highway all route through the same line. The operator on scene will tell you whether the vehicle moves under its own power or needs to be transported.
Standard Towing
Engine failure, transmission trouble, brake system breakdown. Wheel-lift towing for sedans, SUVs, and light trucks across the city.
Learn moreFlatbed Towing
All four wheels off the ground. Protects AWD systems, luxury front ends, and vehicles with existing frame or suspension damage.
Learn moreHeavy-Duty Towing
Class 8 semis, motorhomes, and commercial rigs up to 80,000 lb. Specialized rigging and multi-axle recovery equipment.
Learn moreEV and Tesla Towing
Electric vehicles require flatbed only. Wheel-lift damages the drive unit. Tesla, Polestar, Rivian, Mustang Mach-E handled with care.
Learn moreAccident Recovery
Collision scene management. Police coordination, scene-safe loading, insurance billing, and wrecker service for damaged vehicles.
Learn moreBattery Boost
Dead 12V battery in a driveway, parking lot, or garage. Mobile boost truck tests the charge and leaves you running if the battery holds.
Learn moreFlat Tire Service
Puncture on the shoulder or sidewall cut in a parking lot. Spare swap or tow to a tire shop, your choice.
Learn moreCar Lockout Service
Keys visible on the front seat, smart-key fob dead, or door lock frozen. Unlocked without damage to trim or glass.
Learn moreWinch and Recovery
Vehicle stuck in snow, ditch, mud, or off-road. Synthetic-rope winch pulls without bumper damage or frame stress.
Learn moreThe Montreal Tow Truck Difference
24/7
Staffed line
No voicemail, no callback queue, real person answers
6
Cities covered
Montreal plus Laval, Longueuil, Brossard, saint-laurent
20–90
Typical arrival
Minutes, depending on location and traffic conditions
4.8★
Driver rating
124 verified reviews from Montreal-area customers
Speed and location
When Will a Tow Truck Operator Actually Arrive?
The answer depends on where you are and when you call. A midday breakdown in downtown Montreal typically sees a tow truck on scene in 20 to 40 minutes. The same call at 5:30 PM on a weekday stretches to 30 to 60 minutes because traffic slows the operator's approach. The dispatcher routes from whichever local operator is geographically closest at that moment, not from a fixed yard, so a residential call in Brossard at 2 AM might connect faster than a call from the same address at 4 PM.
Highway calls follow different timing. A breakdown on Highway 40, Highway 20, Highway 15, Highway 25, or Highway 13 during evening rush or heavy snow can take 45 to 90 minutes if a lane is closed and traffic is backed up. Outer cities like Laval or Longueuil add 10 to 20 minutes depending on which local towing operator is staged nearest. If you're in a collision, call 911 first. Once police clear the scene and authorize the tow, the accident recovery operator moves in. The dispatcher always confirms your specific arrival window on the call.
How it works
Your Tow Call, Step by Step
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You call now
Tell the person who answers your location, vehicle type, what's wrong, and a callback number. They read it back to confirm the routing is correct.
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You hear the quote
Before any tow truck moves, you get a rate range and an estimated arrival window. The price you hear on the phone is the price you pay.
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Operator arrives
The closest available local rig pulls up, assesses the vehicle's condition, and loads it safely using wheel-lift or flatbed depending on what protects your car.
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Vehicle delivered
Drop-off at your home, a repair shop, or impound lot. The operator hands you paperwork and payment is settled before they leave.
Montreal specifics
Three Local Realities About Towing Service Here
First, parkade height limits. Downtown Montreal condos and office towers built before 2010 often have 6 ft 8 in clearance. A standard wheel-lift rig fits. A flatbed towing truck usually doesn't. The dispatcher asks for your building name on the call so the right equipment is sent the first time, not after a wasted trip and a second call.
Second, winter reshapes the network. Cold-season breakdowns concentrate on highways outside the core where ice and lane closures hit hardest. Local operators stage closer to those corridors in winter, which means an outer-area breakdown in January often connects faster than the same call in July. Winch recovery calls spike after snowstorms, so response times extend network-wide during and after major weather events.
Third, most calls aren't tows. Battery boosts, tire changes, lockouts, and fuel deliveries all route through the same line as a full tow. The majority of stranded drivers don't need transport, they need a knowledgeable operator on scene in 30 minutes with the right tool. See roadside assistance for the full menu of what can be fixed at the curb.
Questions answered
Montreal Towing FAQ
Straight answers about response times, pricing, what the dispatcher needs from you, and when roadside help is faster than a full tow.
Montreal towing typically involves a hook-up or base fee in the range of $80 to $150, plus a per-kilometre charge of $3 to $6 for the actual distance driven. After-hours premiums add $20 to $50 for overnight, weekend, or holiday calls. Long-distance tows over 80 km are usually quoted as a negotiated flat rate rather than per-kilometre. Towing rates vary between operators and depend on distance, time of day, vehicle type, and road conditions. The ranges above are general estimates, always ask for a quote on the call before authorizing a tow.
Yes, a real person picks up every Montreal tow truck call, including overnight, weekends, and statutory holidays. There are no menu trees or callback queues; you talk to a dispatcher who routes the closest available local operator. Coverage runs across Montreal plus the five surrounding cities listed in the footer. Storm surges or multi-vehicle incidents can extend wait times across the network, but the line stays staffed regardless of conditions.
If you break down on a Montreal highway, major arteries like Highway 40, Highway 20, Highway 15, Highway 25, Highway 13 carry the heaviest breakdown volume, your first move is the right shoulder. Pull as far right as the shoulder allows, activate your hazard lights, and stay in your vehicle with your seatbelt on. If the engine is smoking or smells of fuel, exit the passenger side and move well behind a guardrail. Note the closest exit number or kilometre marker before you call, that single piece of information shaves minutes off the routing. For collisions, dial 911 first; police clear the scene and authorize the tow. The Montreal tow truck dispatch line at (438) 797-8620 connects you to the closest local operator either way.
Yes. Most stranded calls in Montreal aren't full tow situations, they're roadside. A dead 12V battery in a residential driveway, a flat tire on the way to work, keys locked inside a smart-key SUV, or a no-fuel emergency on a highway: all four dispatch on the same Montreal tow truck line. If your vehicle can move safely once fixed or just needs 30 minutes of attention, ask the dispatcher for Montreal roadside help instead of a tow. Roadside is faster, cheaper, and resolves on the curb in most cases.
★★★★★
Wednesday morning, minus 28 in my driveway, the Subaru wouldn't even click over. Called dispatch, the boost truck was on the way inside ten minutes of confirmation.
Montreal
★★★★★
Friday night at a downtown parkade, kids in the back, keys visibly on the front seat. The dispatcher kept me on the line while routing the operator to the building.
Montreal
★★★★★
Slid into a ditch on a rural highway between Montreal and the foothills during a winter cold snap. Dispatcher walked me through what to do until the truck arrived.
Laval
★★★★★
Transmission gave out heading south of Montreal on a highway and we needed the truck towed a long distance. The dispatcher quoted a flat-rate long-distance because per-kilometre would have been.
Brossard
Driver resources
Towing Tips and Roadside Guides for Montreal Drivers
Learn what changes response time in bad weather, how Quebec tow pricing breaks down in real dollars, what information the dispatcher actually needs, and when roadside service beats a full tow.
Stranded right now
Breakdown in Montreal? Call (438) 797-8620 Now
Stuck on a highway, locked out downtown, or broken down in the suburbs? A real person answers your call instantly and routes the nearest available tow truck operator to your exact location. You'll hear your free quote and arrival window before the truck leaves the yard.
A local Montreal tow operator will call you back with an arrival window and a free quote. No obligation. Calls answered every hour, every day.