Most major rental companies include some baseline roadside assistance automatically, covering issues like a dead battery, a flat tire, or being locked out of the car, but the response time and exact scope can differ significantly by company and by how remote your location is at the time.
Premium or add-on roadside packages typically extend coverage to things like towing to the nearest rental branch, fuel delivery if you run out on the road, and sometimes a replacement vehicle if the issue cannot be resolved on the spot, none of which is always included in the baseline coverage.
Before declining an offered roadside assistance upgrade, check whether your personal auto insurance or a credit card benefit already extends similar coverage to a rental car, since that can make the rental company add-on unnecessary for some renters, while for others without existing coverage it is a reasonable extra layer of protection for a longer trip.
