CityGrip Recovery provides 24 hour car recovery in London. We recover cars, vans and 4x4s from every London postcode, all 32 boroughs, the M25 and the wider motorway network, at any time of day or night. Car recovery and towing starts from £80 and a jump start from £60, with no call-out fee on any job. The full figure, including the mileage to the destination you choose, is agreed with you on the call. If your vehicle was damaged in an accident that was not your fault, we can arrange the recovery at no upfront cost to you and the costs are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer. Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253 with your location and vehicle details. On a motorway follow the Highway Code rule 277 steps and call 999 if you cannot reach safety and cannot get out safely, then call us once you are safe.
Car recovery and towing starts from £80. That base figure covers attending the vehicle, loading it and moving it a short local distance. A longer journey adds mileage to whichever address you nominate, and the two are added together and agreed with you before we set off. There is no call-out fee. The other jobs are priced the same way: a jump start from £60, fuel delivery from £70 to £200 including a set amount of fuel, wrong fuel draining quoted on the call because it depends on tank size and whether the engine was started, and mobile tyre fitting from £140 on ordinary roads or £250 to £750 on a motorway. Our London car recovery price guide goes into costs in more detail.
Several things can change the price of a London job: the distance to the destination, the size and weight of the vehicle, and how hard the pickup point is to reach, for example a basement bay or a street too tight for a flatbed to stand. Tell us about the pickup point and the destination when you call, and the price is agreed on the call.
If another driver was at fault, CityGrip can arrange your recovery at no upfront cost to you, and the claim is handled through our sister service, citygripclaims.co.uk. The costs are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer. Storage can be arranged where it is needed. Whether you are offered a replacement vehicle depends on the circumstances of the accident, and what you owe if liability is disputed depends on the agreement you sign.
Coverage is every London postcode and all 32 boroughs, from the Congestion Charge zone out to the suburbs, plus the M25 and the major roads through the capital: the A406 North Circular, the A205 South Circular, the A13, the A12, the A40 and the A2. We also cover work that starts in London and finishes elsewhere in the country. For local detail, see our north London, east London, south London, west London and central London pages, or the M25 recovery page.
On an ordinary London road, Highway Code rule 276 says to think of other road users first and get your vehicle off the road if possible. Use your hazard warning lights if the vehicle is causing an obstruction, and wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight, or reflective clothing at night or in poor visibility. Do not stand between your vehicle and oncoming traffic. Rule 275 adds that you and your passengers should keep well away from the vehicle and moving traffic where you can. If you have a warning triangle, rule 276 puts it at least 45 metres behind the vehicle on the same side of the road, placed with great care. Only put it out if you can do so safely, and never on a motorway. On a fast road or where visibility is poor, keeping well away from the vehicle and the traffic matters more than the triangle.
On a motorway the advice is different. Highway Code rule 277 says to leave the motorway at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can. If you cannot, move into the left lane (into an emergency area if you can reach one), stop as far to the left as possible and switch your hazard lights on. If it is safe and possible, leave by the side furthest from traffic and wait well away from the vehicle, behind the safety barrier where there is one. Only if you cannot get your vehicle to the left lane or a place of relative safety, and cannot get out safely and well away from the vehicle and moving traffic, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999 immediately and ask for the police (or press your SOS button if your vehicle has one and ask for the police). Do not try repairs, do not place a warning triangle on the carriageway and do not go back to the vehicle once you have left it. Once you are safe, call us on 07960 200253.
If you reach an emergency area, rule 278 says you must use the emergency telephone provided and follow the operator's advice for leaving it, because a lane may need to be closed so that you can rejoin the carriageway safely. Do not pull out on your own. When you call us, the two details that matter most are the junction number and the direction of travel, because the same junction clockwise and anticlockwise on the M25 is a different job.
Some smart motorway stretches have no hard shoulder at all (all lane running), for example the M25 between junctions 23 and 27. On those stretches the left lane is a live traffic lane and emergency areas are the places to stop, so do not expect a hard shoulder there. On any motorway follow the Highway Code rule 277 steps above and call 999 if you cannot reach safety and cannot get out safely, then call us once you are safe.
Double red lines mean no stopping at any time. TfL says they operate every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and do not require a time plate or sign. TfL lists a few exceptions, such as Blue Badge holders being set down or picked up, and taxis and some private hire vehicles dropping off and picking up. TfL's red line guidance does not mention an exemption for broken-down vehicles, so nobody can honestly promise you will not get a penalty charge notice. If you do get one, TfL says you can make a representation within 28 days of the notice being served and can raise any other mitigating circumstances. A recovery invoice with the date and time on it is useful evidence.
The Congestion Charge is £18 per day if you pay on the day of travel or in advance, or £21 if you pay by midnight on the third day after travel. It runs 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, with no charge between Christmas Day and New Year's Day bank holiday, inclusive. ULEZ is £12.50 per day for vehicles that do not meet its emissions standards and are not exempt. It operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day, across all London boroughs, and it does not include the M25.
TfL gives roadside recovery vehicles registered with the DVLA in the recovery vehicle tax class (class 47) a 100% discount from the Congestion Charge, subject to a £10 annual fee per vehicle. We do not add a Congestion Charge surcharge to a central London job. TfL's discount page does not say whether a vehicle being carried on a recovery vehicle is charged, so check with TfL if you are concerned.
Underground and multi-storey car parks often have a height barrier that a recovery truck cannot pass under, and mews, permit-only bays, narrow terraced streets with cars parked both sides, gated developments and basement bays behind a shutter all affect how a recovery is done. Tell us the car park or estate name, the level and bay, whether the car rolls and steers, and who can open the barrier or gate. Where a street is too tight for a flatbed to stand legally, the vehicle is moved to the nearest point where a truck can load safely. If a job needs skates, dollies or extra hands, we work that out on the phone and agree the price then. We work from what is actually there rather than an assumption.
Towing an electric car with its driven wheels on the ground can damage it, so electric cars and most hybrids are normally recovered on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground. Your handbook sets out what is allowed for your model. When you call, tell us the make and model, whether the car will select neutral or has a transport or tow mode, and whether the battery is flat.
Automatics with a locked selector, permanent four-wheel-drive vehicles and cars with an electronic parking brake can all change the equipment we send. So do the awkward cases: a car that will not go into neutral, a vehicle with no key, a seized wheel, a car that has been in flood water, or one left on bricks after its wheels were stolen. None of those is a refusal. They are different jobs, usually done with skates or dollies onto a flatbed. If the car has been in flood water, do not try to start it. Say what you are dealing with when you call so we can send the right equipment.
If a collision was your fault, or nobody else is liable, the recovery cost falls to you or to your own insurance policy, depending on your cover. If it was not your fault, the position is different. Reasonable recovery and storage costs after a non-fault collision are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer, as set out in the not-your-fault section above.
If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, call 999 first. Once everyone is safe and away from moving traffic, and only if it is safe to do so, keep the evidence while it is easy to get: photographs of both vehicles and the damage, the other driver's registration, name and insurer, any police reference number, and the recovery invoice. Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 requires a driver involved in an accident causing injury or damage to stop and, if someone with reasonable grounds asks, give their name and address. If you did not give those details at the scene, you must report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours. We recover the vehicle and, if you want to claim, put you in touch with our sister claims service at citygripclaims.co.uk, which handles the claim itself. See how a non-fault claim works. We do not give insurance or legal advice. If liability is disputed we will say so plainly.
We recover vans, 4x4s and light commercials as well as cars, and our van recovery page covers them in more detail. What decides the equipment is weight and dimensions plus whether the vehicle is loaded, so a laden Luton, a long-wheelbase van with a roof rack, or a twin-axle pickup is a different job from a hatchback. Tell us the model and roughly what is in the back and you will be told if it needs something larger than a standard flatbed. Long-distance work out of London, whether that is London to Manchester, London to Birmingham or a non-runner going to a specialist, is priced on the total mileage and agreed in full on the call, and non-emergency moves can be booked for a time slot rather than treated as a call-out. See also our car towing page.
Pound releases are worth naming separately, because a vehicle removed by the police and one removed by a council are held and charged under different rules. The release charges are payable to the pound, not to us, so check them with the pound before you go. If the vehicle cannot lawfully be driven away once it is released, we can recover it, and our police impound and council pound recovery page sets out the documents you will need to bring.
From the first call to the drop-off, in the order it happens.
Ring 07960 200253 and tell us where the vehicle is, what it is and where you want it taken. A postcode, the nearest junction or a what3words address all work. The full price, including the mileage to your destination, is agreed on the phone before we set off.
The vehicle is loaded, normally onto a flatbed, using skates or dollies first if it will not roll or steer. It goes to the address you chose: your own garage, a main dealer, a tyre fitter, your home, or anywhere else in or outside London.
Payment is on completion by cash, card or bank transfer, with a receipt suitable for an insurance or expenses claim. For a non-fault accident, the costs are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer, as set out in the not-your-fault section. There is no call-out fee on any job.
Every London postcode is covered. Pick your part of London for the local roads and junctions, or choose the road you broke down on.
On the motorways and main roads around the capital:
Having these to hand keeps the call short and lets us confirm the price straight away.
The price is agreed on the phone before we set off.
Car recovery and towing with CityGrip starts from £80 and a jump start starts from £60, with no call-out fee on any job. The £80 covers attending the vehicle, loading it and a short local move; a longer journey adds mileage to whichever address you choose. The full figure is worked out and agreed on the phone before anyone sets off, so there is no surprise at the kerbside. Call 07960 200253 for a price on your job.
You pay for the single job rather than an annual policy. Recovery and towing starts from £80, a jump start from £60, and there is no call-out fee. The price is agreed with you on the call. If the fault can be fixed at the roadside, such as a flat battery, you may not need a recovery at all.
Yes, you choose the destination. We will take the vehicle to your own garage, a main dealer, a tyre fitter, your home address or anywhere else in or outside London. The price is the base recovery from £80 plus the mileage to that address, agreed on the call. If the garage is closed when we arrive, a key drop can usually be arranged, so mention it on the call.
We do not give a single arrival time, because it depends on where the vehicle is, the time of day and the traffic, and no one figure is true for every job in London. What we do commit to is that the price is agreed on the phone before we set off. Call 07960 200253 with your location.
Yes. We take calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including nights, weekends and bank holidays, and there is no call-out fee at any hour. The price is agreed on the call. Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253.
Possibly. Double red lines mean no stopping at any time, and TfL says they operate every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without needing a time plate. TfL's red line guidance does not mention an exemption for broken-down vehicles, so nobody can honestly promise you will not get a penalty charge notice. Keep the recovery invoice with its date and time. If you are issued a notice, TfL says you can make a representation within 28 days of the notice being served and can raise any other mitigating circumstances.
The Congestion Charge is £18 per day if paid on the day or in advance, or £21 if paid by midnight on the third day after travel. It runs 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays. ULEZ is £12.50 per day for vehicles that do not meet its standards, 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. TfL gives roadside recovery vehicles in DVLA tax class 47 a 100% Congestion Charge discount, subject to a £10 annual fee per vehicle. We do not add a Congestion Charge surcharge to a central London job.
Often yes, depending on the car park. Many have a height barrier that a recovery truck cannot pass under, so the vehicle is winched or manoeuvred to an external loading point at street level and loaded there. Ramp gradients and the turning space around pillars matter as much as the barrier height. Tell us the car park name, the level and bay, whether the car rolls and steers, and who can open the barrier or shutter.
Yes. Towing an electric car with its driven wheels on the ground can damage it, so electric and most hybrid cars are normally recovered on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground. Check your handbook for your model. When booking, tell us the make and model, whether the car will select neutral or has a transport mode, and whether the battery is flat.
That is a normal job, but it changes the equipment we bring. A car that will not select neutral, has a seized wheel, an electronic parking brake stuck on, no key, or missing wheels is moved with skates or dollies and loaded onto a flatbed. Say so when you call so we send the right equipment and agree the price for that job on the call.
If the collision was not your fault, reasonable recovery and storage costs are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer, and we can arrange the recovery at no upfront cost to you. A replacement vehicle depends on the circumstances, and what you owe if liability is disputed depends on the agreement you sign. If you were at fault, or nobody else is liable, the cost falls to you or to your own insurance policy.
After a non-fault accident, reasonable storage costs are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer. Storage is usually charged per day, so the vehicle should not sit in storage longer than it takes to inspect it and reach a repair or total loss decision. Tell the claims team where the vehicle is as early as you can so that storage is not left running.
It is easier if you are, because you can hand over the key, confirm the destination and point out anything the driver needs to know. If you cannot be there, it can usually still be arranged. We need your authority as the keeper or driver, a practical way to get the key, and someone able to receive the vehicle at the other end. Explain the situation on the call and you will be told exactly what is needed.
Yes. Say on the call that the car is untaxed, uninsured or has failed its MOT so we can plan the job. If you are unsure whether the car can legally be driven, do not drive it or pull it with a rope, and check the tax, insurance and MOT position with DVLA or your insurer.
Rope towing is regulated rather than banned outright, and it is still a bad idea. Regulation 86 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 says that where a trailer is attached to a vehicle solely by a rope or chain, the distance between them must not exceed 4.5 metres, and must not exceed 1.5 metres unless the rope or chain is made clearly visible to other road users. With the engine off, the brake servo and power steering normally stop assisting, so the towed car is much harder to stop and steer, which is why a flatbed is the safer way to move a car that cannot be driven.
Yes. If the vehicle cannot lawfully be driven away once it is released, we can recover it from a police or council pound. The release charges are payable to the pound, not to us, and vehicles removed by the police and by a council are held and charged under different rules, so check with the pound first. Our police impound and council pound recovery page lists the documents to bring.
Yes to both. We recover vans, 4x4s and light commercials as well as cars, and the equipment is decided by weight, dimensions and whether the vehicle is loaded, so tell us the model and what is in the back. Long-distance work such as London to Manchester or London to Birmingham is priced on total mileage and agreed in full on the call, and non-emergency moves can be booked for a time slot rather than as an emergency call-out.
Highway Code rule 276 says to think of other road users first and get the vehicle off the road if possible. Use your hazard warning lights if it is causing an obstruction, and wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight, or reflective clothing at night or in poor visibility. Do not stand between your vehicle and oncoming traffic, and keep well away from the vehicle and moving traffic, as rule 275 advises. If you have a warning triangle, rule 276 puts it at least 45 metres behind the vehicle on the same side of the road, but only put it out if you can do so safely, and never on a motorway. Then call us on 07960 200253 from somewhere safe. This is for ordinary roads: on a motorway follow the Highway Code rule 277 steps and call 999 if you cannot reach safety and cannot get out safely, then call us once you are safe.
It depends on the stretch. Some smart motorway stretches have no hard shoulder at all (all lane running), for example the M25 between junctions 23 and 27, where the left lane is a live traffic lane and emergency areas are the places to stop. Highway Code rule 277 says to leave the motorway at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can. If you cannot, move into the left lane (into an emergency area if you can reach one), stop as far to the left as possible and switch your hazard lights on. If it is safe and possible, leave by the side furthest from traffic and wait well away from the vehicle, behind the safety barrier where there is one. Only if you cannot get your vehicle to the left lane or a place of relative safety, and cannot get out safely and well away from the vehicle and moving traffic, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999 immediately and ask for the police (or press your SOS button if your vehicle has one and ask for the police). Do not try repairs, do not place a warning triangle on the carriageway and do not go back to the vehicle once you have left it. Once you are safe, call us on 07960 200253 with the junction number and the direction of travel.
Not always. A flat battery can often be fixed with a jump start, a flat tyre with mobile tyre fitting and an empty tank with fuel delivery, so describe the problem on the call before you commit to a tow. If the fault cannot be fixed where you are, for example a battery that will not hold a charge, the car is recovered instead. Wrong fuel is different: do not start the engine, because the tank needs draining rather than the car driving. Do not change a wheel or work on the vehicle beside moving traffic, and keep well away from the vehicle and the traffic while you wait. On a motorway follow the Highway Code rule 277 steps and call 999 if you cannot reach safety and cannot get out safely, then call us once you are safe.
Yes. If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, call 999 first. Once everyone is safe, tell us where the car is, whether it rolls and steers, and which address you want it taken to. If another driver was at fault, we can arrange the recovery at no upfront cost to you, with the costs claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer and the claim handled through citygripclaims.co.uk. If nobody else is liable, the cost falls to you or your own insurance. Call 07960 200253.
Yes. We take calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and cover every London postcode, all 32 boroughs and the M25. Give us a postcode, the nearest junction or a what3words address, plus the make and model, and the price is agreed on the call. We do not publish an arrival time, because it depends on your exact location and the traffic. Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253.
Updated October 2026. Lines open 24 hours. Call 07960 200253.
Lines open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We cover every London postcode and the M25. Tell us where you are and what you are driving and the full price is agreed on the phone before we set off: recovery and towing from £80, no call-out fee. If the accident was not your fault, we can arrange the recovery at no upfront cost to you.
