What a tow costs in Orlando

The capped prices

Florida lets counties and cities set maximum rates for tows done without the owner's consent: the car pulled out of an apartment lot, a shopping center or a reserved space. Orange County publishes its numbers.

Those caps are for unincorporated Orange County, which includes big areas like Pine Hills and Hunters Creek. Cities, including Orlando itself, can set their own. The towing company has to file its rates with the local police agency and post them at the storage lot, so you can always ask to see the schedule it filed.

A tow you ask for

No cap applies. A quote usually has these parts:

• A hook-up fee for coming out and attaching the car.
• A per-mile charge, sometimes with a few miles included in the hook-up.
• Extras for winching or a flatbed. Night and holiday work often cost more too, and so does waiting time.

I'd ask for each part and then the total. A company that gives a low hook-up number and won't say the total is the one to worry about.

How to pay less

• Use what you already pay for: roadside coverage, a motor club, a credit card benefit.
• On I-4 and the toll roads, the Turnpike included, Road Rangers will change a tire or jump a battery for free. Dial *347.
• Tow to the nearest shop that can do the repair, not the one across town.
• Say what you drive. The right truck the first time saves a second trip.

What the market looks like

The Census counted 96 towing businesses in the Orlando metro in 2023, and 88 of them had fewer than 20 employees. It is a market of small local outfits, and prices vary between them. One phone call to a second company is often worth it on anything but a short tow.