When a vehicle stops where it should not, the best towing services in Dunedin are the ones that answer the phone at three in the morning and turn up with the right truck. Towing services in Dunedin cover breakdown callouts, accident recovery, jump starts, lockouts, machinery transport and heavy salvage, across the city and the wider Otago region. Reilly’s Towage and Salvage and Otago Towing both run crews around the clock from yards close to the city centre.
1Reilly’s Towage & Salvage
Reilly’s Towage and Salvage is a locally owned vehicle recovery company working from a yard on the corner of Halsey and Jutland Street in central Dunedin. It has been providing towing services since 2002 and operates around the clock across Dunedin and the wider Otago region, from car breakdowns through to heavy salvage. Private customers can pay on the spot by mobile EFTPOS once the job is finished.
Services
- Car towing and vehicle recovery, available 24/7
- Roadside assistance, jump starts and tyre changes
- Heavy towing for buses, trucks and trailers
- Machinery transportation
- Abandoned and illegally parked vehicle removal
Highlights
- AA Roadside Contractor
- Preferred contractor to the New Zealand Police
- Approved Vehicle Recovery Company working with the major insurers
- Modern fleet of 12 recovery vehicles
- Heavy towing for loads up to 55 tonnes, and machinery transport up to 13 tonnes
Location & Contact
Name: Reilly’s Towage & Salvage
Address: Corner of Halsey & Jutland Street, Dunedin
Phone: 03 477 5787
Website: reillystowage.co.nz
2Otago Towing
Otago Towing runs a 24 hour towing and roadside assistance service from Carroll Street in central Dunedin, covering Dunedin, Otago and Southland. Its trucks are set up for cars, motorbikes, campervans, forklifts, machinery and boats, with flat decks, hiab, hook tows and a transporter in the fleet. The operation is fully insured, so a vehicle is covered both on and off the road.
Services
- Breakdown assistance and towing
- Roadside assistance, 24 hours a day
- Emergency towing for vehicle accidents
- Vehicle unlocking, jump starts and fuel delivery
- Salvage towing, including classic cars
Highlights
- Fully insured for vehicles on and off the road
- Flat deck, hiab, hook tow and transporter options within one fleet
- Equipped for motorbikes, campervans, forklifts, machinery and boats as well as cars
- Transporter service available South Island wide
Location & Contact
Name: Otago Towing
Address: 66 Carroll Street, Dunedin
Phone: 0800 869 000
Website: otagotowing.co.nz
3Auto Salvage
Auto Salvage is a recovery and transport operator whose Dunedin branch sits on Glasgow Street in South Dunedin, with a full service team and storage available around the clock. Alongside breakdown and accident work it handles vehicle repossession and parking enforcement for property owners. The head office is in Invercargill, with a further branch covering Central Otago.
Services
- Auto breakdown recovery
- Accident recovery
- Salvage and off-road recovery
- Secure vehicle storage
Highlights
- Dunedin branch with a full service team and storage ready 24/7
- Drivers licensed to NZTA standards and cleared by Police background checks
- GPS fleet management on every truck, so the nearest unit can be dispatched
- Before and after photographs supplied free of charge to support an insurance claim
- In-cab sight and sound recording that can be released to Police and insurers
Location & Contact
Name: Auto Salvage
Address: 84 Glasgow Street, South Dunedin, Dunedin 9012
Phone: 0800 288 674
Website: autosalvage.co.nz
Towing Services in Dunedin at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Reilly's Towage & Salvage | Dunedin | AA Roadside Contractor |
| Otago Towing | Dunedin | Fully insured for vehicles on and off the road |
| Auto Salvage | South Dunedin | Dunedin branch with a full service team and storage ready 24/7 |
How to Choose the Right Towing Services in Dunedin
- Check the operator can handle your vehicle type and weight. A hatchback, a campervan and a loaded truck need different decks and different tow ratings.
- Ask whether callouts are genuinely staffed 24 hours. Office hours and callout hours are often different, and a breakdown rarely waits until morning.
- Confirm the operator works with your insurer. An approved vehicle recovery company can usually deal with the claim directly rather than leaving it to you.
- Ask where your vehicle will be stored if it cannot go straight to a garage, and whether that yard is secure and accessible outside office hours.
- Get the rate before the truck rolls. Distance, time of day, and whether a winch or specialist recovery gear is needed all change the price.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dunedin Towing Services
How much does a tow truck cost in Dunedin?
Operators here do not generally publish fixed rates, because the price turns on distance, the time of the callout, the weight of the vehicle and whether specialist recovery gear is needed. Ask for a quote when you ring, and say if the vehicle is off the road, locked or in a tight spot, because that changes the truck that gets sent.
What should I do while I wait for a tow truck?
Get clear of live traffic where it is safe to do so, leave your hazard lights on, and stay off the carriageway rather than standing beside the vehicle. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency publishes guidance on staying safe if you break down on the open road.
Are towing services in Dunedin available at night and on public holidays?
Yes. Callouts run 24 hours a day, every day of the year, even though the offices behind them generally keep weekday hours of roughly 7.30am to 5.30pm. Those office hours matter for quotes, account enquiries and collecting a vehicle from storage rather than for emergencies.
Which parts of Dunedin do tow truck operators cover?
The yards behind this page are in central Dunedin and in South Dunedin, and each operator covers the city as a whole along with the wider Otago region rather than a single suburb. Give the dispatcher your exact location and the nearest cross street when you call, so the closest available truck is sent to you.
Can a tow truck move a campervan, boat or motorbike?
Yes, provided the operator has the right gear. A flat deck truck or transporter suits campervans, boats on trailers and motorbikes, while a hook tow is fine for a standard car. Say what you are moving when you call, and mention the weight if you know it, so a suitable truck is dispatched.
What happens to my car after a crash?
An approved vehicle recovery company can take a damaged vehicle to a repairer, a storage yard or an assessment centre, and will often deal with your insurer directly. Some operators photograph the vehicle before and after loading, which helps support a claim. Where a crash involves injury or another party, report it to the New Zealand Police.
Can I have a vehicle removed from my property?
Tow operators do handle abandoned and illegally parked vehicle removal for private property owners, and some also run parking enforcement for businesses and body corporates. A vehicle left on a public road or on council land is a matter for the Dunedin City Council rather than a private operator.
What should I have ready when I call?
Have your exact location, the make, model and rough weight of the vehicle, what has gone wrong, and whether it is drivable, steerable or locked. If you are claiming, keep your insurer and policy number to hand. A towing service in Dunedin can usually give a firmer quote once it knows the vehicle and the distance involved.
How We Chose the Best Towing Services in Dunedin
Every business in this guide was found by searching for towing services in Dunedin, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Dunedin, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.