20.5% of tow companies sit under four stars. What to do this week if you are one
Towing has more low ratings than almost any local trade. Here is why, what a sub-4 rating costs on a roadside search, and five steps to start fixing it now.
A stranded driver on the shoulder looks at three tow companies on Google and taps the one with the better stars. If your rating starts with a 3, you may never get that call, no matter how fast your trucks are.
In our benchmark data, 20.5% of towing companies have an average rating under 4.0. Only 28.5% hold a perfect 5.0, and the average across the industry is 4.4. That makes towing one of the toughest trades on Google for ratings. Here is why it happens and what to do about it before the winter rush.
Why towing ratings run low
You are often the worst part of someone's day. The car broke down, they are late, they are stressed, and then they get a bill. Some of your work is not even for the person who reviews you: private property impounds and police rotation tows produce angry reviewers who never wanted your service.
That means two things. First, bad reviews will come no matter how good you are. Second, the companies with strong ratings are not getting fewer complaints. They are getting far more happy reviews to balance them out.
What a low rating costs you
When someone searches "tow truck near me" at 11 p.m., Google shows the map pack with stars right next to each name. A driver in a hurry does not read reviews. They glance at the number and the count.
A hypothetical: if 40 roadside searches a week see your listing and your sub-4 rating causes even a quarter of them to pick someone else, that is 10 lost calls a week. At $150 to $300 for a typical local tow, that adds up fast. Plug your own call volume into the calculator to see the real figure for your yard.
Five steps for this week
1. Split your reviews by job type. (30 minutes) Read your last 30 low reviews and tag each one: roadside customer, impound, police rotation, motor club, or other. Most owners find that a large share come from impounds and private property tows. That tells you where the problem is, and where the fix is.
2. Ask every happy roadside customer. (Starting today) The roadside customer you got moving in 25 minutes is your best reviewer. Have drivers text the review link before they pull away:
Thanks for calling us tonight. If we helped, a quick Google review means a lot to a small local company: [link]
Do not ask impound customers. Focus your asks on the jobs that go well. The Google reviews guide covers timing and wording for each type of call.
3. Reply to every negative review, calmly. (20 minutes) Future customers read your reply more than the complaint. Keep it short, factual, and polite:
We are sorry the night went this way. Vehicles on private property are removed at the owner's request under [state] law, and our fees are posted at the lot. If you want to go over the bill, call our office during the day and ask for [name].
Never argue, never reveal private details, and never call the reviewer a liar. Readers side with the calm party.
4. Fix the complaint that repeats. (One meeting) If five reviews mention surprise fees, post your rates at the lot and send a text quote before dispatch. If five mention long waits, give honest ETAs and text when the truck is ten minutes out. One fixed process removes a whole category of future one-star reviews.
5. Flag the reviews that break Google's rules. (15 minutes) Reviews that contain hate speech, threats, or are clearly about a different business can be reported through your profile. Google does not remove reviews just because they are negative, so only flag the ones that actually break the rules.
Why the count matters as much as the stars
The median tow company has 31 reviews. The top 10% have 219 or more. A company with a 4.1 rating and a few hundred reviews looks more trusted than one with a 4.8 and twelve. Volume dilutes the bad nights.
If your yard runs 15 roadside calls a day and drivers ask on every one, even a modest response rate adds several reviews a week. Over a winter, that can move your average in a way you will see on the map.
What not to do
- Do not pay for reviews or use services that post them. Google can remove them all at once and flag your profile.
- Do not offer discounts in exchange for reviews. It breaks Google's rules.
- Do not ask only your friends and family. Patterns like that get filtered.
Check where you stand
Look up your rating and count, then compare them with the benchmark report. If you are below the median on count and under 4.0 on stars, reviews are your biggest lever going into the busy season. The Google Business Profile guide covers the other settings worth fixing while you are in there.
If you want help getting a steady flow of reviews from your good calls, try a free 14-day trial of any service, no card, text or call (385) 249-3225.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, towing companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor