A tow costs less for a short pull off a Bywater side street and more for a flatbed run out to Covington or a breakdown deep in the West Bank. Distance, vehicle weight, and the type of tow move the number more than anything else. Call us and we quote a flat rate over the phone before a truck ever leaves the yard, so you know the total before anyone touches your car.
What actually moves the price of a tow
Four things decide what a tow costs, and none of them is a mystery.
Distance is the biggest one. A tow from a Mid-City driveway to a shop two miles away costs less than a flatbed haul from Chalmette up to a dealership in Metairie, or a run north across the Causeway to Mandeville. Vehicle class matters too. A sedan is a faster, lighter job than a loaded pickup or a box truck, and heavier vehicles need bigger equipment and more time on scene.
The tow method changes the price as well. A wheel-lift truck handles a straightforward front-wheel-drive car quickly. An all-wheel-drive SUV, a Tesla, a lowered car, or anything with visible damage usually needs a flatbed, which takes longer to load and costs more to run. Time of day plays a role too. A 2 a.m. call from the shoulder of the High Rise costs differently than an afternoon pickup from a hotel lot near the Convention Center, since overnight and holiday calls carry higher dispatch costs across the industry.
New Orleans adds its own wrinkles. French Quarter and CBD streets are narrow and one-way heavy, which slows a truck down before it ever reaches your car. The city’s cruise terminals at Erato and Julia Street handle more than a million passenger movements a year, and a lot of the calls we run out of those garages are short, simple jobs: a dead battery after a car sat all week in the heat during a cruise, a flat that needs a real tire change, or a five-minute tow to the nearest safe spot before a ship sails.
The regulated rate Louisiana law actually sets
Louisiana doesn’t license tow companies the way some states license contractors, and there’s no single towing license number a homeowner could look up. Instead, state law hands one specific power to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the LPSC: the authority to cap what a tow company can charge for a nonconsensual tow, meaning a car removed from private property without the owner’s consent, or a car removed at police direction. Louisiana is one of only a few states that regulates towing rates this way, statewide, through a single commission.
Under General Order 12-20-2024 (Docket R-35595), a private-property tow of a standard car (Light Duty, up to 10,000 lbs) is capped at a flat $146.50, or $179 if extra equipment or an extra operator is documented as required. Medium Duty caps at $322 flat, Heavy Duty at $414 flat. Storage runs $32.50 a day outside, $39 a day covered, $59 a day for oversize vehicles. A gate fee, if one applies, is capped at $62. These are the maximum a tow company may legally charge when someone else has your car removed, not a Quick Tow New Orleans price.
Nonconsensual tows billed by the hour follow a similar structure: Light Duty runs $146.50 an hour with a 1.5-hour minimum, Medium Duty $322 an hour with a 1-hour minimum, Heavy Duty $414 an hour with a 1-hour minimum. A tow company also has to accept a credit card under this schedule, and any card-processing fee it passes on has to be itemized separately from the towing charge, never folded into the total.
Here’s the part that matters most if this is why you searched for a price: those caps apply when someone else has your car towed, a landlord, an HOA, a property manager, or the police. They don’t apply to a private tow you call yourself. If you’re reading this because you need a truck to come get your car right now, the LPSC schedule is context, not your bill.
If the city already has your car
There’s a second, separate set of numbers if your car is already sitting at the City of New Orleans’ own pound on Claiborne Avenue, because of a parking ticket, an expired meter, a boot, or a parade-route sweep. The city raised those fees on July 27, 2026.
Light Duty tow and impound: $228.75 minimum for the first 90 minutes, then $76.25 per additional half hour. Medium Duty: $335 minimum for the first hour, then $167.50 per half hour. Heavy Duty: $430.50 minimum for the first hour, then $215.25 per half hour. Storage: $19 a day, capped at $500 total. Boot removal: $172, plus any outstanding citations.
Those figures moved fast: the boot fee rose from $121 to $172, and the Light Duty tow rate moved from a flat $161.25 to the tiered structure above, tied explicitly to the same statewide rate schedule the LPSC sets for nonconsensual towing generally. Vehicles impounded before July 27, 2026 are billed under the prior rate schedule, so the exact number can depend on when your car went in.
That’s a city fee for a city tow, not a Quick Tow New Orleans price either. If this is your situation, read how to find your towed car in New Orleans and get it back for the full walkthrough, including the Claiborne Avenue pound’s address and hours.
What actually decides your quote
When you call Quick Tow New Orleans for your own breakdown, accident, or lockout, the price comes down to the same four factors from the top of this article: how far the truck has to drive, what kind of vehicle you’re in, whether it needs a flatbed or a wheel-lift, and what time it is. A short local tow off an Uptown street costs less than a long run from Belle Chasse up to a shop near Kenner. A standard sedan costs less to move than a heavy-duty work truck.
We build the number over the phone, ask where you are and what you’re driving, and give you one flat rate before the truck rolls. There’s no meter running, no surprise mileage charge tacked on after the fact, and no separate fee for showing up at night, during a parade weekend, or on a holiday that we didn’t already tell you about.
Why we quote flat, before the truck rolls
A flat-rate quote protects you and it protects us. You know the number before you commit, and our driver doesn’t have to negotiate on your street or in a parking garage at midnight. Call (858) 925-5546, tell us where you are and what you’re driving, and we’ll give you a number before anyone gets in a truck.
Frequently asked questions
What does the LPSC actually cap?
The Louisiana Public Service Commission sets statewide maximum rates for nonconsensual towing, meaning a car removed from private property without the owner’s consent or at police direction. A standard car’s private-property tow is capped at $146.50 flat, with storage capped at $32.50 a day.
Does that cap apply to a tow I call myself?
No. The LPSC schedule regulates tows someone else orders, a landlord, an HOA, or the police. A private tow you call for a breakdown, lockout, or accident is priced by distance, vehicle type, and time, and we quote that number to you directly before dispatch.
What if my car is already at the city pound on Claiborne Avenue?
That’s a separate fee schedule the City of New Orleans raised on July 27, 2026. Light Duty impound runs $228.75 minimum plus $76.25 per additional half hour, and storage is $19 a day capped at $500. See our guide to finding your towed car for the full address, hours, and process.
Can a tow company charge extra for a credit card?
A tow company operating under the LPSC schedule has to accept credit cards, and any processing fee it passes on has to be itemized separately from the tow charge, not folded into the total without explanation.
Why does a flatbed cost more than a wheel-lift tow?
A flatbed lifts all four wheels off the ground, which takes longer to load and unload than a wheel-lift hookup. It’s the right call for all-wheel-drive vehicles, EVs, lowered cars, and anything with visible damage, which is why it usually runs higher than a straightforward wheel-lift tow.
Will the price change during Mardi Gras or a cruise-ship day?
Demand goes up during parade season and around cruise sailings, which can affect how quickly a truck reaches you, but we still tell you the full number, including any time-of-day or demand factor, before the truck leaves.